Canine crackdown

The Solon City School District has recently authorized the use of police dogs to search school property undisclosed under reasonable suspicion, the district announced in a recent email.

According to the email, the dogs are being introduced as a measure to “ensure the safety, order and discipline of the school.” Authorities will be allowed to search lockers, desks, school containers and student cars “randomly and unannounced.”

Communications Director Tamara Strom reinforced the fact that the dogs are only a single aspect of the district’s commitment to being a drug-free environment.

“Such searches are just one part of a comprehensive plan – [that includes] education – to help students understand the dangers and effects of both legal and illegal substances and the perils of addiction,” Strom said.

SHS Principal Erin Short and Strom both added that not only is this an epidemic the school must face, but the city and the state as a whole.

“It is important to look at this issue in a wider context as the incidents of unintentional deaths due to drug overdoses- particularly related to opiates- are rising in Ohio,” Strom said. “Additionally, with the increased usage of heroin and the potential combination with drugs like fentanyl [pain reliever] and carfentanil [synthetic tranquilizer], the number of fatalities are increasing.”

A statement released by the Ohio Department of Health in August indicated that the drug epidemic is only getting worse, noting that the number of fentanyl-related deaths in Ohio has increased by over 1,000 from 2013 to 2015, while overall drug overdose deaths have increased by 500 over the past two years.

Short assured that the school would not be straying away from any additional drug prevention measures currently in place, such as conducting alcohol testing during Prom and Homecoming.

“Unannounced searches will continue because the safety and welfare of our students is a priority,” Short said. “As long as drug use that includes these particularly fatal combinations exist, we will do whatever we can to continue to ensure the message is reinforced over time.”

Short concluded that drugs are too dangerous to be taken lightly, as demonstrated by guest speaker and former SHS student Nick Spitaleri last year and administration will do whatever it takes to keep them out of students’ hands.

“The stakes for students to experiment with illegal drugs are just too high and as a school we believe we need to use every tool and strategy we can to both educate and protect our students,” Short said.