Posted on: Friday, December 10, 2004

EDITORIAL
Drugs on campuses: no silver bullet

The state Board of Education has much to consider Monday as it decides whether to permit contraband-sniffing dogs on public school campuses.

That discussion needs to be much broader than just the campus canines. It should include a more comprehensive approach on the goal of campus safety and security.

Clearly no one wants drugs on campus. And indeed, we prefer the canine approach to random drug testing or periodic pat-downs. Drug-sniffing dogs, while not an ideal, would be less intrusive and objectionable than subjecting kids to random drug tests.

Still, there are issues and safeguards that deserve careful consideration. For example: What's to stop students from planting drugs in another student's locker? What is the recourse for students once drugs are detected, and what happens next?

Would heightened security simply force youngsters to skip school entirely rather than risk getting caught? And how does the program fare compared with deterrents used by schools elsewhere?

Board of Education Chairwoman Mary Cochran's desire to stop drugs from coming on to school campuses is commendable. Should the proposal be approved, we agree with her recommendation that the decision on whether to adopt the program should be left to the individual school communities.

Those school communities ideally would include all stakeholders: parents, teachers, students and businesses in the area willing to step up and make a difference.

Cochran is right on target in trying to push for a more comprehensive policy. "The fact is that the board of education has never adopted a drug policy per se,'' Cochran said. "We need to come up with guidelines and then it would be up to the individual school communities to come up with their programs. Schools would be able to choose what programs they want and what programs work best, which could include the dogs or whatever."

There's no silver-bullet solution in dealing with such a pervasive problem. And, as Cochran puts it, "just say no" just doesn't work these days. Our hope is that the solution the board adopts will include several elements, from aggressive education, to treatment and counseling options rather than relying on punishment and isolation.

So far, the signs are encouraging.