The halls of Porter Creek Secondary School are packed once again as students head back to class.
But the teenagers will soon be sharing the hallway with a new member of their school.
A drug-detecting dog arrived in Whitehorse Thursday evening, and will begin its patrols in a few weeks.
This after the Yukon Human Rights Commission dismissed a complaint that the dog would bother a student’s allergies.
The family felt that the program violated the student’s rights to attend a dog-free school.
“We’re going to move forward with this, slowly and cautiously,” said principal Kerry Huff on Friday.
“We want to make sure that everyone gets notice, and try to accommodate everyone with this.”
The idea for the drug dog came from a group of concerned parents who approached Huff and the school council with information about the Canines for Safer Schools program.
The dog will be kept clean and well groomed to ensure that there are minimal allergens in the air, said Huff.
The school will also ensure that there is no direct contact between the dog and students with allergies.
“We’ve done a lot of soul searching about this,” added Huff, who feels that the canine will be a strong deterrent against drugs at his school.
The dog’s handler, Doug Green, will be at the school on Tuesday to help the school get ready for its new four-legged friend. (CO)