Big Spring ISD adds K-9 named ‘Sonia’ for upcoming school year

BIG SPRING, Texas (KOSA) - School is right around the corner in Big Spring and the school district’s staff may be a little different this year. It may not be what you expect.

The Big Spring Independent School District is adding a K-9 named ‘Sonia’ to the staff.

Sonia had a long trip to get to West Texas, originally coming from Poland. In fact, all of her commands are in Czech instead of English.

Sonia is a single-purpose Belgian Malinois.

She went through two weeks of intense training with her new handler to help them bond.

Sonia’s training is specialized in narcotics detection. She is trained for five different drug odors.

The K-9 is not only there to detect drugs that are on campus, but also as a potential deterrent.

She’ll also be able to help schools near Big Spring.

BSISD drug tests all kids who participate in extracurricular activities.

The district also takes part in the guardian program, meaning a select few faculty members are armed and trained with a weapon.

Sonia adds another layer to the school district that McWilliams calls West Texas’s leader in security and safety.

They will not search children, but classrooms and bathrooms can be searched as well as backpacks and any luggage for school trips.

Sonia will be a permanent part of the school district visiting campuses almost every single day.

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