"We're still telling them in PE to 'just say no' and it's not working," said BOE member Mary Cochran, who believes individual schools need to get tougher to keep drugs off campus. "The reality is that use and distribution (of drugs) are occurring at our schools right now.

"I don't care if they use dogs or whatever as long as they do their darndest to eliminate drug distribution on campus."

In the two years Academy of the Pacific has had its drug-sniffing dog program, Sperry said it has kept contraband off campus and helped the school identify students with problems and get them into treatment. "It has been a deterrent," she said.

While the trend toward the use of drug-sniffing dogs on school campuses is growing across the country, civil liberties groups question the potential infringement of students' privacy rights.

"Is this the message we want to send to children — that we don't trust you? That all we care about is catching you?" said Pam Lichty, who represents the American Civil Liberties Union and the advocacy group Drug Policy Action Group. Both oppose using dogs to locate contraband on school campuses.

Lichty said the program may teach students not to bring drugs on campus, but it doesn't provide what students really need: drug education and more treatment programs.

At a recent school board committee meeting, Ron Okamura, superintendent of the Hana, Lahaina, Lana'i and Moloka'i complexes, said he wanted to move forward with the program in schools on Maui that want it — if the attorney general would represent any department employee in the event of a lawsuit.

"If an employee is sued in their official capacity, that's a suit against the state. Then representation is given," said deputy attorney general Holly Shikada. "The facts and circumstances will determine if representation is provided (in a lawsuit)."

Others suggested a more cautious approach.

Under Hawai'i administrative rules, school officials can search students, lockers or possessions if there is "reasonable" suspicion they have violated the law.

Two Maui schools — Lahaina Intermediate and Lahainaluna High School — have shown interest in bringing drug dogs on campus. But Lahaina Intermediate wants the dogs to sweep the campus, not target students.

"We were not talking about having the dog on campus when the students are on campus," Lahaina Intermediate Principal Marsha Nakamura said. "We're not trying to confront individual students, but to keep our environment clean."

Nakamura said targets would be members of the community who hide illicit drugs or other contraband on campus, potentially endangering students.

Nakamura said the dog would never be used to sniff lockers, student backpacks or other student property.

Saint Louis is the other independent school that employs drug-sniffing dogs on campus.

"In using the dog we concentrate on property, not individuals," Principal Wendell Staszkow said. "The reaction from parents and students has been positive."

Francis Choe, a 16-year-old junior and student body vice president, said students generally shrug off the random appearance of the dog.

"Most of the classmates I talk to don't really care," said Choe, adding that sometimes when the dog appears "there's a little frenzy ... and you can hear whispers, 'The dog's here.' "

Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com.