A human rights complaint could be the deciding factor in whether the Dogs for Drug Free Schools program goes ahead at Porter Creek Secondary School.

'We've got a complaint, we've got to deal with it,' Dave Sloan, the Department of Education's director of learning for area two, told a meeting held last night in the school's cafeteria.

The program would see a police dog handler and dog come into the school daily.

While the dog would be trained to detect drugs, it indicates there are drugs in a more subdued way such as sitting next to the item the drugs are in. School officials can then deal with the decision of whether to search the item.

The dog goes beyond that serving as a way for an officer to communicate with students.

'She's (his dog) the hook,' Doug Green, a former Edmonton police officer who created the program, told the estimated 30 people who turned up at Thursday night's meeting.

Green came to Whitehorse yesterday to meet with territorial government officials, those who attended last night's meeting, and with students at the school today.

Both Green and Randy Youngman, who operates the program in Medicine Hat, Alta., and was in the territory earlier this year, have noted the dogs involved help bridge the gap with students.

The school was promised $250,000 by the territorial government to fund a three-year pilot project beginning this school year. However, none of the money has come through yet, parents were informed last night.

'This is not something we've been sitting on,' Sloan said.

The human rights complaint was filed by a student's parent who has brought forward a doctor's note about a life-threatening allergy to dogs.

The Department of Education is working with the Yukon Human Rights Commission on the issue. It has agreed to hold off on the program while the commission has agreed to expedite the matter, Sloan explained.

A number of parents took issue with the delay. They argued their kids have a right to go to a drug-free school and pointed to commitments by the Yukon Party government and statements by Porter Creek Centre MLA Archie Lang supporting the program.

It was Liberal Leader Arthur Mitchell who was quick to come to Lang's defence.

'I believe Archie Lang is genuine in his support, as is every MLA,' Mitchell said. The program received unanimous support in the legislature in the last sitting, he added.

However, he said, the government can't interfere with the process of the human rights commission.

While Green said he agreed the department should follow the human rights process, he noted what he believes to be a flaw in the allergy issue.

Many students come to school with dander from household pets like dogs which could cause an allergic reaction, he noted.

In an earlier interview, Tanya Mickey, the parent of a Porter Creek student who has been pushing for the program, pointed out there's another parent at the school who has a seeing eye dog. She wondered if that parent will no longer be allowed in the school either.

Mickey noted there's a number of things the school can do to address allergies. A labradoodle, a hypoallergenic dog suitable for people with allergies, could be brought into the school.

She also noted the school is not carpeted so dander and fur would not get into the floor. As well, the school is cleaned every night.

Another student suffers from a severe nut allergy. Precautions have been taken to accommodate the student, including asking students to eat nut products in the cafeteria only and washing their hands after eating any nut product. However, nuts are not banned from the school.

Green's Labrador, Ebony, spent much of his day in the school sleeping on a couch when students were in class, his handler noted.

Mickey said she wonders if the government may not want to admit to the drug problem in the schools.

Green noted that of the 300 schools dogs have been in in Alberta, not one has had a complaint of a serious allergic reaction to the animals.

Last night, the pair showed off Ebony's skills in finding potential drugs. Licensed to have drugs because of his work, Green said he had placed some cotton balls in drugs before he left Edmonton for Whitehorse.

He placed the cotton balls in a bag between a number of chairs piled up, with Ebony locating them shortly after he was directed to by Green.

An unscientific survey done at the school last March, which 450 students completed, found that of the 46.9 per cent of students who had tried or use cannabis, 79 per cent of those students have been stoned in class.

Another 70 per cent of those surveyed had a least one drink of alcohol, with 27 per cent of those saying they have been under the influence of alcohol in class once or more.

The survey found alcohol, pot and tobacco are among the most commonly used substances by students.

Green said the Dogs for Drug Free Schools program is about creating relationships with students. In many cases, just knowing the dog can detect drugs helps keep drugs out of the school, he said.

As the human rights case is dealt with, the school council is continuing to work on the job description for the dog handler so it is ready to go when the program begins.

RCMP officers and alcohol and drug services counsellor Madeleine Piuze also discussed services offered for students through initiatives like the P.A.R.R.T.Y. (Preventing Alcohol and Risk Related Trauma in Youth) program and individual counselling.