VIDALIA, La. &045; Max seemed unaware he was the topic of discussion.

And yet once school starts, the Vidalia Police Department’s drug dog will have a new job duty on his plate.

Police Chief Billy Hammers and Max were at the Concordia Parish School Board meeting Tuesday night to discuss their role in decreasing drug problems at the schools.

Hammers told the board Max and his officer will do walk-throughs in all the schools once or twice a month to make sure there are no drugs on campus. The dog, trained to sniff out any type of narcotics, will walk the halls, classrooms and parking lots.

If drugs are found the parents and school will have the first chance to take action, Hammers said. Upon second offense the police department will take over.

Hammers also asked the board to re-evaluate their policies and procedures on arrests on school property. Currently the school procedure is to call the parent before allowing officer to make an arrest.

Hammers said this was against state statute and asked that the procedure be changed.

&uot;The parent doesn’t have to be there,&uot; he said. &uot;It makes it that much harder. If somebody does a violent crime and I have to go get them, then I’m going to go get them,&uot; Hammers said.

Clarence Hymon, coordinator for drug free schools with the district, said the parents should be alerted.

&uot;We are responsible for those children at school,&uot; he said. &uot;You just cannot come into a school and arrest kids. Don’t take a child away from school in handcuffs.&uot;

The board agreed to give Howard Jackson, supervisor of child welfare and attendance a chance to review the procedure and the state statute before making a decision on the matter.

In other business the board agreed to extend their request for 13 mills from five years to 10 years. The board has already levied the tax on the taxpayers and only a continuance of the tax.

&uot;We did the things we told people we’d do,&uot; Business Manager Tom O’Neal said. &uot;We can account for all the money. I think the public will be pleased.&uot;

The board also agreed to sell a set of three-year-old textbooks to a second hand book company and put the profit into the general fund. Another set of textbooks, over 25 years old, will be given to students to keep or given to another district.