PARIS – Drugs were confiscated Thursday morning at the Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School during a 65-minute search of lockers and vehicles by three Maine State Police K-9 units and local police officers.

“Our goal is to have a drug-free educational environment,” said Principal Ted Moccia Thursday afternoon shortly after meeting with his staff to review the results of the search.

Although information about the amount and types of drugs found and the number of students involved in the drug confiscation was not available Thursday from police or school personnel, Moccia said all the drugs and illegal contraband found were turned over to law enforcement personnel.

Parents of any student found with the illegal substances were notified by a school administrator or police officer.

School Superintendent Mark Eastman was out of town on a two-day superintendent’s conference and could not be reached for comment.

Moccia said this is the first time that dogs have been used to search the school premises, and all procedures and protocols were followed to the letter according to school policy. At no time were any of the dogs near the students, who were held in their classrooms during the search, said Moccia.

Written reports were completed for every locker and vehicle that required a detailed search. Parents were also sent home a letter from Moccia explaining the action.

Several OHCHS students said Thursday afternoon that as many as 10 students were found with drugs, but Moccia called that number “false information,” saying the rumors were “way over the top.”

Moccia said school officials have been working for the past year to set up a search and have personally observed searches in other schools, such as Windham High School last spring, to see how they operated.

The staff was not informed about the search prior to the action. Moccia said he would not call it a lockdown but rather a “hold-in-the-room situation,” where students and teachers were told to stay put during the 65-minute search. Because class blocks are 80 minutes there was no disruption of classes, he said. Teaching and learning went on as normal, but no one was allowed in the hallways.

Under school policy, administrators have options to search students’ belongings or person and they have the discretion to request the assistance of law enforcement authorities. The searches must be documented and items seized and impounded recorded.

It is possible another search or searches could take place this school year, he said.

“The option is always there if we feel we need to move to doing a more detail or another search,” he said.

The Paris Police Department was in charge if the search.