Drugs, Dog Searches for

For decades, school systems engaged in efforts to stem drug use and violence in schools. As a means to deter this behavior and to confiscate drugs and other contraband that pose a risk to the safety of both students and staff, school boards have increasingly come to rely on certified drug-sniffing dogs to respond to such threats. As the sample of rulings discussed in this entry suggest, [Page 261]mass suspicionless dog searches are generally accepted from a legal standpoint unless officials administer searches of persons. If canine searches are used on students' bodies, then the expectation is that reasonable individualized suspicion is sufficient to permit a search. Otherwise, such intrusive searches are likely to violate the Fourth Amendment.