Two Johnson County schools are working with trained K-9s to search for illicit material on their campuses.
They’ll be used at Johnson Central High School and Johnson County Middle School to detect vapes, marijuana and guns.
School safety coordinator Matt Ratliff says it’s meant to keep kids focused on learning.
“The fact of the matter is that if kids aren't safe in school, they're not going to be able to learn, an`and if teachers don't feel safe in their classrooms, they're not going to be able to be as effective as they can possibly be,” Ratliff said.
Ratliff says it’s mostly to address vaping in schools, which he says has become a nationwide issue.
“We're not looking to take anybody to jail,” Ratliff said. “We're not looking to incriminate anyone. Our goal is to deter kids and adults from bringing these types of things onto our campuses.”
The school district says it’s working with a private company to bring the dogs to class. They’ll visit both schools twice a month each and search classrooms, lockers, bags and vehicles.
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