WCS Adjusts Drug Testing Policy
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Students who use a nitrite product to alter the results of school drug tests will be treated as if the drug test was positive, the Warsaw school board decided Monday.
Klear¨, a potassium nitrite product sold by mail or over the Internet, can be used to mask the presence of marijuana in standard urine tests, said Walter Mann of client services at Kosciusko Community Hospital.
Nitrite is a naturally occurring substance in urine, he said. However, the amount needed to mask the presence of marijuana is approximately 100 times that which naturally occurs, he said.
"You never mask a urine sample unless there's something in it you want to mask," he said.
The board unanimously voted Monday to suspend the usual 30-day waiting period for a policy change. They then amended the drug testing policy to specify that if a urine sample tests positive for an adulterating substance, the student tested will be held as responsible as if he or she had tested positive for drugs.
The board also will consider a report by Jim Elizondo of City Securities on refinancing the high school bond to lower interest and save at least $800,000.
Elizondo said the $2.5 million bond, which was refinanced several years ago, cannot be re-funded until 2000. But a potential buyer can be locked in at today's interest rates to fund the bond in two years.
The difference between the interest rate on the bond now, which is approximately 6.9 percent, and the potential rate of approximately 4.7 percent, should save more than $800,000, Elizondo said.
The board tabled the issue for further consideration.
In other business:
• Marci Franks, director of food service for Warsaw Community Schools, reported that school lunch prices will remain at $1.50 per lunch this year. Projected food costs for the 1998-99 school year are approximately $950,000, with labor costs around $750,000. WCS serves more than 5,200 lunches per day, and the expected food service income for the year is approximately $1.8 million.
• Cherish Beam, Warsaw Community High School student body president, reported on the "Blitz" (Bringing Light Into The Tiger Zone). The event, which will involve students performing community service projects, will take place between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Oct. 24.
• Superintendent Dr. Lee Harman reported the total student enrollment as of Monday was 6,307, compared to a total of 6,356 students at the same time last year. A complete report on the school corporation's demographic study will be presented at the November board meeting.
• Harman also said the fifth annual Education Summit, held in conjunction with the Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce, is scheduled for Nov. 19 at 2517 Restaurant.
The school board's meetings are held in the administration building at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of each month. [[In-content Ad]]
Students who use a nitrite product to alter the results of school drug tests will be treated as if the drug test was positive, the Warsaw school board decided Monday.
Klear¨, a potassium nitrite product sold by mail or over the Internet, can be used to mask the presence of marijuana in standard urine tests, said Walter Mann of client services at Kosciusko Community Hospital.
Nitrite is a naturally occurring substance in urine, he said. However, the amount needed to mask the presence of marijuana is approximately 100 times that which naturally occurs, he said.
"You never mask a urine sample unless there's something in it you want to mask," he said.
The board unanimously voted Monday to suspend the usual 30-day waiting period for a policy change. They then amended the drug testing policy to specify that if a urine sample tests positive for an adulterating substance, the student tested will be held as responsible as if he or she had tested positive for drugs.
The board also will consider a report by Jim Elizondo of City Securities on refinancing the high school bond to lower interest and save at least $800,000.
Elizondo said the $2.5 million bond, which was refinanced several years ago, cannot be re-funded until 2000. But a potential buyer can be locked in at today's interest rates to fund the bond in two years.
The difference between the interest rate on the bond now, which is approximately 6.9 percent, and the potential rate of approximately 4.7 percent, should save more than $800,000, Elizondo said.
The board tabled the issue for further consideration.
In other business:
• Marci Franks, director of food service for Warsaw Community Schools, reported that school lunch prices will remain at $1.50 per lunch this year. Projected food costs for the 1998-99 school year are approximately $950,000, with labor costs around $750,000. WCS serves more than 5,200 lunches per day, and the expected food service income for the year is approximately $1.8 million.
• Cherish Beam, Warsaw Community High School student body president, reported on the "Blitz" (Bringing Light Into The Tiger Zone). The event, which will involve students performing community service projects, will take place between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Oct. 24.
• Superintendent Dr. Lee Harman reported the total student enrollment as of Monday was 6,307, compared to a total of 6,356 students at the same time last year. A complete report on the school corporation's demographic study will be presented at the November board meeting.
• Harman also said the fifth annual Education Summit, held in conjunction with the Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce, is scheduled for Nov. 19 at 2517 Restaurant.
The school board's meetings are held in the administration building at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of each month. [[In-content Ad]]