Local News RSS Feed
Print Story
E-mail StoryKHSD trustees hear public opinion on drug dogs, P.E. classes
| Monday, Feb 4 2008 10:50 PM
Last Updated: Tuesday, Feb 5 2008 8:57 AM
Public opinion fell evenly on both sides of two Kern High School District proposals Monday: drug detection dogs and single-sex gym classes.
Our readers recommend:
Loading Stories
To view video for this story
please update your Flash player
Both were offered by Trustee Ken Mettler and will come up for a vote at the March 3 board meeting.
SINGLE-SEX P.E.
Two speakers, a teacher and a student, spoke against separating the sexes for P.E.
"There are strategies teachers can use to create a safe learning environment for all students in the coed classes," Arvin High P.E. teacher Diane Bachtel said.
On the other side, two Liberty High P.E. teachers, Bill Richardson and Trish Froehlich said they wanted to give it a shot.
Principals would be able to rework the course schedule to offer single-sex gym along with coed classes using teachers they have, Mettler said.
Federal law Title IX requires coed classes. If single-sex classes are offered, boys-only and girls-only classes must be comparable.
DRUG-SNIFFING DOGS
Paul Press encouraged the board to start using drug-detecting dogs as a proactive step to protect students. Press said as a teacher who has had experience with the dogs he thinks it is a strong deterrent.
Another speaker did not support the issue.
Mettler said KHSD expels 500 students for drug-related issues each year. The dog program would cost about $55,000 each year and it would pay for itself if the deterrent program kept eight students in school based on funding per student.
The dogs, usually Labradors, would sniff lockers, desks and cars but not students.
Whether the dogs examine students' personal belongings is up to the school, according to companies that provide the K-9 service.
A legal opinion in 2000 found the separation of students from their belongings before the belongings were sniffed would constitute an unreasonable seizure under the Fourth Amendment. But the ruling hasn't been challenged and a majority of the schools tell kids to leave their things behind and exit the room when dogs come sniffing.
IN OTHER NEWS
A proposal by Mettler to extend pre-employment physicals and drug screening to all teachers and staff would cost the district about $50,000 a year.
Trustee Joel Heinrichs proposed further examination of ways to bolster the district's career technical programs via night or summer classes and potentially expanding to a career tech-focused high school.
These also will be up for a vote on March 3.