COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — Deputies and K9 units went through classrooms at a Coweta County high school earlier, but some parents are critical of the searches.
East Coweta High School students were surprised when 20 randomly selected classrooms were searched while students waited in the hallways.
Principal Steve Allen says only one vape was found and confiscated during the sweep. He says vapes are the go-to vice on campus.
He told Channel 2’s Bryan Mims the sweeps are as much about removing dangerous items as it is about making a statement to students.
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“We want to make sure we keep our kids on their toes,” he said. “We want to make sure we’re showing them that we’re doing everything that we can to keep our students as safe as we possibly can.”
But some people took to social media criticizing the search. One post on Facebook says there was no “reasonable suspicion that a particular student or students have actually violated a law or school rule.” The writer added: “Ever hear of a little thing called the Fourth Amendment?” Another post says these searches can be “traumatizing” for some students.
Most comments, however, praised the action, with messages such as “thank you” and “love this” and “awesome.”
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Allen said a few years ago, a search turned up two loaded handguns. While this search only yielded a single vape, he called the sweeps a “proactive and preventive” way to keep dangerous items off campus.
“And running these dogs through really kind of gets the idea of hey, I better not take this to school tomorrow,” he said. “They may have a search, and I better not do that.”
Student Neil Quinn agreed that these searches make a powerful statement to students.
“They have to have that uncertainty,” he said. “Oh, if I bring this, will I get in trouble? And the answer should always be yes.”
Parent Alex Kirk said they give her a peace of mind.
“I personally would rather err on the side of safety and know my child has something like that,” she said. “It doesn’t bother me if they keep the kids safe.”
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