Hamptons School Board Bringing Drug Dogs Into High School, Voted on Unanimously to "Thunderous Applause"
Didn't hear any complaints, or about the Constitution?
The school board in East Hampton, New York says it didn't hear any complaints it took in the three weeks to get from an idea by a parent concerned about drugs at the local high school to the school board voting unanimously to bring drug dogs into the building. Via the East Hampton Star:
A packed house of parents sat close together, speaking as one in favor of the proposal.
"I speak in support of this policy, as a taxpayer and parent of a young child in the district," said Jeff Erickson. "I applaud the board. We all know that we have an epidemic on Long Island with oxycodone and prescription-drug use. It starts with alcohol and marijuana. If we have children using our facility to sell drugs or use drugs, let's get rid of them. Let's get them out, because they're poisoning our children."
Mr. Erickson continued: "I'm pretty conservative on this. I have no problem with them sniffing our children."
Thunderous applause followed his remarks.
"We have not heard one word against — not one," said Patricia Hope, the board president, yesterday morning.
One parent suggested the dogs do the cars in the parking lot, too. No word on what the teachers union might say about that. The principal of the high school says the building would go on "modified lockdown" during surprise visits by the county sheriff's K-9 unit, and local police would be called if drugs were found.
Read Jacob Sullum's March Reason piece on how police use drug dogs to manufacuter probable cause here. Schools need only "reasonable suspicion" to conduct searches, the Supreme Court explained in a 2009 decision about a middle school girl strip searched over an Advil, which you can read Sullum on here.