Parents are questioning USD 325 in Phillipsburg after their kids came home from a random drug test with shaved spots on their heads.

“She came home and was upset because she had shaven a big spot off of her head, which wound up being the size of the quarter on the back of her head,” parent Brian Anderson said.

Janette and Brian Anderson said they were shocked when they learned that a random drug test at school last week – left their child with a shaved mark on her head.

“She said mom you’re going to be mad,” Jeanette said. “And she instantly showed me and the tears were there.”

The district did inform parents that it would do random drug tests for middle and high school students, those that participate in afterschool activities.

Parents signed a consent from, but several say they didn’t realize a portion of their child’s head would be shaved.

KSN asked the superintendent why this type of test is used.

“They went with a hair follicle test because it goes back 90 days,” Superintendent Mike Gower said. “There’s been a lot of concerns of why don’t you use swabs? Why don’t you use urine? Those test will not go as far back.”

Typically for the test, employees would take their hair from three different spots around the head, but Gower said this time they took it from one spot.

“We should have done a better job of informing the public and informing the public we wanted it done in three spots,” he said.

Now, Gower said he’s gathering more information and looking at different companies to do the testing in time for the next board meeting.

He said one change for the future will be the amount of people present in the room.

“We’ll make sure someone is in there, not only the parent, but an employee,” he said. “We don’t just want the testing person from the company.”

USD 325 said they used Compliance One out of Topeka for the recent drug test.

KSN reached out to the company, but they declined to comment.

On November 12, there will be a school board meeting that is open for the public at the administration building. The meeting will start at 6 p.m.