On June 7, 2007, all 1,100 students at ConVal High School in Peterborough were unexpectedly taken out of class and brought to the football field as drug sniffing dogs inspected their lockers for possible contraband. Because of this incident, the New Hampshire Chapter of the ACLU has filed a suit against the town, its police and the school district claiming that this kind of search in unconstitutional. ConVal is not the first school in the state to conduct surprise searches and many are divided on this topic. Search proponents say it’s a necessary evil to fight drugs abuse in schools while those against it demand it violates students rights. We’ll look closer into this case, what’s being done in other schools and if these kind of drug searches are needed or go overboard.
- Barbara Keshen: Staff Attorney for the NH Civil Liberties Union
- James Gaylord: Superintendent for SAU 21
