TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A Topeka high school has been testing students’ hair to determine if they’ve been using drugs.
Hayden High has been testing students for drug use for more than a year. Under the program, the school takes hair samples from randomly selected students once a month. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports in the 2012-13 school year, only about 2 percent of drug tests came back positive. The tests cost $39 per sample.
Michael Monaghan, dean of students, says if a sample comes back positive for drug use, the school contacts parents and refers the student for a professional evaluation. The student is also barred from participating in or attending the school’s extracurricular activities for a month.
Students can decline to provide a sample, but that’s treated the same as testing positive.
