No drugs found at Swampscott High School

SWAMPSCOTT – A drug sweep conducted Wednesday morning at Swampscott High School did not turn up any illicit drugs.Superintendent Matthew Malone said the sweep, which occurred at 8:15 a.m., was a joint effort between high school administrators, Swampscott Police and the Essex County Sheriff’s Office.”I am proud to announce that we did not find any drugs or drug paraphernalia in our sweep of the school facility or in our parking lot areas, ” Malone said in a press release. “This is excellent news that we must pause, reflect upon and celebrate. Clearly our students are living up to the adage of Principal Lawrence Murphy. The students were where they were supposed to be, when they were supposed to be there, and doing what they were supposed to be doing.”Malone said he was present to monitor the drug sweep.”It was professional, it was efficient, and all students, faculty and staff were treated with respect,” he said. “During the sweep, teaching and learning continued in our classrooms and there was minimal disruption of the educational process. The high school building was safely and effectively secured while six highly trained drug dogs and their handlers searched the building for illegal drugs.”Malone said the district has a zero tolerance policy towards illicit drugs and alcohol.”I want to make it perfectly clear to our parents, our students, our staff, and our community that we will do everything possible to promote and maintain a safe and drug-free school,” he said. We have taken this drastic step after careful consideration of data, triangulated by multiple sources, about drug and alcohol use by our students.”Malone said the drug sweep is just one strategy designed to identify drug use in the school.”As always, the safety and security of our students and faculty is paramount and the use of drugs in our school will not be tolerated,” he said.Malone said the district has worked hard the past year to provide alternatives to drug and alcohol use for students including a Task Force. “Through the efforts of the Task Force that we established this fall, we have held ongoing meetings with students, teachers, community members, health professionals, public safety experts and parents to discuss this growing problem in the town of Swampscott,” he said. “We have also invited a guest speaker to address issues of drug and alcohol use with parents which was attended by over 100 people.”