A school board in Canada has launched an investigation after school staff strip-searched 28 tenth grade students after a cell phone went missing during a final exam.

The students at Cap-Jeunesse high school north of Montreal were told to place their phones on the teacher's desk to prevent cheating during a math test. When one phone went missing, teachers ordered the strip search.


"They put us in a small room," one student told QMI. "[They said] 'take off your bra, then raise your arms.' They even tapped us on the back," she said.

"In the heat of the action, the decision seemed the best," said School board spokeswoman Nadyne Brochu. The she concedes, "It was a disproportionate action under the circumstances."

"These are not measures that are recommended by either the school or the school board," Brochu added, noting that the school's principal was not informed of the teachers' decision to conduct the search.

"Once officials heard what had happened, they immediately contacted the students' parents to explain the situation," Brochu said. Students will be able to re-take the exam, according to Brochu, who said "the climate was not conducive to a good test."

The board didn't say if the teachers will face disciplinary action, saying only that "an administrative investigation is ongoing."