HISD Random Search Statistics

I received this Open Records Request information via email yesterday. The response is interesting; I certainly remember a lot more news reports last year about teachers being found with drugs in their possession. I guess I have to assume those detections were from actual tips and not from the random searches. Which implies to me that the random searches were even more of a waste than I'd suspected. I wish I'd asked how much it had cost to implement those searches!

Bai B030909 Statistics on HISD random drug searches
From: "Kaiser, Pamela" 

Full report:

As of March 11, 2009 we completed 261 Random Sweeps of HISD facilities during the 2008 - 2009 
school year.  Only 3 employees have been arrested as the result of the Random K-9 Sweeps.  
These employees are:

December 15, 2008                  Harper Alternative                  Sharon Vean arrested for Possession of Marijuana

January 5, 2009                         Walnut Bend El.                      Perla Sanchez arrested for Possession of a Firearm

January 13, 2009                       Roberts Elementary               Melinda Herrick arrested for Possession of Controlled Substance (Xanax)


All three of these individuals were arrested and criminal charges were accepted by the Harris 
County District Attorney's Office.  The Harris County D.A.'s Office would be the ones to provide 
the disposition of the criminal charges.  Sharon Vean and Perla Sanchez are no longer employed 
with HISD. Ms. Herrick's appeals process has not been finalized.

Pamela Kaiser
Public Information Coordinator
Public Information Office


-----Original Message-----
Sent: Monday, March 09, 2009 9:23 AM
To: Kaiser, Pamela
Subject: OPEN RECORDS REQUEST: Statistics on HISD random drug searches

Hi Ms. Kaiser,

I'd like to submit an open records request for the following information. I'd like to know how 
many random drug searches HISD made since June 2008; if a campus was searched twice, that'd count 
as two. For only those random searches, I'd like to know how many employees were disciplined by 
HISD (any action - suspension, reassignment, termination, etc.), and how many of those cases were 
referred to the DA. If you can provide the names in the last case (I think those are public 
record?) then I can track the resolution of those cases via the courts.

Thanks;

Luigi Bai