Pubdate: Sun, 04 Mar 2001 Source: Daily Camera (CO) Copyright: 2001 The Daily Camera. Contact: Open Forum, Daily Camera, P.O. Box 591, Boulder, CO 80306 Fax: 303-449-9358 Feedback: http://www.bouldernews.com/opinion/index.html Website: http://www.bouldernews.com/ READERS SPEAK OUT The Daily Camera asked readers the question: "Is allowing drug-sniffing dogs into schools a good way to deter drug use or an unreasonable intrusion?" Here are some of the responses. Readers Speak Out: In my opinion, drug sniffing dogs would be an excellent idea in middle as well as high schools. Nothing else has been working to stem drug use. Anything we can do, including cameras, to prevent drugs from being a part of the culture of public education would improve the shabby current conditions and reputation. - - Paul Whiteside, Boulder Obviously we want our kids drug free, especially in school. It is a major problem in many US schools and seems to be getting worse every year. But spending more time educating the kids about the effects of drug use, short and long term may be just as effective. If there is a major problem in a school after all of the avenues have been explored in trying to educate the kids to make their own wise decisions about drug us then maybe it might be a justified act. Let them know that it wont be tolerated and WHY and what the result could be. Dont just send in the dogs and expect the kids to not feel resentment and animosity towards the school. Kids are just that-kids. They make mistakes, they experiment and always will. But more times than not they are not fully aware of the results of their actions. Drug sniffing dogs may make them feel less confident, more like a criminal and have a negative effect. Maybe the school should add some metal detectors and issue uniforms with numbers on them to complete the whole "prison-like" atmosphere. In conclusion, the dogs should be a VERY last resort to try to solve the problem that the adults in their lives failed to help take care of. - - AEH, Chicago This is definately an unreasonable intrusion. I can't believe the hysteria the media is creating over the recent ecstasy-related death of Britney Chambers. Since she actually died from drinking too much water it seems irresponsible to blame it entirely on the drug she took. After all, the other 6 kids were evidently fine after taking the exact same drug that night. How many more of our constitutional rights are we going to concede in the name of this unwinnable "war on some drugs"? Can drug sniffing dogs even smell ecstasy? Meanwhile the sheeple can continue to think that the government can protect their kids from the "bad" drugs while they sip contentedly on their third martini. George Orwell was wrong...it's going to be much worse that he predicted in _1984_. - - Jeff Hansen, Boulder We should all remember that school is training for citizenship. Using drug sniffing dogs as often as possible is simply excellent training for life in a police state. With the drug war hysteria, which justifies outrages like civil forfeiture where citizens' property can be taken on mere suspicion without probable cause, Draconian mandatory minimum sentences for drug violations, and an incarceration rate exceeding that of almost any civilized country (mostly due to locking up drug "criminals"), as well as many other violations too numerous to mention here, this training is entirely appropriate. In that vein, we can improve the curriculum with random urine tests for all. And while we're at it, why not random strip searches, even when there is no actual reason to suspect anything? It is also very important that we make sure that civics class excludes any mention of the 4th amendment, or in fact any other of the pesky amendments in that outmoded constitution thing. Finally, I am just so impressed that Monarch principal, Bill Johnson, has the moral courage to stay neutral. With a role model like him, students will certainly learn the importance of not standing up for their, or anyone else's rights, when after all, it's ever so much easier to be neutral. - - Steve Dunn, Boulder Without due cause to be sniffing out a particular student's body or possessions, it sounds like an invasion of privacy and a further erosion of personal freedom to me. Catching kids with drugs, and hassling the rest of them whether they're using or not, is not the answer. Spend our tax money educating them honestly about the potential dangers and drawbacks of drugs instead. - - Curtis Martin, Boulder I shouldn't be able to decide this issue for other people's children. It's none of my business. Neither should school boards, school administrators, or the legislature. Only parents should decide for themselves what's right for their children. Unfortunately government schools only offer one-size-fits-all straight jacket solutions. If a government school chooses to use drug sniffing dogs, then the parents that don't want the dogs lose, and if the government schools chose not to use drug sniffing dogs, then the parents who want the dogs lose. Parents: Put yourself in control of your child's education by home schooling them or sending them to private school. - - Chuck Wright, Louisville I find it a great idea to have drug sniffing dogs in schools. That should put a lid on all the traffic. Who ever came up with this idea should be congratulated. I consider it less of an intrision than having credit card companies getting my personal information. And something needs to be done to get our children off drugs. Another thing that would also be good to have in schools are metal detectors. This way no guns could enter the school grounds either. - - Margarete Landau, Boulder I believe it is an unreasonable intrusion. This is just a case of the school board saying that the students are guilty until proven innocent. - - Sammy Roth, Boulder Boy, this is an easy one. Using Drug Sniffing Dogs in a "we're only doing what's right for the kids" search for illegal drug use in Boulder Valley Schools, arises from the same mentality that would bring video cameras to view activities on the grounds outside of Boulder High.Many speak against recreational drugs being placed in the same category as alcohol and cigarettes, legalized but controlled, because of the message it would send to our children. The presence of police dogs sniffing their way down the school hallway looking for the presence of illegal substances also