One of the big news items this week has to do with St. Edward High School, St. Ignatius High School and Gilmour Academy all kicking off a mandatory drug-testing program for their students in the fall. It’s an interesting story because no other schools in Northeast Ohio presently test their students for drug use.
Another interesting point of fact is that the president and CEO of Massachusetts-based Psychemedics – the company that will be conducting the tests – is Raymond Kubacki, brother of St. Edward High School President James Kubacki. The former is a St. Ignatius grad himself and a member of that school’s athletic hall of fame.
Since 1991, Raymond Kubacki has helmed Psychemedics, and he’s now posting $7+ million in revenue on a quarterly basis. The intersection of private schools and the drug-testing market is a budding one. He told the Worcester Business Journal in December 2013, “Our primary focus is workplace drug testing. Secondarily would be emerging markets and one of those would be schools and colleges.”
K.C. McKenna, vice president of admissions and marketing at St. Edward High School, says the decision to work with Psychemedics came after several years of research led by an internal committee.
“Really, this came about as a proactive, preventative measure. There was nothing in our own community that necessarily prompted this. This is not a reactionary endeavor by any means,” he tells Scene. “Our committee, which included members of our board of trustees, a member of our faculty and other members of our administration, looked at the issue as a whole and arrived at the Psychemedics decision. Certainly, Jim knew a little more about the process because of his brother being involved, but his brother being CEO of that company in no way led to us making the decision to use Psychemedics.”
On the ground, the Psychemedics initiative will affect about 980 students at St. Ed’s (along with 340 at Gilmour and 1,500 or so at St. Ignatius). The hair testing costs $39 to $50 a pop, according to schools already working with Psychemedics. Built in to the cost, though, McKenna says, is an out for students who face peer pressure. With a program like this in place, there’s an easier basis for students to say “No” when the moment comes.
While drug-testing in schools is brand new locally, there’s a national trail of controversy following its headlines in the U.S. Seen as invasive by some, drug-testing really anywhere is cause for raised eyebrows.
The market for drug-testing has wobbled downward a bit, but, as noted by the Psychemedics CEO’s outlook, there are plenty of pastures to graze among the private schools of the world. An anecdote from Louisiana:
Psychemedics has been around since 1987, but its fortunes have been tied to the trend in drug testing, especially employment testing, which has been going downward in the last decade. But drug testing with hair has some champions and the most famous might be Harry Connick, Sr., former district attorney of New Orleans and father of the singer. Connick pushed hair testing in New Orleans schools, including Catholic schools, during his tenure as DA, and when he retired in 2003, he joined Psychemedics board of directors. He is a shareholder.
Likewise and closer to home, St. John’s Jesuit High School and Academy began drug testing its students in the fall of 2012. The move stirred debate across the St. John’s community and beyond – about its effectiveness, its need, its process. Both sides of the argument were vocal as the policy unfolded.
Here in Cleveland, a letter was sent to parents today informing them of the program, as well. The core paragraph in the letter from the St. Ignatius administration reads, “We already have educational programs, counseling and intervention programs in place but, given the pressures our students face, now is the time to take an even more aggressive stance against this threat.”
Mandatory, random drug-testing in public schools has been shot down in the U.S. Supreme Court, but the realm of private schools operates under its own set of rules. McKenna says the feedback from both students and parents has been overwhelmingly positive today. As the program unfolds at the end of this summer, he doesn’t expect any glaring problems. But the concept itself – preventative though it may be – has remained a cause for community-wide inquiry, judging by conversations in other schools.
***
St. Ed’s Board Chairman Dan Geib issued a formal statement on the matter today (May 1). Oddly, The Plain Dealer took credit for bringing the fraternal connection to light:
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
This article appears in Apr 30 – May 6, 2014.
I am shocked at the breach of privacy and the veiled greed parading as student aid. As your article suggests, this has a $100k++ price tag. Not to mention the presumed guilt of any student or parent that raises concerns about the program simply trying to protect Constitutional rights. It is dangerous for schools to control such vast amounts of personal information and chips away at student civil liberties.
the bottom line is money. thats why they call it money. and nice conflict of interest with the principal and the brother
Elyria Catholic . . . Buehler? Buehler?
sounds to me like the shaved head completely look is about to get a WHOLE lot more popular at these schools – lol – but why in the everloving fuck are they doing hair tests when urine tests are twenty times less expensive and give immediate results? Yes exactly its about the money – and those hair tests cost $6 or less per kit and then shipping somewhere probably quest or labcorp locally to process it in huge batches at yet another minimal cost – doubt it totals more than $12 per test when all is said and done and that includes the processing facility profit surcharge – leaving how much profit for said principal’s brothers company per test – GENIUS – wish I had thought of doing this years ago…
Will they also be testing all staff members?
