As Kern High Schools gear up for “back to school” Monday, the four year old program for using drug-sniffing dogs to discourage drugs on campus is slated to continue. The program, originally introduced by Ken Mettler, is meant as a deterrent to drugs on campuses.
http://liarcatchers.com/drugdogsweeps.html
The program uses a single drug-sniffing dog on loan from the Kern County Probation office. The dog, Rossi, has not not yet visited any of the campuses. And due to budgetary constraints, Rossi isn’t likely to be called in unless there is suspicion or probable cause for a search. The use of the dog will be at the school administration’s discretion and costs about $350 per visit. Should the dog be called in, the searches will be confined to lockers, desks, and cards in campus parking lots.
While some argue that the program could provide a stronger showing of the “zero tolerance to drugs policy” if the schools hired a private contractor for the drug searches, the financial impact of hiring a private firm to accomplish that would have a price tag one hundred times that of the per visit rate now. The $30-40K price tag, many observe, would be better used in hiring teaching assistants or using the funds to add class periods.
