BEACON FALLS — Woodland Regional High School was placed into a modified lockdown Jan. 13 as Connecticut State Police with six canines searched the campus for illegal drugs and other contraband.
The search wasn’t in response to any specific issue at the high school that serves students from Beacon Falls and Prospect. Rather, it was the first use of a policy put into place nearly three years ago.
In March of 2012, the Region 16 Board of Education adopted a policy that allowed the superintendent of schools to call for police canines to conduct searches of schools. The policy is one school officials have said is an attempt to be proactive in making sure the schools are drug-free and safe.
Superintendent of Schools Michael Yamin said officials are committed to keeping schools free of drugs. He said officials are going to use every resource at their disposal to make sure the schools are the best possible learning environments.
The modified lockdown lasted about 35 minutes as canines sniffed all the lockers in the building and all vehicles parked on campus, Woodland Principal Kurt Ogren said. The school day continued as normal during the search, he said, but students were not allowed to leave their classrooms during the lockdown.
About 10 faculty members knew of the search beforehand, Ogren said. Even though the search was unannounced, the intent wasn’t to catch anyone red-handed.
“The whole thing is not to get anyone,” Ogren said, “but we want it to be legitimate.”
Ogren said his job as principal is to be the instructional leader of the school. But, he said, his number one priority is keeping everyone in the school safe everyday. He said the search helps to send a message to students and ensures the school remains a safe environment.
“My top priority is the safety, health and well-being of all 830 individuals who comprise our student body, faculty and staff at Woodland,” he said.
Ogren said nothing was found in the school during the search, but contraband was found in two cars in the parking lot. The students whose cars the contraband was found in were disciplined, he said.
According to Connecticut State Police reports, a small amount of marijuana was found in each car. The students were subsequently charged and given a summons to appear in Waterbury Juvenile Court on Jan. 20.
Ogren supports the practice and there are plans to do more searches periodically in the future. The searches are conducted at no cost to the district, but officials are at the mercy of when state police are available.
After the search was completed, Ogren sent a message to parents to explain the situation. In the days that followed, he said, the feedback from parents was positive.
“I have received positive feedback from parents and community members who appreciate the efforts we have made to eliminate the presence of illegal drugs and other contraband from Woodland to ensure the safety of our students,” Ogren said.
