NINE MILE FALLS, Wash. (AP) - The threat of a lawsuit has ended the use of dogs for random drug searches in the middle and high schools of this town northwest of Spokane, officials said.

Dogs from Interquest Detection Canines were wrong about 85 percent of the time they indicated something was amiss at the start of the program in January 2004, but the main issue was the students' constitutional rights, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington and the Center for Justice, which announced the change Thursday.

"It is important that any searches at public schools be consistent with constitutional protections so that our students learn about the Constitution both in practice and in theory," Center for Justice attorney John Sklut said.

Nine Mile Falls School District officials wrote the civil rights groups on Monday with word that the searches would be abandoned, according to an ACLU news release.

Superintendent Michael Green said Thursday the school district had done nothing wrong and was "very careful to respect the constitutional rights of students during the course of searches by drug dogs" but halted the practice because of the potential cost of fighting a lawsuit.

The dogs may return if a state or federal court determines that the practice is legally permitted, Green added.

Information from: The Spokesman-Review, http://www.spokesmanreview.com