My sons attend SIHS and I don’t see this as anything but a positive measure. I am grateful the administration cares enough to be this intrusive. I work in an ER and have seen all too often the result of teenage drug abuse. It’s not pretty. If we can save families the tragedy of this epidemic, I’m all for it. Just because there is money to be made does not in any way indicate that was a motivating factor. This is just another example of the public/media trying to create unnecessary controversy over something.
Also, these are minors. As a parent I make the decision as to whether or not I will allow my child to be drug tested. If I do not want my child to be tested, I can choose to send them to another school. I feel like anyone whose child does not go to one of these schools really has no right to protest the decision of the school. I CHOOSE to send my kids there. By doing so, I accept the policies of the school.
As a parent of a student at SIHS, you would have no choice in the matter, if you want your son to continue attending there. As an alumnus of SIHS, I received the email yesterday as well and I replied and asked if parents could choose to opt out of the program and I was told it was mandatory.
Was the testing program put up for bidding? I find it hard to believe that these two brothers are not being honest about the money each will make.
Good arguments pro & con about drug testing, but I think the point of the report is that St. Edward’s leadership has not at all avoided the appearance of a conflict of interest. It not only looks like a conflict, it probably is one. It’s another example of the old boys network formed by its alumni.
As an alumni of SIHS alumni myself, I have absolutely no issue with the policy. Reason being that SIHS, Gilmour, and St. Ed’s are all private schools…paid for by tuition money of parents…not by tax funding. Therefore, they have a right to set such a policy. If it were a public school, I’d have an issue with it, but it is NOT a public school.
Student at Ignatius here. None of the faculty (teachers, administration, janitors etc.) are required to be tested, although they can for free if they want. We were also told that shaved heads would not work as the test can be done with even arm hair. The only good thing about this is that they announced it this early. They practically winked at us while saying that the test can detect drugs used up to 3 months prior to it, and the first tests won’t begin for 4 months. Other than that it really is a crazy breach of privacy, way more information than the school should have, and finding out about this family situation just makes the whole thing laughable. Sadly there is absolutely nothing we can do about it.
And as a side note, the students will likely just be drinking a lot more.
Sorry ggggggg but SIHS is a private school and is free to enact such policy, just as a private employer could. If my employer came to me tomorrow and told me I was being drug tested, guess what…they are a private company and have every right to do so. SIHS has the same rights, and given how much financial aid they give out every year, there is a vested interest in ensuring their students are not using drugs.
Don’t like the policy? Feel free to transfer to a public school system.
Brothe souns like a stand up guyy to be making that much money for his brother.
What a loa of crap
There is a vested interest in maintaining some phony reputation, and don’t even pretend any nearby public school system is a legitimate option. Spare me.
I believe many of the people that made this decision have our best interests at heart, but it clearly comes down to some reputation b.s. along with the fact that they have a special deal with this company. The test itself gives information on not only illegal substances but every drug, including prescription, a person has used recently. There’s no good reason for the schools to need this information, private or not. This is besides the fact that, according to the principal at Ignatius, there will not actually be any disciplinary action if a test comes back positive. They are taking responsibility of what should be a family matter, and for no valid reason.
I understand that the schools are free to enact the policy, since they obviously have, but there is not enough justification to make up for the questionable intent behind it all. I also stand by the fact that this is not going to actually help students health-wise as there are alternatives to what shows up on the drug test.
i agree with the other comments that this is a huge breach of privacy and will likely lead to more drinking which is much more dangerous than that one drug that is likely used most often by HS students. and the supposed fact that the staff is exempt from this testing is a joke. teachers and administrators should be tested even before considering to test the students since they are the ones leading these kids.
America is weird. It’s not legal for employers or private schools to test employees/students without probable cause and a potential for harm.
Saliva is the way to go it shows if your under the influence at the time of testing, you can test positive for marijuana up to 3 months after consumption by urine testing and then hair follicles are like growth rings on a tree if your hair length took 2 years to grow then they can see what you took 2 years ago. Hardly fair. Im an ex australian cop know this info from experience. But the really worrying thing here is the collusion between the two brothers, I mean come on America stand up to this BS.
Parents, would you rather have a the best teachers money can buy or the teachers you can afford? Don’t just sign the next check. Compare what the best private schools and colleges do. Schools that emphasize the highest academic standards from both their teachers and their students tend to have the lowest drug and alcohol problems.
Even the best of the best, Boston, Harvard, Loyola, Yale, Notre Dame, Oxford, et al., have a tiny percentage of chemical abuse issues. Parents, investigate how they spend the money on teaching students about healthy living and centered living instead of testing for a portion of the chemical abuse problem.
