White Hall superintendent responds to drug-test complaint

White Hall School District Superintendent Doug Dorris is shown in this August 2021 file photo. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)
White Hall School District Superintendent Doug Dorris is shown in this August 2021 file photo. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)

The White Hall School District superintendent said Thursday that the district is changing its protocol for performing drug tests on students.

The change was included in a statement from the district about its drug testing policy for students in extracurricular activities. It came one day after a Facebook post of a girl's hair being cut, apparently as part of an attempt to drug-test the girl. The post drew widespread concern.

Students are not required to submit a hair sample unless the district is given verbal permission, Superintendent Doug Dorris said in the statement. Going forward, he said taking a hair sample would have to be approved by a parent.

According to a Facebook post from a woman who said her daughter attended a White Hall school, the daughter's hair was cut as part of a drug-testing strategy.

The woman said a White Hall school administrator reached out to her after she complained on Facebook and said he was "sincerely apologetic for how the situation was handled." The post states the administrator assured her the matter "is being taken seriously and it is being handled."

"For any other parents who signed the permission form for White Hall High School to drug test their child at random just an FYI if your child cannot pee on command they will do this to your child's hair with scissors," the post reads, ending with an angry-face emoji.

It is not clear whether the student in the photo gave permission to submit a hair sample. A message was sent to the woman seeking comment.

Dorris said in his statement the district has been drug testing students in extracurricular activities for more than 20 years.

"The past five years, the district has partnered with a private drug company to do all of the drug testing," Dorris said. "Testing dates are scheduled 6 to 8 weeks in advance. Students' names are randomly drawn in extracurricular activities. In the event a student cannot produce a sample, they are offered water and all the time necessary to produce a sample. Students are not required to submit a hair sample unless the student has given verbal permission. In the future, if a student volunteers a hair sample, the district will require a parent's verbal permission."

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