Students: Are School Officials Barking Up the Wrong Tree with Drug-Sniffing Dogs?

One of GOOD Morning Wilton‘s WHS senior interns, Wyatt Dean, took a deeper look at the impact the recently-adopted policy of bringing drug-sniffing dogs into Wilton schools will have, starting with reactions from some of the high school students. He also spoke with school superintendent, Dr. Kevin Smith.

As the Wilton High School’s 2015 year winds down, there have been rumors circulating among students about the idea of bringing in a K9 unit to the school to search cars and lockers for the potential possession of drugs. Around school and among students, the general consensus about bringing the Wilton police force into the school this way seems to be predominantly a negative one.

“As a student, it makes me feel accused and uncomfortable in a place where students should feel comfortable,” says Jack House, a senior. “We’re the first senior class to have this happen to us in years, and I definitely believe that there have been classes before us who have had greater problems related to drug use.”

Many students, spanning different classes, report feeling a lack of trust by the administration. The concept is clear as to why the canine unit may be needed, and school officials may just be ensuring the safety of the students in their own ways. But the students do not feel this is necessary, and they will continue to reject the idea as long as it stands.

Junior Genta Raci says, “I was concerned and taken aback when I heard about it because I didn’t think our school had a big problem with drugs compared to some other schools.”

In the past, there have been dog searches on other campuses in the area, such as at Greenwich High School, which prompted  controversy then. In 2010, several students at Greenwich High School were arrested, although the crime rate in Greenwich was extremely low. On April 1 of this year, Fairfield Prep incorporated a dog search into their schedule, and 12 lockers were ‘positively identified’ by dogs. Although drugs were drugs found, no police action was taken.

The Board of Education published a policy fact sheet on its website, which states, “The purpose of the policy modification was to make the policy more reflective of current practices, and to expand the scope of tools available to school personnel in ensuring a safe, contraband-free school environment.” Although the school is attempting to create a safer environment, students feel as if their safety would be jeopardized by going through with the search and seizure.

As for privacy, the fact sheet states, “The Courts have held that searches are permissible when they are determined to be reasonable at the inception and reasonable in scope.” In other words, the students are going to be searched if the dogs alert, and this is completely legal.

The rumors continue; some students have said that they’ve heard the WHS administration has decided not to do the dog search, even though the Wilton police have no problem with it. They wonder if school officials may be listening to the negative responses towards the idea of such a search. Students have voiced their opinions, and it is likely that this has circulated up to the administration. Regardless, there has not been a search this year, and it seems as if one will come sooner rather than later, even with only 17 days left on the school calendar.

Dr. Kevin Smith, superintendent of Wilton Public Schools, was eager to talk about why the administration moved to the policy and to address student concerns.

“We have an obligation as adults in this community to take available steps to communicate our values on illicit drug use, or clearly to oppose drug use. We must also take steps to keep those kinds of drugs out of our schools. I’m not assuming that any kid in the high school is using drugs, but I’m not naive enough to think it’s not happening. I really just want our schools to be safe,” he said.

Smith feels very strongly about the students and the safety of the community. He does a lot for the high school, but says his main concern is keeping the students safe, and making sure they are not exposed to negative elements, including illegal drugs. He explained how the detection dogs will be implemented.

“The use of the drug sniffing dogs can relate to the growing number of schools and districts who are implementing the same opportunity. A school might go into lock down, where students will be contained in a classroom and not in the hallways. And there is a number of canine units from surrounding communities that come to the school. They are in and out very quickly, as it may take up to five minutes. If they hit on a locker, they bring in a second dog to verify, and then the police retrieve and it becomes an administration matter after that. So there is no exposure to students and they should not feel concerned with personal searches as we would never do that,” Smith said.

But then what? Many students and parents want to know how the school would deal with a situation involving a positive hit during a search and seizure.

“I think it will be a case by case process,” Smith said. “This is not an ‘I gotcha!’ situation. We are not out looking for students, to expel people and to cause problems. With that being said, every student at WHS should know that bringing drugs to school is illegal. It’s reasonable for students to know that this is not an appropriate action. I think students would agree, and I know that they know better. Some of the nicest, and smartest students on the planet walk the halls of Wilton High School, so I would fully expect that we would conduct the search and find nothing. It really would be my expectation. But if we do find something, the administration will conduct an investigation. It’s really not about the discipline and the punishments, it’s really about understanding the context of why a person might be doing this. And quite frankly, it could be an adult too. So the question for us is why might an ‘individual’ bring illicit substances to school in the first place.”

The Board of Education Policy Fact Sheet is a great place to start to look for answers. This document can be found posted prominently on the Board of Education website, either by clicking here or visiting the BoE’s main webpage and clicking on the “canine search fact sheet” link on the right hand side of the page.

Smith also expressed that he would love to see students come in and talk to him if they have any concerns, and said he wants everyone to feel comfortable about the situation, as he looks to improve the safety of WHS.