SPOKANE--The number of drugs found in Spokane schools has gone down significantly in the past few years.
Over the years, Rogers High School has fought an unsatisfactory reputation. The school ranked towards the top in the district for weapons, fights and drugs. School Resource Officer Jim Brewer says those days are over.
Brewer says fewer students are bringing drugs to school. Three years ago officials seized 136 drugs, last year there were only 34 cases. Brewer attributes the drop to a new administration, tougher rules and a “no tolerance” policy.
District wide, the numbers follow suit. In three years, drug seizures have dropped by more than 100 cases.
Ferris High School is one of the few schools that have seen an increase in drug seizures. Assistant Principal Todd Bender says part of the reason the numbers have spiked is because searches are more thorough than they used to be. Overall, Bender believes the drug trend at his school is diminishing.
While educators understand they might never fully eliminate the risk of drugs, they say they will stop at nothing to try.
Educators say the most common drug they see turn up in schools is marijuana. They say very rarely do they confiscate harder drugs than that.