This solution, parents, ignores the alcohol crisis. Yes. There is a drug problem, but the alcohol problem is a crisis. The number of fatalities of high school age students in America due to alcohol will make you sob, and some are killing others with their alcohol fueled actions.
Money spent on educating students covers all chemical issues. Excellent teachers are not cheap.
Because drug testing kids is of the upmost importance… Do some actual research on drugs instead of regurgitating your parents Cold War just say no mentality because that didn’t work for you prosac eating assholes!! Quit trying to ruin our generation because yours is fucked! Why not spend that money on a scholarship for someone to attend your school??
So, if it is only about the safety and care of the children, and as a Christian organization, why not allow a company other than the brothers company do the testing? You know, all that good faith stuff.
This is laughable. When I see the President of the school stand up and say that because of the controversy and to show that it really is about how much he cares, he will pick a company unrelated to him in ANY way, I will believe.
From what I know about Catholic schools, and I know a lot, drinking is a far greater problem than use of illegal drugs – and the administrators know this.
As a parent, I would expect to give my explicit permission for this testing in the form of a signature on a permission slip. After all, this is a medical test being conducted on my minor child. I’m supposing the schools are going to require this as a condition of enrollment instead. I’d be looking for another school for my kid, but it is not right that someone who wants this type of education for their child should be forced to opt out simply because they are opposed to mandatory drug testing.
I think the parents and alumni should rise up in protest – money talks in regards to private schools. This is a huge breach of privacy as these drug tests can also determine what prescription drugs a person has been taking as legally prescribed by a doctor for a particular illness. That information is private – and should remain so.
Also parents, be aware that your kid’s DNA is in that sample and do you really trust this company with it?? What do you really know about it except that it is headed by the brother of the principal of St. Ed’s?
My sons attend St Ignatius High School and I have no problem with the drug testing. I rather the students be helped in a positive way and not when its too late for any help to be given. St Ignatius does anything to help their students and this is just one more of those positive ways. If you dont like it you have the freedom to transfer but dont make this a media circus or bring negativity to the school for helping their students. I am grateful for their concern and manner in which they want to help.
Senior at Saint Ignatius here… At the beginning of the school year, each student is all but required to sign a form saying that we subject to all policies at our school (Unalienable rights…?) which signs away rights we would have to deny a drug test. I want to clarify here though, these tests are in no way punitive: no student will be punished for the results of his drug test. The results of these tests stay with the student, his parents, and his guidance counselor here at Saint Ignatius. For that reason, I am in favor of these drug tests. Since drug testing starts next year, seniors won’t be tested but I can tell you that there is massive drug use at Saint Ignatius and St. Edward, and I believe that this drug testing is a step in the right direction for the welfare of our students.
sounds like a whole lot of handjobs happened between St. Ed’s and Psychemedics.
Testing victimizes the majority who aren’t doing drugs and teaches kids to be compliant little slaves so they can grow up to be good little drones for their future employers and the government! This makes me sick! I’d pull my kids out of that school in a heart beat! Ironic how only here in America do we so readily give up our right to privacy while claiming to be the most free country in the world! A school is supposed to teach students about their rights, not violate them!
First, all these witch hunts only ever find that a tiny fraction of 1% are out of compliance. Second, these sweeps pretty much only find marijuana – because if its oil-based properties, cannabis is one of the few that stays in the system for multiple weeks. Not unimportant for a parent to know that their kid is testing positive for marijuana, but marijuana isn’t the end of the world. I’d be much more concerned if it was alcohol, and the drug test won’t find alcohol.
Third, any concerned parent can privately have their kid tested without a gross violation of Fourth Amendment privacy rights (ie, where is the probable cause?). Fourth, I DO NOT like the fact that nepotism is involved. Nepotism is a form of corruption. The ethical thing to do is the obvious – if you’re going to do it at all, find a third party test provider who isn’t part of the “family”. Last but not least, the nepotistic ties weren’t disclosed to the parents. I dislike sneaking around just as much or more than I dislike corruption.
Conclusion: A fish rots from the head, and I would immediately withdraw my student from the school.
I would be pulling my kids out of this school for other reasons – but this alone is enough. This teaches children that distrust and repression is normal. Any true American who holds their leadership to a higher standard and also values their freedom from tyranny would be against this. If you’re for mandatory drug testing, why stop there?! What about mandatory pregnancy testing? Mandatory alcohol testing? Why not lie detector tests? These policies are beyond the pale and go against teaching responsibility and trust to young minds. All this does is push the truth under the carpet. Let’s see every individual (staff, admin) involved with the school tested first and then deal with the fallout.
Frankly, and I say this as a Catholic, if you care about your children and their safety, you DON’T send them to Catholic schools. Sexual abuse is endemic throughout Catholic schools and institutions and is still being covered up. If these three schools really cared about their students, they would create hotlines for past and present students to report abuse and come clean about what abuse occurred in the past.
