Rocky Boy school building being checked for drugs

A Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation school district building has been closed off as it’s being tested for illicit drugs and the staff in the adjacent building has been relocated, Superintendent Voyd St. Pierre said Tuesday.

The building in question is used for storage —  St. Pierre would not disclose what is stored there — by the district, a news release says. A room in the adjacent building was used for counseling services.

“After receiving a concern regarding the possibility of the presence of an illegal substance on school property, the District requested assistance from a local entity to conduct a preventative screen within one of our non-instructional buildings,” the release says. “Initial samples indicated the presence of an illicit drug and were subsequently sent to a professional laboratory to determine the levels of the illicit drug within the building.”

St. Pierre said he wouldn’t disclose what illicit drug remnants there might be in the building until the results are back. This happened “several weeks ago,” he said, adding he doesn’t know when the results will be back.

A tribal entity on the reservation is conducting the testing, he said, and no one has been hurt or affected.

The district has been advised of the necessary procedures required to mitigate any possible dangers in the affected area, the release says, adding, “The District will take all necessary steps to ensure that our working environment is safe for all employees.”