School board to approve manuals

Salina School Board members are scheduled to approve or discuss policy manuals for the 2008-09 school year when they meet at 5 p.m. today at the district office at 1511 Gypsum.

Proposed manuals for the elementary schools, middle schools and high schools were first discussed by the board two weeks ago. At that time, several board members questioned proposed changes at the high school level that would have relaxed rules regarding cell phone use at school.

After some discussion, however, board members generally agreed they'd leave the proposed changes in and look at formulating a districtwide policy in time for the 2009-10 school year.

Those handbooks are set for approval at tonight's meeting, while handbooks for students and staff at Salina Area Technical School will be introduced and discussed.

The board is also scheduled to consider permission for several grant applications, including one for $20,000 to renovate an open-air area at Salina Central High School between the cafeteria and commons area to create an outdoor courtyard.

The proposal includes outdoor seating for eating and studying, a place to display student art, and landscaping by master gardeners through the K-State Extension Service.

Sheriff's office gets $37,060 grant

The Saline County Sheriff's Office has received a $37,060 federal grant to improve monitoring of sex offenders in the county.

The sheriff's office will use part of the grant to pay for the overtime costs of increased checks on registered sex offenders. Currently, compliance checks on sex offenders are made once every four months, and the plan is to conduct the checks every two months.

Some of the money will also be used to upgrade the sheriff's office computer system, so information entered locally will automatically be forwarded to the National Crime Information Center computers.

The grant is through the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.

Judge rules to free jailed Kansas doctor

WICHITA -- A federal magistrate judge ruled Monday that a Kansas physician jailed for allegedly illegally prescribing medication can be freed on bond pending his trial.

The ruling comes four months after Dr. Stephen Schneider and his wife, Linda, were arrested on a 34-count federal indictment linking their clinic to 56 overdose deaths. A decision on whether his wife will be released is pending results from her inpatient psychological examination.

Pat Hatcher, her sister, broke into tears upon learning from The Associated Press that the doctor would be released.

"I am just so happy that the ruling came down that way -- so he can be with the kids," she said between sobs. "That gives me a little faith in the justice system to let him be out on bond and hopefully we can just keep ... oh, I just even don't know what to say."

U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald Bostwick set a hearing on Thursday for the doctor to sign a lengthy list of conditions for his release. His order was stayed to allow parties a chance seek review of his decision.

Jim Cross, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, told AP the government would evaluate the judge's order and respond after evaluating it. But an e-mail Cross sent out to reporters alerting them to the decision was more blunt: "Bad news -- Steve's getting out of jail," read the subject line.

Defense attorney Lawrence Williamson said he had no indication yet whether prosecutors would seek to delay the doctor's release. He said he had not had a chance to talk to Schneider.

"We are happy about the ruling and Dr. Schneider looks forward to being able to get out and work on his defense," Williamson said.

Conditions for the doctor's release include an agreement to forfeit property valued at more than $2 million if he flees, along with executing an unsecured appearance bond of $325,000.

The doctor must also notify the court of any action to reinstate his medical license, and he must surrender his Drug Enforcement Administration registration number that allowed him to prescribe controlled substances.

Other release conditions include electronic monitoring. Schneider would be restricted to home detention except for employment, religious services, attorney visits, among other specified activities.

The Schneiders face a 34-count federal indictment alleging conspiracy, unlawful distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death, health care fraud, illegal money transactions and money laundering.

The federal indictment alleges the Schneiders directly caused four deaths and contributed to the deaths of 11 other patients. In all, the indictment links the clinic to the accidental overdose deaths of 56 patients.

The couple have pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Schneider said in a recorded statement released earlier this month that he thought he was doing a public service at the clinic because chronic pain patients did not have a lot of choices about where to go. He said even fewer doctors are now willing to write prescriptions for narcotics after seeing his own prosecution.

"I am totally innocent of all those charges and I can't wait to be before a jury and show them the real evidence," he said.

Their trial is set for February 2009.

In a lengthy 37-page decision, Bostwick said the release order does not prohibit Schneider from renting the clinic premises for another use or even leasing the building to another doctor as long as Schneider does not have any direct or indirect role in the operation of the facility or the medical treatment of any patients.

While the judge deferred a decision on Linda Schneider's release until her psychiatric exam, her case is legally more complicated than the one against the doctor.

The government is seeking revocation of her probation on a 2006 conviction for Social Security fraud after she acknowledged falsely stating she was the mother of a Mexican citizen whom she had considered part of her family.

The government has also introduced into evidence recorded phone calls from the jail in which she makes alleged threats to her previous attorney and the prosecutor on the case.