Pubdate: Fri, 04 Aug 2006 Source: Clayton News Daily (Jonesboro, GA) Copyright: 2006 Clayton News Daily Contact: http://www.news-daily.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3488 Author: Jeffery Whitfield Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?237 (Drug Dogs) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States) SCHOOL SYSTEM NEGOTIATING WITH FIRM FOR USE OF CANINES Clayton County Public Schools is negotiating with Interquest Detection Canines to visit the district's schools for the next academic year, according to John Walker, the system's director of student engagement. He expects details to be finalized within the next month. The canines at this point are anticipated to be used at schools during fall and spring semesters, Walker said. Last year the system paid $37,000 to the firm for 106 half-day visits. Each middle school was scheduled to have four unannounced visits and each high school was to receive six unannounced visits during the year, Walker told members of the Clayton County Board of Education during their July meeting. "Schedule adjustments were made to reflect the needs of the schools," he said. The district began contracting with the firm at the end of the 2004-2005 school year to use the canines, which are brought in by trained handlers. "It was a pilot," said Luvenia Jackson, an assistant superintendent with the district. Ashley Marratt, who owns the Georgia franchise of Interquest Detection Canines, a national firm based in Houston, Texas., said two dogs can be used for the visits in Clayton. One is a 60-pound English Springer Spaniel and the other is an Australian Cattle dog that weighs about 30 pounds. "Most people think of drug dogs and (think of) German shepherds," she said. The firm does not those larger types of dogs because people tend to be afraid of them, Marratt added. "We try to use breeds that are (considered) friendly," she said. Jackson said when canines initially were being considered for the district, school assemblies and broadcasts on the system's television station were made to inform residents about the canines. School officials said the fears were allayed and the dog inspections were made last year without any problems. Marratt said the visits by the dogs are considered a substance abuse prevention program. Trained over a period of an average of four to six months, the dogs are capable of detecting illicit or illegal drugs, gun powder, prescription and over-the-counter medication and alcoholic beverages. Interquest Detection Canines works in 50 to 60 schools in Georgia areas such as Henry, Butts, Pike, and Dalton City. Use of the canines has not registered fears among students, said Lee Waugh, who will be a senior at Jonesboro High School this year. "I guess they are pretty good for keeping the schools safer," he said. He recalls the canines visiting Jonesboro High four times last year, but did not encounter any animals because he was in classrooms while the dogs were searching school areas. "(School officials) had us inside classrooms while dogs looked," Waugh said. Last year there were 62 visits to high schools and 82 alerts were made by canines. Walker said eight were made for illicit -- or illegal -- drugs, five for alcohol, four for gun powder, 11 for medication, 23 for residual odors, 21 for unknown scents. There were no alerts for the alternative school. Walker said there were 51 unannounced visits for the middle schools. There were no alerts for illicit drugs, alcohol, gun powder or medications. Seven alerts were made: five for residual odors and two for unknown scents. Residual odors are those that may remain from previous outings such as weekend hunting trips, Walker said. No arrests were made as a result of alerts from canines last year, Walker said. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom