A Government proposal to ban drug sniffer dogs from schools is being criticised by a Tauranga principal.

Otumoetai College principal Dave Randell says he is appalled at the proposal in the Education Amendment Bill currently before Parliament to ban drug dogs in schools while students are present.

Otumoetai Principal Dave Randell says the proposed ban on drug testing in schools is appalling.

'Police are a great community asset. We bring police and police dogs in and I actually advise the students when they are coming in.

'In all the 12 years I have been at Otumoetai College I have never had one pick up. It is a form of a deterrent.

'It just stops that stupidity of students trying to bring anything to the school.”

'We work to make sure our students know that drugs are not accepted at our school.”

The Education Amendment Bill, introduced to Parliament this month, aims to abolish the use of drug sniffer dogs and drug testing in schools.

The Ministry of Education says the changes will encourage safe learning environments without invasive methods.

Currently schools can use drug testing and urine samples as a condition for suspended students returning to school, who were previously caught with drugs.

Under the new bill, teachers will still be able to ask students to take a drug test but students will have the right to refuse. They will also be able to take reasonable steps to make students surrender items, and confiscating and disposing of items where appropriate.

The bill will however prohibit searching a student through the use of force, random or blanket searches and the use of drug dogs.

Dave says it will make it more and more difficult for schools trying to prevent drugs coming onto school grounds.

'It's like drug testing, I actually have a number of students and parents who come and see me and I have a zero tolerance for drugs.

'So, if there is drugs in school there's things like a stand-down but I actually have drug testing, drug counselling, and I have parents say to me 'Dave, I'm pretty sure he's using. You have my permission to test him”. I tell parents to bring their children in because I am here to help.”

Students are then given a six week stand-down period to give them time to work through any issues they may have.

'Most of the drugs in our school are usually brought in by juniors, it's ‘I bring a joint, I give it to you and you smoke it and you give it to your mate and you get caught'.

'If it was a cigarette you might get detention, but if it was drugs, some schools suspend, I try to think of other ways of deterring the student from using drugs.

'All of these things help us get our young people on the right track.”

Dave says it is another 'string in his bow” to help students.

'One minute the Ministry is allowing us to carry out searches and the next they are taking away the rights we have to try and protect our schools.

'I just can't understand the logic of what they are doing.”

Submissions for or against the bill close on January 24, with a report due out in April.