St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio
St. Edward High School responded late Wednesday with an email to parents about the connection between President James Kubacki and the drug testing company that will test students at St. Eds, St. Ignatius and Gilmour Academy in the fall.
(The Plain Dealer)
CLEVELAND, Ohio - St. Edward High School responded to parents and students late yesterday about the family connection between school President James Kubacki and the drug testing company that will test students at St. Ed's, St. Ignatius and Gilmour Academy.
The three schools announced Monday that they will be testing the hair of all students for drugs in a proactive effort to prevent addiction and counsel students that test positive for drugs.
The Plain Dealer reported yesterday that the head of the company, Psychemedics Corp., is Kubacki's brother Raymond. In that story, representatives of all three schools said they were fully aware of that connection throughout their decision-making process.
Here's the email message that St. Edward sent out yesterday:
Dear St. Edward Parents and Guardians,
You might be aware that some news outlets have raised questions about St. Edward's choice of Psychemedics to conduct our drug testing, given that my brother is the president of the company. At Monday's after-school meeting with our faculty and staff, I told them about that connection. To clarify, our policy when a conflict of interest arises is to fully disclose that potential conflict of interest to our Board of Trustees. It does not automatically preclude someone (a school) from hiring a firm. I disclosed that relationship from the outset of our Wellness Committee work to our Board of Trustees. They decided to move forward with Psychemedics based on the overall strength of the product, the fact that they had worked with a few hundred schools, and that they had the most comprehensive FDA approval for head and body hair testing. Below is the statement that went out today from Dan Geib, our board chair, in response to media inquiries:
" Whenever there is a potential conflict of interest, it is important that there be full disclosure of that potential. From day one, members of the St. Edward Board of Trustees were informed of the relationship between Jim Kubacki as President of St. Edward High School and Ray Kubacki as CEO of Psychemedics.
A committee at St. Edward High School spent two years investigating the question of drug testing students. The committee included members of the board of trustees, administration and a member of the faculty.
The decision of the committee was to proceed using hair follicle testing versus urinalysis because of three key factors that are important to our approach:
1.) Hair testing is the least invasive method for our students
2.) Hair testing provides a wider window of detection
3.) Hair testing is a more accurate process
At the time of the decision, Psychemedics Corporation was the only FDA-approved hair tester in the United States, and had an established schools division with a proven track record for effectiveness in schools similar to St. Edward.
St. Ignatius High School and Gilmour Academy conducted their own research and arrived at the decision to contract with Psychemedics independently of St. Edward High School."
- Dan Geib, Chair, St. Edward Board of Trustees
I hope to see you at the Parent Meeting next Wednesday at 7 pm.
Sincerely,
Jim Kubacki
President