sends a message.I think it goes something like "Kids, you are living in a police state, get used to it". - - August Sirkin, Longmont It's unfortunate some parents feel that schools are the place to search for drugs. How about parents taking responsibility for their kids and any policing that is needed. Don't put yet another burden on school resources. Schools are for teaching not preaching, policing or babysitting.To take this a step further, isn't it time to stop free school busing. Yes,just another drain on school resources. How about charging a user fee to help offset the cost of operation. I am sure this money could be put to good use in the schools. - - Celeste McDowell, Boulder In response to your question whether drug sniffing dogs should be used in our schools, I say that idea is ridiculous and will not ever deter the use of drugs by our children. It will only drive those kids that are doing drugs further underground. This may come as a surprise, but we know of people using mind altering drugs, such as alcohol, since history has been recorded. The type of police involvement that is being suggested has yet to prove its effectiveness. I wonder if it ever occurs to those people who want to use these tactics that it is possible that kids take drugs to get high, not because they are rebelling, or because there is no closeness in the family, or that there are "problems" at all? Is it possible that they simply want to get high, see what it's all about? Couldn't we spend the time and money on productive education efforts instead? Knowing that there will always be some kids that WILL do drugs, no matter what, why can't we teach them about really knowing what they are getting into, like that some drugs may have additives in them that could kill, paralyze, or have lasting psychotic effects? (Remember when the pesticide paraquat was being sprayed on marijuana in Mexico, and people were getting very sick from the paraquat, and not the marijuana?) What if the kids at Monarch High School had known that MDMA can cause extreme thirst and that over-drinking water can cause a coma, or even, as what did happen, death? With real, and truthful education, I believe kids will be intelligent enough to then make their own decisions about the safety of the drugs being offered, as opposed to making decisions based on the fear of being caught. Isn't it also true that ever since we have instated the "War on Drugs" 12 years ago, that the use and sale of drugs has not decreased one bit? Logically this would say that this policing tactic is really quite ineffective and that possibly alternative solutions should be considered. I have lived in this beautiful city for 22 years and to me, Boulder has always stood for innovative, positive and effective solutions. Let's not replace this attitude with one that other communities have proven not to work. - - Kerstin Lieff , Boulder I think it is naive of parents to believe that having drug sniffing dogs check lockers at our schools is going to stop the drug problem or protect their child. When are parents going to realize the job firmly rests on our shoulders to educate, support, love, and BE THERE for our kids? Of course the schools are there to support and add more structured education on drugs, sex, life as a teenager. But the parent must talk to their child, know who the child's friends are and give unconditional love and support. I am not living in a fantasy land and know that even though I talk to my kids and support the education they receive, they may still give into peer pressure or curiosity. I am only hoping and praying they won't. Invading a student's privacy (drug sniffing dogs, going through lockers without probable cause) is not going to stop drug use. It will only cause those who use drugs to become more creative in where they store them. Will we next search cars on campus? What about the teachers? Why do we leave them out? Do we start searching their storage areas, bags, cars? I had one son graduate from Fairview High and my younger son attends Monarch High. Both schools are excellent and both schools have kids who will use drugs. What both schools need are more parents involved in their child's life. - - Gayle M. Schack, Louisville The thought of bringing police with drug-sniffing dogs into our high schools to search students' lockers is appalling. The unprovoked search of their school with the K-9 dogs only illustrates adults power over them, would violate trust and invade their privacy, most of whom have earned the right to that privacy. This show of muscle would alienate teens without producing a positive outcome. The teen years are a time when our children are working toward independence and with this comes a certain amount of rejection of what they have known and accepted as truth in the past. They are trying on new behaviors, values, ways of being and need to know they have a safe refuge within a caring and loving adult community where they can return when they are facing those inevitable failures. I am the parent of a sophomore at Monarch High School. The recent incident involving drugs and a teenage girl's death has shaken up our community because it has brought reality through our front door and into our living room. I want schools (and the world) to be safe for my children. We have problems but the solution needs to be found in working as a community with our children, not against them. - - Debbie Helser, Louisville What are these parents thinking ...asking the school district to open up the schools for drug dog inspections? I'll tell you when the school should be opening their doors to this kind of inspection and infringement...when the homes of all the students and their cars have first been allowed the same intrusion. If these same parents who do not know where jonny has been all night will open theirown homes up, well then after that let the dogs go and check out the schools too. Like if I were a kid in school planning on goin to the friday night rave...I would have to go back to school at 10:00pm to get my stash before I go out for the night...or do I keep my drugs at home or in the car that daddy bought me? The last place to keep a stash in the least accessable place for when i need it. Tell these parents to wake up, take some responcibility for their own kids and then to go and stop policing others or expecting others to do their jobs with their kids. - - Seth Sovak, Boulder - ---