MONROE - One student was arrested after police drug dogs swept the Monroe Alternative Charter School this morning.
Joseph A. Lartz, 18, Browntown, a student at the school, will be charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, Monroe Police Chief Fred Kelley said. Lartz was released pending court.
The police also swept Monroe High School lockers this morning, but no drugs were found there.
"We had some hits on lockers," MHS Principal Mark Burandt said, but no drugs or paraphernalia were found. The hits could be dogs smelling residual drug scents brought into the building from other places, he said.
The schools were in lockdown mode during the search, meaning students were not allowed to enter or leave classrooms during the search. The sweep at the charter school covered lockers and the parking lot and took 30 to 40 minutes. It took about 45 minutes to cover the MHS lockers.
Kelley said the police didn't search any cars in the high school parking lot. School administrators had requested they search cars at the charter school, but did not make the same request for the high school. Kelley said a parking search at the high school would be logistically difficult.
The district does not conduct drug searches on a regular basis. While he does not know specific dates, Burandt estimated the last search at MHS was at least six years ago.
Burandt said today's exercise was not the result of reports of drugs or any specific incident, but rather part of an effort to make sure school buildings are safe.
"The goals of such an exercise are to work collaboratively with community safety organizations, to reassure students, parents and community members that MHS does take safety seriously," Burandt said in a news release this morning.
Superintendent Larry Brown said the district began discussing conducting a drug sweep last fall, and has been working to get the event coordinated with the police department.
The district may begin holding drug sweeps or searches more often, Burandt indicated. "It's time we be a little more diligent, a little more consistent."
K-9 Units from the Monroe Police Department, the Green County Sheriff's Department, the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department and the Grant County Sheriff's Department took part in the search.
- Times reporter Brian Gray contributed to this report.
Joseph A. Lartz, 18, Browntown, a student at the school, will be charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, Monroe Police Chief Fred Kelley said. Lartz was released pending court.
The police also swept Monroe High School lockers this morning, but no drugs were found there.
"We had some hits on lockers," MHS Principal Mark Burandt said, but no drugs or paraphernalia were found. The hits could be dogs smelling residual drug scents brought into the building from other places, he said.
The schools were in lockdown mode during the search, meaning students were not allowed to enter or leave classrooms during the search. The sweep at the charter school covered lockers and the parking lot and took 30 to 40 minutes. It took about 45 minutes to cover the MHS lockers.
Kelley said the police didn't search any cars in the high school parking lot. School administrators had requested they search cars at the charter school, but did not make the same request for the high school. Kelley said a parking search at the high school would be logistically difficult.
The district does not conduct drug searches on a regular basis. While he does not know specific dates, Burandt estimated the last search at MHS was at least six years ago.
Burandt said today's exercise was not the result of reports of drugs or any specific incident, but rather part of an effort to make sure school buildings are safe.
"The goals of such an exercise are to work collaboratively with community safety organizations, to reassure students, parents and community members that MHS does take safety seriously," Burandt said in a news release this morning.
Superintendent Larry Brown said the district began discussing conducting a drug sweep last fall, and has been working to get the event coordinated with the police department.
The district may begin holding drug sweeps or searches more often, Burandt indicated. "It's time we be a little more diligent, a little more consistent."
K-9 Units from the Monroe Police Department, the Green County Sheriff's Department, the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department and the Grant County Sheriff's Department took part in the search.
- Times reporter Brian Gray contributed to this report.