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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Education: Sniffing out drugs in class
Mary Braid The Times
Monday 03 Feb 2003 Balsall Common is an affluent village on the green fringes of Solihull, all semi-detached or detached properties and middle-class families. Not a place you would expect to find dogs trained to sniff out drugs combing through the local school's classrooms. Annette Croft, head of the village's Heart of England secondary school, gives a dry laugh. "Maybe I was naive about the interest there would be when the security company suggested a photo call," she says. The company Croft is referring to GIS, which usually confines its counter-drug strategies to night clubs in urban centres. Croft finds herself caught in the media glare after employing GIS to conduct random searches of her school, a few times a year. Her 1,200 pupils have already had a dummy run. They were asked to evacuate their classrooms with no notice, leaving bags and jackets behind. Then an "active" sniffer dog checked their possessions for drugs, while a "passive" dog sniffed out the children as they waited in the corridor. It all seems incongruous with the school's friendly feel, its awards for excellence in art and its 70% pass rate for five or more GCSEs at grades A-C. There have been mutterings about infringing civil liberties, but not, says Croft, from parents, who were all consulted. "The only letter I got was from a parent who has a child who is dog phobic". She has the backing of governors, the PTA and staff. Croft insists the Heart of England's concerns about drug-taking are no greater than at any other school. She argues she is simply making sure things stay that way. But the head admits parents are concerned about the rise of drugs. "My community was telling me that there was a problem in the evenings with drugs," she says. "I have 1,200 young people who are potentially vulnerable to that. I know that one-third of young people have experimented with illegal substances. I would therefore anticipate that some of my young people are doing this. I have a duty to the pupils to raise achievement. Even cannabis affects the cognitive ability of young people." Surveys show that 42% of secondary pupils have been offered drugs in the past year. Two-thirds of all 15-year-olds will have been offered drugs, most commonly cannabis. The debate continues about whether shock tactics or the provision of non-judgmental information is the best prevention strategy. Dr Lawrie Elliott, a drug abuse expert at Dundee University, recently warned that traditional school drug prevention schemes are not working. Last week Firrhill high school in Edinburgh announced senior pupils, not teachers, would formulate the school's anti-drugs policy. The rationale is that children are more likely to listen to pupils than teachers. "Were we to find drugs in school our policy is to treat every case on its merits," says Croft. "It would be unlikely that I would permanently exclude for possession. But it is very likely that I would if someone was caught dealing." She is too honest to claim the school has had no drugs incidents. She says no-one has been permanently excluded but cannot answer on suspensions. But she adds that she is doing nothing new. She says sniffer dogs occasionally prowled her last school in Leicestershire. And that dog checks take place in Kent schools. The difference is that in those cases, the local police oversee the operation. She used a private company because police could not provide the service. Duncan Shrewsbury, a 16-year-old at Heart of England, says students are cool about the checks. "I wouldn't label it over the top. It is a measure to stop things getting over the top," he says. But Heart of England is taking risks with its approach. A middle-aged local man is full of praise for Croft's initiative. "She is only admitting to a problem all schools face," he says. But he adds that he is reconsidering sending his own son there. Why? "Because it has a drug problem," he says, absolutely oblivious to the inconsistency.
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