The Johnson County School District in Kentucky is trying a unique approach to protect its students.

Twice a month, Scott and Zain teamed up to search the Eastern Kentucky District's middle and high schools for dangerous items like drugs or weapons.

The catch Zain is on four legs.

Over the last few years, we have undertaken several different initiatives to increase the safety for our students here in Johnson County.

And we've added, multiple, security cameras.

We've added weapons detection systems, and now we are utilizing the the canines to serve really as a, as a deterrent, to, keep kids from bringing things in the schools that they should not be bringing in the schools.

This is their first year doing it.

And, you know, really, as I stated earlier, this, it's a safety precaution.

It's a deterrent.

And the great thing about the particular K9 that we're using, he not only can, you know, alert on drugs, vaping, things like that, but he's also trained to alert on weapons, on, ammunition and those things as, as a school and as a district administrator.

You know, guns can be a scary thing.

We cover all common areas.

Any places that that may be a hiding place.

All trash cans, bathrooms, any kind of, lockers, bags, purses.

And when the dog enters the room, if there's anything up high, we will typically know that fairly quickly from the change of behavior.

It's not, disruptive at all.

It's a very seamless transition from one class to the next, down the hallways, through the lockers and into the restrooms.

At first, they were a little, you know, standoffish.

Not sure exactly what was going on, what the purpose was.

But, with more and more frequency, they're used to the dog.

They, they lock the dog.

They're really interested.

They've asked a lot of questions to, the handler about the dog and the training and things.

So it's almost been a learning process for our students as well.

We have Johnson County Middle School and Johnson Central High School, and we do the sweeps twice a month at each location.

He just kind of blends in and does his job.

And, you know, it is a more subtle, way of of sweeping the schools and making sure that, things are not in here.

That should not be in here.

We've not had any big, big bust or anything like that.

Thankfully.

It's always the the best thing.

No firearms or anything like that, which is also, you know, A-plus.

Zion is a German shepherd.

Raised him.

He's from my own.

My own dogs that I bred.

He's been working in the detection work for the last about three and a half years.

We've started detection work with him, and, and he's he's absolutely fell in love with it.

It's all just him going out, having fun, trying to find his ball.

At the end of the day, that's that's his main goal.

Definitely makes the kids feel a lot more at ease and and realize that it's not it's not going to hurt you.

You know, he's more than happy for you to come.

Scratches and scratches, but.

Or for play ball with him.

That's all.

That's what he's about.

Officials with the school say that the canine sweeps have been well received by the community.