Starting second semester, Parkway school district decided that St. Louis County Police will be conducting campus searches with their canine units on each high school campus.

“The searches typically last about 30-40 minutes and will likely occur 3-4 times a year.  The searches are not costing us anything and they are not scheduled. The dogs will not be sniffing individual students, and they will be accompanied by its handler, the school resource officer and a school administrator,” Deputy Superintendent Desi Kirchhofer said.

Due to the heroin meetings last year, the community was left at unease with the safety of children at school. The searches are being conducted to ensure the safety of the student body.

“We want our kids to feel physically and emotionally safe. With the help of the canines, we can confirm that safety on campus,” Principal Jeremy Mitchell said.

The canine units are trained to sniff out narcotics such as marijuana, heroin and cocaine. However, they are not trained to sniff out prescription drugs.

“I do believe that teenage drug use is a problem and needs to be addressed, but I’m most concerned with the number of students who are experimenting with prescription drugs,” English Teacher Michelle Kerpash said. “The real problem isn’t in school, it’s outside of school. The decision seems to be a reaction based on fear and it gives students a false sense of safety. Just because the district brings in a canine unit, does not mean the drug use will stop and it does not mean that the drugs are not there.”

The National Institute of Drug Abuse reports that the average age students start smoking marijuana is age 14.

“We should be proactive and help the students in their early ages to save them from future addictions, and I think the dogs will help secure that safety for them,” Art Teacher Peggy Dunsworth said. “Drugs are a distraction, whether they are buying, selling or using, they’re not focused on school work.”

The dogs will be sniffing throughout the parking lot and in the lockers.

“I think that it is an invasion of privacy. To bring the dogs into the school is one thing, but to bring them out sniffing my car is another. My car is my property. The only time a student would use drugs is during lunch, and if the district didn’t want us to go out to our cars during lunch, then they should enforce it more,” senior Madison Nason said.

When students are caught with drugs, the punishment is a superintendent suspension which is a range of 11-180 days.

“I think that the drug dogs are a good idea. Kids shouldn’t even have drugs at school in the first place,” junior Colleen Patty said. “We’re lucky enough to go to a great school for free and kids are taking advantage of that by bringing drugs in the picture.”

The searches will be conducted as if it was an intruder drill. Students cannot leave the room unless accompanied by an administrator during the search.

“Our goal is not to try and get anyone in trouble and we are not having these searches because we feel that there is a drug problem; in fact we have not seen any increase of drug issues in any high school,” Mitchell said. “But, if we can help one student, even if it is just to make them feel more secure, then it’s worth it.”