From The Files of The Seminole Producer

The Seminole Board of Education at the monthly meeting Monday instructed Superintendent Donald E. Smith to start taking construction bids on a new four-room administration building for the school system.

In other action the board accepted the resignations of two teachers and approved the recommendations of Supt. Smith on reassigning duties of four other school employees – a fifth grade teacher and three secretaries.

All school secretaries were rehired by the board, and the board also voted to use the regular four city wards for school election purposes.

The board also heard a report from Seminole area newsman, Al Givens, who claims that he has been investigating Seminole’s drug scene and has found drugs such as marijuana, LSD and barbiturates among Seminole High School and junior high students.

The Shawnee reporter told the board that he has talked with reformed local drug users and with area law officers in compiling his information. He said that he was working at this time on an investigative story which will be published in an area newspaper and which will inform the Seminole public about a serious drug problem here.

The board members encouraged Givens to publish such a story if he has factual information because they felt the public should know about this problem if there is one.

Supt. Smith acknowledged that there was some evidence of drug using by Seminole students, however, to date no drugs have been found in the high school or upon any student while attending school. “We are constantly watchful and alert for drugs in our school system,” the superintendent added.

Givens said he was concerned about the drug problem because he has two granddaughters who attend Seminole elementary schools.

Supt. Smith presented the board a detailed drawing of a proposed new city school administration building, which will be built on newly acquired school property directly north of the high school gymnasium.

The building, which will either be all brick, brick and metal or all metal depending on the bidding, will include two administrative offices, a reception room, a conference room and two restrooms.

Supt. Smith will use one of the offices and Keith Shaw, who will be administrative coordinator next year, will use the other. The conference room will be used by the board of education for its regular meetings.

The superintendent said he would get several bids on the new building and present them to the board at its next meeting on May 14.

Sue Frederick, high school vocal instructor, and Fern Crowder, Roosevelt- Central librarian, submitted resignations to the board. The resignations become effective At the end of the current school year.

Mrs. Frederick resigned because she wanted to be with her family and Mrs. Crowder is retiring. The board accepted the resignations with regret.

Supt. Smith said he did not have a replacement for Mrs. Frederick as of yet, however, he is filling Mrs. Crowder’s post by reassigning the duties of a teacher in the school system.

Mrs. Iris Smith, a fifthgrade teacher will be moved into the position of Roosevelt-Central media specialist. The media specialist post will replace the old librarian post.

The Roosevelt-Central library, Supt. Smith told the board, will not only house books next year, but also will be the center for all education media at the school including maps, displays and other teaching aids.

Mrs. Smith will check out media equipment to teachers just as books are checked out. He said that Mrs. Smith’s teaching post will not be filled because of a smaller enrollment in the fifth grade for next year. -oOo A tip of the Producer hat to the sixth-grade students at Roosevelt School who raised $350 for the Heart Fund campaign… Hyatt Cayton busy getting acquainted in Seminole… Cayton is the manager for the Western Auto store to open soon in the city… Truman Branscum drinking coffee in a local café… Bob Lovelady talking about an accident which happened sometime ago… Bill Fleming wishing people would not dump trash on county roadways. -oOo WASHINGTON (UPI) – A privately financed report on a widely used food additive claimed Saturday that bacon may be “the most dangerous food in the supermarket” in terms of cancer-causing potential.

The allegation was made by the Center for Science in the Public Interest in a 55-page study of sodium nitrite, a preservative used for hot dogs, hams, fish, and long list of other products in addition to bacon.

The Agriculture Department and Drug Administration have had the nitrite question under review for some time. Their position is that evidence against the chemical so far does not outweigh the good that it does in preventing growth of bacteria in meat.

The Center is a nonprofit organization staffed primarily by scientists who are paid through foundation money and income from sales of various reports published by the center.

The study on sodium nitrate, written by Michael F. Jacobson, who has a PhD in biology, urged the government to ban use of the additive in food.

“Eating a hot dog or strip of bacon now and then will not guarantee cancer,” Jacobson said. “However, food made without nitrite. I recommend that people stop eating cured meals, particularly bacon, until the threat of nitrosamines is eliminated.”