Countdown to April 29 to PERMANENTLY close M. R. Reiter. Ask the board to see the 6 point plan.

Friday, April 17, 2009

I Ain't Bo Peep, and These Ain't Sheep

Thanks to all the emailers on this situation. We previously discussed this in this post and this post last December.

April 16, 2009

Dear Parent/Guardian:


This afternoon at 1:00 pm, Morrisville Middle/Senior High School went into restrictive movement. The purpose of the restrictive movement was to clear the school so Interquest Detection Canines could conduct a search. This search serves several purposes with the most important being ensuring a safe environment for all members of the Morrisville Middle/Senior High School community. Additionally, this will send a message to any student considering bringing harmful substances to the middle/senior high school. The school administration, faculty, and students will not tolerate this type of activity in their school.

The search lasted approximately two hours. During this time, teachers and support staff not assigned to students were available to escort any student in need of medical assistance to the nurse’s office. Students needing to use the lavatory facilities were also escorted to the lavatory. Prior to being able to use the lavatory students were searched. This was done to keep students from getting rid of any illegal substances while they were using the facilities. If a student’s locker was identified by the dog, the content of the locker and the student was searched. Additionally, the parent/guardian was immediately contacted. At no time was a student subjected to a search by the use of a dog.

Today’s search was conducted following School Board Policy (#226) and with utmost respect for student privacy. Students, teachers, staff, and parents/guardians have the right to expect to come to a safe place to learn, work, or visit.

Sincerely,

William J. Ferrara Principal

4 comments:

Jon said...

"If a student’s locker was identified by the dog, the content of the locker and the student was searched."

This makes it sound like the dog did in fact ID one or more student lockers. Does anybody know what the actual outcome was?

I don't mean to nitpick, but the grammar and clarity in the letter ain't the greatest.

Buzz Chuck said...

The letter was written before the search, so it say "If a student's locker was identified by the dog, the contents of the locker and student was searched" meaning "would be"

... No lockers were identified, no students were searched.

Jon said...

Thanks, Obscene. And I'm glad to hear that nothing got the dog excited.

Peter said...

We'll have to take your word for it, Obscene. Since the letter was written (mostly*) in past tense, my interpretation was the same as Jon's.

*Maybe they should run these letters past the English department before publishing them.

:-)