I wonder how this will affect the competitive balance referendum? We all know at Ed’s and Iggy it’s about beating the infidel…sometimes with their own worker bees.
To all those parents and students of these Catholic schools who think this mandatory drug test is just fine: Do you really think that a child’s ability to obtain a Catholic education should depend upon whether or not his/her parents allow him to be drug tested by a school? This does not seem right to me.
Nepotism and collusion and sweetheart deals…why am I neither shocked nor surprised, especially after 36 years in Chicago and another 22 years here? It’s the way of the world, folks…especially in our cities…from City Hall on down to the school systems, private and public.
What next for Iggy’s? A test to see whether kids are sexually active? What percentage will flunk that one? A test is a test…the powers-that-be won’t care if the “receptacle” was a vagina or a Kleenex.
First, they came for the drugs…but I didn’t protest because I didn’t do drugs.
And next came sexual activity, still later came tobacco…followed by who knows what else? But I didn’t protest these outrages because I didn’t smoke or yank my chain (yeah, right).
Can micro-chipping be far behind? George Orwell is laughing his ass off.
By the way, folks…this is not just a local story anymore…it’s already gone national on the interwebs.
Chuckles the Clown
to all the parents who ‘don’t care’ and think it is for the ‘best of the children’…
DRUG TEST YOUR OWN EFING CHILDREN ON YOUR OWN DAMN TIME
except you yuppies who pay thousands of dollars a year to send your child to school that is nothing more than a status symbol could care less about that child. because we all know you can pay for the drug test. or is it that your child is a saint, and you are worried about others corrupting you’re pure-as-the-driven-snow progeny?
As a St. Edward alumni, I’m appalled at this ridiculous expense, not to mention the obvious conflict of interest & privacy violations. My advice to parents and students is to stay home until this policy is reversed. I won’t be attending my class reunion in protest & donations will be stopped. St. Ed’s used to be a quality school that would teach one to think, but it’s become just another training camp for the school/prison complex in this country… Shame on you St. Edward!
All of our children’s civil rights must be regularly and repeteadly violated to keep this drug testing company afloat. The proof that profit is the highest motive is the drug hair testing so expensive it’s not even used for DOT Commercial Drivers or Airplane pilots. Audit the drug testing company and audit St Edwards and St Ignatius. How Repugnant.
So, let’s see here. Pretty much everyone associated with these schools say “yes” and “okay” to this testing, while everyone else says no. Hmm.
wonder if they will be testing the sports teams for streroids
ignatius needs to remove their heads out of their asses. This is not Nazi Germany, if you want your child to pee in a cup, then give him a cup and keep it between family. I guess people do not care about the situation/embarrassment students face when administration/health administrators learn/hear about the use of drugs. Its like Ignatius administers policies purely for financial and political gain without regard for the students. At this point, I’m ashamed/embarrassed for Ignatius and hope they can see that their actions will negatively impact students. As a recent alumnus of Ignatius, I can pretty positively say they really pissed all over the school.
Oh, that’s just a co-in-ci-dence.
[Acckkk!]
The MEDIA is unnecessarily feeding DRAMA into this story, like the MEDIA typically does. Psychemedics – the company that will be conducting the tests – is a leader in this field, and its President, Raymond Kubacki, who, as an alumni, has a vested interest in seeing to it that these schools get the red-carpet treatment. His relation to the President of St. Ignatius is a GOOD THING for the same reason. There is a very evil and deadly drug threat running through the community as I write this. It is killing high school kids every week across Ohio, and these three schools ARE NOT IMMUNE and are, IN ACTUALITY, at risk. The hair test is the BEST test because the results cannot be altered or skewed by the person being tested. This move by the schools will save lives, the lives of your kids, with little inconvenience, and they are virtually non-invasive. If this testing is not quickly or timely implemented you can all but guarantee that you will be hearing and reading about students dying by overdosing on the deadly drugs currently being circulated. KUDOS to the schools for implementing this testing IMMEDIATELY. The importance and urgency of the situation cannot be overstated.
I feel this is a great idea and it is NOT a violation of constitutional rights. This is a PRIVATE SCHOOL therefore if you do not like the rules they have in place you can kick rocks. Plus the cost of tuition at these schools is upwards of $13,000 so I highly doubt a $40 dollar test will break the bank. Reading these comments make me laugh at the stupidity of some people. I take it drug tests in the work place are wrong and a violation of your rights too. How many crack rocks did you smoke today?
I am an alumni of St Ignatius, class of 1998. Drug testing students at St. Ignatius is repugnant for many reasons. First, drug testing like this is a breach of privacy. Second, the apparent conflict of interest alluded to in this article is telling. I hope they know that I will not be sending any donations in as long as this policy is in place.