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PHS drug testing results revealed |
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Friday, 20 June 2008 |
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By Carol Anders
Staff Writer
PLYMOUTH — The Plymouth School Board heard a short report on the results of random drug testing during the 2007-08 school year.
Plymouth High School Principal Jim Condon told the board that 174 tests were administered. Of those, only two resulted in a failure to pass.
After the meeting, Condon said, “One of those (failing) was for nicotine and the other was for marijuana.”
Any student who registers to drive to school, participates in co-curricular activities or is involved in athletic or sports programs are subject to the testing.
Additionally, the school administrators can request testing if there is a suspicion of drug use. Parents can also request that their child be tested.
Condon said, “The testing gives parents a level of comfort.”
He also spoke in favor of the testing saying, “It gives students an opportunity to say no to peer pressure.”
Of the 174 students tested, 116 were athletes and 58 were non-athletes.
The actual tests are performed by personnel from Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center.
Board member Larry Pinkerton said he supported the dog intervention program. The program allows trained dogs to be brought in to the school to seek out any illegal drugs.
“I think it’s a good deterrent,” he said.
In other news:
• Building administrators and the superintendent received a 3 percent salary increase for the 2008-09 school year. The board voted unanimously for the pay increase. Superintendent Dan Tyree discussed the new levels of responsibility factors for each administrator.
• Washington Elementary Principal Michele Riise presented a draft of a new standards based report card that will be used for kindergarten students beginning in the next school year. The new report card is based on state academic standards. She said they intend to convert the report cards for grades one and two before the 2009-10 school year.
Beginning in 2010, report cards will be revised for grades three and four.
Riise said the ISTEP tests are based on academic standards. She also said that the Plymouth Community School Corporation curriculum is based on the standards.
Superintendent Dan Tyree said, “A committee has been working on the revisions for the last three years.”
He said they had to introduce assessments based on the standards into the curriculum before they revised the reporting system.
Riise said, “Now that we have full day kindergarten, we can achieve much more.”
• The board reviewed a proposed policy concerning internet, network and email usage by all school staff. In the past, the school corporation has had guidelines concerning usage, but the board is now considering a policy on the matter. The proposed policy was submitted by NEOLA. NEOLA provides school districts with services for developing and updating board bylaws, policies, administrative guidelines and other areas.
• The board also voted unanimously to continue contracting with Learning Tree for before and after school care. Learning Tree has provided the service for the past nine years.
Board member Ron Gifford said, “I’ve never heard one bad thing about the program in all of the years.”
At the last board meeting, the members voted to allow the school Treasurer Kandi Tinkey to apply for a loan from the Indiana Bond Bank for $26,000. Tinkey said the school was expecting the delivery of four school buses that had been ordered on a scheduled basis. The total cost of the buses was $272,000. She said they had a shortfall of $26,000 due to not receiving state disbursements on a timely basis.
At the June 19 meeting, Tinkey reported the loan application was turned down by the state and she was informed that anticipated tax warrants was the basis for the decline. Tinkey said she was told that 124 requests from other corporations were also denied.
The board voted to temporarily transfer $26,000 from the “rainy day fund” with the anticipation that the fund would be replenished when monies are received from the state.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 23 June 2008 )
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