Berkeley Institute Board of Governors has not approved a sniffer dog being integrated into the school beginning in December.

A story in yesterday's Bermuda Sun reported Dog X, a German Shepherd, would monitor the classrooms and hallways and conduct random checks on students and their lockers.

According to the newspaper, the school's acting principal Sandra Burrows said: "This project will show parents we are doing everything we can to make school a safe place.

"Dog X is also meant to be an education tool for the pupils, to help them understand the dangers of drugs. There is obviously a deterrent role too, so pupils don't even think about bringing drugs into school. That is very important."

However, Board of Governors Chairman Calvin White said it has not been confirmed if the dog will be brought in.

"We are pleased that our security vendor, GET Security, is taking a proactive and creative approach to school security and endeavours to evolve its security services offering.

"While, the school's administration views the proposed new offering favourably given that it demonstrates that the school is taking a hard line on the threat of the presence of drugs in school, the Board of Governors has not as yet made a decision with regard to changes to the security protocol that would include the use of the animal."

Mr. White also said security protocols were under review and the dog would not be integrated next month.

Last month, two male students were stabbed during a fight allegedly over drugs.

The school was put on lockdown after the brawl in the boys' bathroom at the end of lunch break, with students locked in their classrooms until the end of the day.

The two 16-year-old boys were taken to hospital for treatment.

Shadow Education Minister Grant Gibbons welcomed the idea of a sniffer dog and said: "I'm pleased that the Berkeley board and administration have now taken further steps to deter students or anyone else from bringing drugs into the school environment.

"The sniffer dog approach appears to have been an effective approach at the airport and I hope it will be successful at Berkeley as well. I commend the school administration for being proactive and seeking practical solutions to tackle the problem."

Mrs. Burrows also said in the report: "The dog is not going to be in school all the time. We will do random checks of classrooms and lockers.

"The important thing is that the pupils will see the dog at work and feel comfortable in her presence. She's here to do a job but at the same time she'll be part of the school fabric — I'm sure she'll be adopted as one of the family and showered with treats."

The newspaper also reported the project was the result of long-term discussions between the school and security company GET Ltd, which is responsible for security at schools across Bermuda.

l What do you think about the proposed sniffer dog at Berkeley? E-mail your comments to: mpearman@royalgazette.bm