UPDATED: K-9 Does Not Find Any Controlled Substances in Northville High School Search

Northville High School went into a general alert Wednesday morning at 9 a.m., according to an email from the district's listserv. At the district's request, police conducted a K-9 search of the building for controlled substances.

An email update from Principal Rob Watson at 10:40 a.m. stated that the search had been completed and no controlled substances were found in the school. His full email to parents is as follows:

Today, we conducted a search of student lockers using the Canine Drug Dogs from across Wayne County. During the unannounced search there were 10 dogs used and at no time did they interact with students or classrooms. A search of the halls, lockers and common areas took place throughout the school building. While dogs did hit upon several lockers, Administrators searched the lockers and followed up with students assigned to the lockers and those in the close proximity of the locker indicated upon. We are happy to report that no controlled substances were found in today’s search.

The District will continue these searches throughout the school year. Our purpose is to provide a safe learning environment for our students. We also want to send a strong message that drugs will not be tolerated in our schools. If controlled substances or drug paraphernalia were discovered, we work in concert with local police agencies to address the matter and discipline students within the guidelines of the Northville Public Schools Code of Conduct. In addition, we work with families to properly address the specific issue through intervention and monitoring programs. 

A district outcome for the year includes actions to prevent drug use by our students, not because we are experiencing a surge in drug use, but because any drug use or possession (including prescription medication) is illegal and unacceptable in our schools. Our efforts include specific lessons in our health classes, providing materials and workshops for parents, working closely with our police liaisons, coordinating student and family interventions with agencies such as Northville Youth Assistance and reaching out to students demonstrating at-risk behaviors.

I encourage you to reinforce with your children the dangers of drug use and the positive alternatives available to them. If you would like to speak to me, a counselor or a social worker in regards to this area, please call and we will put you in touch with the appropriate person.

Together we can help our students succeed.