McKinley High School principal Ron Okamura wants to bring drug-sniffing dogs into his school but the state Department of Education's current disciplinary policy and concerns over student privacy have prevented it.

But with new amendments to the disciplinary rules — known as Chapter 19 — being considered in public hearings beginning April 6, Okamura believes implementation of a drug-sniffing dog program will soon be easier.

The proposed amendments would allow searches of student lockers on public school campuses solely at the discretion of principals and school administrators. The presence of drug-sniffing dogs on campus would also be allowed as a way of detecting and deterring illegal drugs.

"I'm concerned about how do we make our campuses safe and secure," Okamura said. "I am all for student rights and privacy rights, but we do have this problem coming onto campus."

Drug-sniffing dogs have had limited presence in some of Hawai'i's private schools for several years, but within the public school system there has been opposition to using them by some principals and some members of the state Board of Education.

The presence of drug-sniffing dogs on public school campuses stretches back to 2007 when Okamura was a Maui complex-area superintendent who oversaw a six-month pilot project at three schools: Lahainaluna High, Lahaina Intermediate and Lana'i High & Elementary. Specially trained dogs were used to detect drugs, alcohol and guns on campus.

When Okamura arrived at McKinley as principal earlier this school year, he began talking to Superin-tendent Pat Hamamoto about bringing dogs onto that campus. Roosevelt High School principal Ann Mahi also had similar conversations with Hamamoto, officials said.

"On Maui, we had remarkable success," Okamura said. "Incidents dropped to zero during that period of time."

SEARCHES LIMITED

Both principals so far have been unsuccessful at implementing the program at their O'ahu schools, even though they say there are donors willing to fund it.

"There are certain procedures that have to be followed," said Deputy Superintendent Clayton Fujie.

Current Chapter 19 rules are limited in what school administrators are allowed to do in terms of searches and seizures, he said. It's not enough for an administrator to want drug-sniffing dogs on campus and to have money to do it.

"To start with, a school has to have reasonable suspicion before we can even go in and do something like this," Fujie said. "Even if there is money out there, we still have to go through a process because we have to ensure what we do and how we do it is done correctly. Otherwise, there might be litigation against the department," he said.

For the three schools that participated in the pilot project on Maui, each had to document that there was indeed a rampant problem with drugs and alcohol.

And to conform to Chapter 19 administrative rules on search and seizures, the drug-sniffing dogs were allowed only in limited areas of campus.

"On Maui, they did outlying areas. They couldn't do lockers, couldn't do people, couldn't do backpacks or classrooms," Fujie said.

Okamura last week submitted data to DOE officials on drug and alcohol incidents on campus to justify the use of drug-sniffing dogs. Since 2004, Okamura says McKinley has on average about 15 to 20 incidents of "illicit drugs," which includes everything from cigarettes to marijuana. "For me, just one violation is too much," he said. "The kids are there to learn."

LINGLE'S OK NEEDED

Amendments to Chapter 19 have been pending since fall of 2007, when a divided Board of Education debated for months over changing the administrative rules to allow for locker searches and drug-sniffing dogs. The amendments will go to public hearing through the month of April. After that, the Board of Education will vote on them and the changes will have to be signed by Gov. Linda Lingle.

Okamura said once the rules change, it will make it easier for him to implement the program.

"I compare it to homeland security. We don't object to having our luggage searched, our jackets searched ... but yet, when you look at a student locker there's objection," he said.

"We're trying to secure our campus. If the wording of Chapter 19 could do that, I'm for it."

Whitney White, owner of Interquest Detection Canines, which ran the 2007 Maui pilot project, said she feels as if the DOE has been blocking drug-sniffing dogs from happening. She said she's been working since 2004 to get dogs into the schools.

"I'm now at a point where I'm thinking after five years and at least $60,000 worth of personal investment, why am I doing this now? Now I'm saying I'm up against a system that is really broken," White said.