Pubdate: Thu, 01 May 2014
Source: Plain Dealer, The (Cleveland, OH)
Copyright: 2014 The Plain Dealer
Contact: http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/letter-to-editor/
Website: http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/342
Note: priority given to local letter writers
Author: Patrick O'Donnell
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)

ST. ED'S ISSUES FORMAL MESSAGE ON KUBACKI BROTHERS' DRUG TESTING CONNECTION

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
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom