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Local secondary students could be told to leave their backpacks and belongings and exit their classrooms on a random basis in the near future if a proposed policy is enacted by the Churchill County School District.
The Churchill County School Board will hear a presentation on canine searches of students' possessions at a meeting Thursday.
Superintendent Carolyn Ross said the idea is to prove to the community that there are no illegal drugs in its schools. She said Lahontan Valley High School Principal Keith Boone has been at the forefront of the proposal.
Ross said the only the superintendent, the principal of the school and the school resource officer will know when a search is to take place. The school resource officer would call NAS Fallon to arrange a time when the dogs would be available to do the searches. Dogs would then be brought in from the Navy base to look for illegal drugs.
"The dogs will just show up to do their thing," she said, adding she thinks no illegal substances would be discovered.
"We believe we have clean schools, and we want to prove that," Ross said, stressing the searches will not be done in the elementary schools.
"We want to prove a point and make sure the community knows that we will go to extremes to make sure we have drug-free schools," she said.
She said if one of the dogs "hits" on a backpack, it would result in serious consequences for the student in question.
The superintendent added the district thinks the idea is in the best interest of students and staff. She said drug-free schools result in a safer educational process.
She said the dogs would not come in contact with the students or what the children could be carrying.
This proposal is different than the current district policy on searching students, lockers and backpacks.
A portion of the policy reads: "Searches of a student's person or possessions while at school must be reasonable. Reasonableness requires that the search be justified prior to its commencement and be related to the circumstance giving rise to the search."
In another part of the policy, it states that a school administrator, with a witness, can conduct a search of a student and his or her possessions.
The witness must be told in the presence of the student of the alleged wrongdoing and of the evidence believed to be hidden on the student or in his or her possession.
In extraordinary circumstances such as an emergencies involving weapons, destruction of evidence, escape or an immediate threat to students or others, school officials have the right to not follow the policy.
The school board meets at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Churchill County School District Administration office, 545 E. Richards St.
To view a complete packet of the school board meeting, visit www.churchill.k12.nv.us.
The Churchill County School Board will hear a presentation on canine searches of students' possessions at a meeting Thursday.
Superintendent Carolyn Ross said the idea is to prove to the community that there are no illegal drugs in its schools. She said Lahontan Valley High School Principal Keith Boone has been at the forefront of the proposal.
Ross said the only the superintendent, the principal of the school and the school resource officer will know when a search is to take place. The school resource officer would call NAS Fallon to arrange a time when the dogs would be available to do the searches. Dogs would then be brought in from the Navy base to look for illegal drugs.
"The dogs will just show up to do their thing," she said, adding she thinks no illegal substances would be discovered.
"We believe we have clean schools, and we want to prove that," Ross said, stressing the searches will not be done in the elementary schools.
"We want to prove a point and make sure the community knows that we will go to extremes to make sure we have drug-free schools," she said.
She said if one of the dogs "hits" on a backpack, it would result in serious consequences for the student in question.
The superintendent added the district thinks the idea is in the best interest of students and staff. She said drug-free schools result in a safer educational process.
She said the dogs would not come in contact with the students or what the children could be carrying.
This proposal is different than the current district policy on searching students, lockers and backpacks.
A portion of the policy reads: "Searches of a student's person or possessions while at school must be reasonable. Reasonableness requires that the search be justified prior to its commencement and be related to the circumstance giving rise to the search."
In another part of the policy, it states that a school administrator, with a witness, can conduct a search of a student and his or her possessions.
The witness must be told in the presence of the student of the alleged wrongdoing and of the evidence believed to be hidden on the student or in his or her possession.
In extraordinary circumstances such as an emergencies involving weapons, destruction of evidence, escape or an immediate threat to students or others, school officials have the right to not follow the policy.
The school board meets at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Churchill County School District Administration office, 545 E. Richards St.
To view a complete packet of the school board meeting, visit www.churchill.k12.nv.us.
