Drugs Should Be Allowed In Schools

In order to help combat the rising drug problem in America, schools are having to make the choice of whether to use drug dogs or not. Schools have the choice of bringing drug sniffing dogs into the building in order to find and confiscate drugs that are in the possession of its students. I believe that the dogs should not be used until a problem has been confirmed or there is reasonable suspicion and severe action is warranted. Using drug dogs to sniff out drugs is a relatively new practice that started about 24 years ago (Robinson) and can be quite controversial. Using drug dogs is still relatively new because schools are trying to combat the rising drug problems that the United States has been facing. In response to learning more about

Using drug dogs is still relatively new because schools are trying to combat the rising drug problems that the United States has been facing. In response to learning more about her school 's drug Colorado principle Mary White states "That was just a slap in the face, a cold realization of what 's happening in the building" (Robinson). Some people view this practice as controversial because it can sometimes end up violating the 4th Amendment. The article "The Right to Search Students" explains "The courts have recently expanded the right of school officials to conduct school searches, resulting in part from recent acts of violence and heightened public scrutiny" (Ehlenberger 31). Sometimes schools have to hire outside businesses in order to have access to these drug sniffing dogs. The schools are having to pay these companies and as a result "Rise of Drug Dogs in Schools Reflects Dilemma" states "Firms, like Interquiest Group, Inc.... have thrived on the business" (Robinson). Schools are now using dogs to search for drugs but the concern for student privacy and the added expense are

I believe that the cost outweighs the benefits when they are used randomly. Schools sometimes have to hire other companies to bring drugs dogs, which is an expense for the school. Schools should wait to search students until they have reasonable suspicion, which is a part of their 4th Amendment rights when they are outside of school. The legality of searching students can be complicated because according to "The Right to Search Students" "In 1985, the U.S. Supreme court determined that the 4th Amendment applies to students in public school (New Jersey vs T.L.O. 1985) (Ehlenberger 31). The courts decided that students have 4th Amendment rights but in concern for public safety it was decided "school officials, do not need probable cause or a warrant to search students" (Ehlenberger 31). Although the schools do not need reasonable suspicion to search students, I believe that they should wait to use drug dogs until they have confirmed the problem. This was the case at Longmont high school in Colorado where they discovered there was a drug problem. Upon learning of the problem the principal; Mary White said "To keep the problem from growing, I decided to try a controversial, but rapidly growing, means of interdiction: using dogs to sniff students lockers" (Robinson). I believe searches should only be used when a problem is known and severe action is