January 20, 2021
The Marshall County Safety Committee convened on January 19th for their semi-annual meeting. The committee consisting of area school superintendents, administrators, law enforcement, emergency preparedness professionals, media, and school safety specialists used a zoom meeting platform to discuss safety concerns and measures they are taking to promote a safe environment.
Among other items, they discussed the installation of vape detectors in many restrooms in several school systems. Kevin Kubsch, Director of Safety and Students Services at Union North United Schools, said they take the finding of vape cartridges very seriously and have the needed resources on-site to test them for THC (tetrahydrocannabinol).
Vapes or e-cigarettes contain a vaporization chamber or atomizer, rechargeable battery, and a liquid cartridge that can contain THC. According to Matt Sarber and Nelson Chipman of the Marshall County Prosecutor’s Office, the percentage of THC can be upwards of 40-50 percent or even 100 percent.
After the meeting, Chipman said, “Vape cartridges with THC are not legal in Indiana. It is regulated but legal in Illinois and Michigan as examples of the closest legal markets.”
Superintendent Jeremy Riddle of Triton Schools said they are working on updating their unification plan due to the demolition of the old gym. He went on to say that they have daily attendance spreadsheets that are updated every 10-15 minutes throughout the day.
Both Riddle and Sarber spoke to the ongoing use of cameras on buses to verify when vehicles ignore stop arms when buses are stopped with stop arms out.