In a partnership between the school district administration and Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania State Police officers and their drug-sniffing dogs are searching students’ lockers at all five Armstrong School District secondary schools this morning.

This coordinated, simultaneous effort started at 9:15 a.m., which was the beginning of students’ third period. State police from Kittanning and other state police stations from across the state are participating. In all, state police plan to search a total of 2,779 lockers today, covering Elderton Jr-Sr High School, Ford City Jr-Sr High School, Kittanning Junior High School, Kittanning Senior High School and West Shamokin Jr-Sr High School.

“This is a stepped-up effort to address concerns about the use of illegal drugs by our students,” said Dr. Frank Garritano, Assistant Superintendent, Secondary Education and District Programs. “We conducted the search out of concern for our students and their families. Countywide, there have been an increasing number of drug prosecutions and drug overdoses.”

This search is part of Armstrong School District’s continued efforts to help students make good decisions regarding drugs and alcohol, Dr. Garritano said.

Today’s coordinated search is just one part of Armstrong School District’s overall anti-drug efforts. Another part is teacher training. This school year, a state police lieutenant will train all secondary school teachers at faculty meetings about which drugs are on the street and the signs and symptoms of drug use.

The school district has also partnered with three major anti-drug initiatives that benefit students:

• Armstrong County Community Awareness Day, a countywide prevention awareness effort that happens the second Monday each January and focuses on preventing addiction and abuse.

• The Armstrong Reality Tour, an anti-drug skit about the life of a young heroin addict and an eye-opening experience for students held at the Armstrong County Jail. The district is offering a special field trip to for sixth- through twelfth-grade students to see the Armstrong Reality Tour at the county jail on Tuesday, October 10, 2006. Some 120 seats for this free event are open on a first-come, first-served basis.

• The National Character Education Foundation, which has provided guest speakers with an anti-drug and alcohol message for students at schools within the district for the past three years.

Also, a core part of the school district’s curriculum is the “Growing Healthy” program, which includes units about the dangers of drugs and alcohol and is offered in all elementary health classes. Secondary students also receive instruction about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

Student leaders, in discussions with district administrators, have urged the district to continue stepped-up efforts to address teenage drug use.

“No individual, family, community or school is immune from the ill effects of drugs,” said Superintendent William Kerr. “The school district will not tolerate any chemical substance abuse in or around our school buildings. Student discipline policies will be enforced by principals in cooperation with law enforcement agencies to the fullest extent of the law.”