School Board Meeting on K-9s in schools not well attended

Maybe it was because it was the third meeting on the subject, or maybe it was the weather, but the committee-of-the-whole School Board meeting on the use of K-9 units in the schools last night wasn't as packed as I thought it would be. If I had to guess, I would say about 50 folks attended, arriving late and sitting on one side of the seating arrangement in the Mills Lawn gym. There were at least a dozen teenagers and a handful of teachers. The majority of those present appeared to be parents.

The opinions expressed ranged from unequivocal support for Principal John Gudgel's plan for surprise visits by drug-sniffing dogs and their handlers, to modified support, to neutrality, to full-blown opposition. Most of the opposition came from YSHS students and recent grads who had shown up in a group, sat together, and took turns speaking passionately about how they would feel mistrusted and disrespected if the plan were set in motion. Several of those who supported the plan talked of how they had been personally impacted by friends and family members who started using drugs in high school. Some had lost relatives in drug-related deaths.

Virtually every speaker expressed their respect for Gudgel and Police Chief John Grote who was in the audience. Some spoke of their concern for what would happen if this precedent were set and they were no longer around.

Overall, the people who stepped up to the microphone appeared to be evenly divided. If you took the the YSHS student contingent out of the mix, the balance seemed to tip in favor of the use of K-9 units in some manner.

No runs, no hits, no errors. I doubt that Gudgel, who has sole authority over the matter, saw anything that would change his mind.

Diane Chiddister was there covering the meeting for the News. I would expect that they will publish a more detailed account of the meeting in next week's paper.

FYI: A summary of case law on use of drug-sniffing dogs in schools.