Student Aric Wheeler understands both sides of the argument when it comes to the possibility of St. Michael's High School implementing random drug testing -- using hair samples -- on students.

"It makes a little sense," the St. Michael's senior said of the policy, which, if approved by the school's administration, would take effect in the fall semester. "If the school gives kids a second chance and allows them to clean up and test again, I don't think the kids will leave school."

Still, he added, "If students do drugs off campus and it does not impact their academics, I think it's the parent's duty to influence that aspect of their lives, and not the school's duty."

Wheeler said he doesn't have to worry about being tested himself, since he graduates in May. Thus, seniors are laughing the idea off.

Others have found little to laugh about since St. Michael's, a private Catholic school on Siringo Road that serves about 700 students in grades seven through 12, sent a Feb. 9 letter, informing parents of the plan to begin random student drug tests in fall 2012.

Parents have expressed a mix of support, opposition and outrage on the school's Facebook page and via personal blogs.

And the school's administration hosts three parent/student forums on the topic over the next two days: 6 p.m. Tuesday in the school library, 7:30 a.m. Wednesday in the school cafeteria and noon Wednesday in the library.

George Elder, vice president for schools and colleges for the California-based Psychemedics Corp., which will train St. Michael's personnel to take the hair samples and will then test those samples at its lab, will be on hand to speak with parents.

According to its website, Psychemedics has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance to perform drug tests with both head and body (arm and leg) hair. Tests show the presence of cocaine, marijuana, opiates, methamphetamine and phencyclidine (PCP), but not alcohol.

"We are talking about a deterrent, the best deterrent for any unwanted behavior," Elder said by phone. "If the government put a chip in our cars that showed that every time we drove 5 miles over the speed limit it would send us a bill, we'd all change our behavior immediately. This works."

Elder said he initiated such tests in his own school when he worked as headmaster of the private Tuscaloosa Academy in Alabama. He also tested faculty members and the board of trustees there. He said less than 1 percent of his student body tested positive over the span of four years.

Pscychemedics' clients include about 300 schools, colleges and fraternities around the country, he said. In his two and a half years of experience with the company, his lab technicians have not come across any false positives -- cases where test recipients incorrectly tested positive for drugs.

"We can't make a mistake," Elder said, quoting one of his lab technicians. "We'd be out of business."

Still, the company has been involved in at least one recent lawsuit regarding its testing practices. Admiral Webster, an employee at Koyo Corp. who tested positive for cocaine some years ago in Tennessee, legally fought to convince his employer and the public that the results were incorrect.

Late last year, the Tennessee Court of Appeals reversed a trial court's grant of summary judgment to Psychemedics, which Webster had sued for negligence. Complicating the issue was the fact that Webster had signed a release form waiving any negligence claims against both his employer and Psychemedics.

In terms of how the test will work at St. Michael's, the school will choose students at random via a lottery using their school identification numbers. Principal Sam Govea and his assistant principals will be trained at no cost to take the hair samples from students and FedEx them to Psychemedics' lab.

Psychemedics will then send the school either a negative result or a test-in-progress result for each subject within 24 hours, Elder said.

"If it's a 'test in progress,' that means we found something," Elder said. "But we have to make sure it is not environmental contamination, as with a student who was riding in a car with someone who was smoking marijuana."

If a student tests positive, the student will be given 100 days to clean up his or her act before being tested again, Govea said last week after the school made the announcement regarding the policy. And if the student failed that second test, he or she would be expelled.

According to the school, each test will cost $39. The school has put $3,000 into next year's budget to cover the testing. The school will pay for the initial test, the follow-up test and any immediate retests if parents or students feel the results are in error. Tuition will not be raised as a result of the testing.

Parents from both sides of the argument immediately began posting their views on the school's Facebook page.

One parent, Kimberly Hamerdinger, started her own blog, Just Say No To Random, Suspicionless Drug Testing, linking visitors to various online studies showing that random drug tests have little impact on drug use or, at best, are inconclusive.

Speaking by phone Monday, Hamerdinger, who has two children at St. Michael's, said she is opposed to random drug testing at the school. But mostly she wants other parents to read and research the topic before they make a decision.

"I started from a 'this is a violation of the Constitution' approach, but I'm looking from an information-based approach," she said. "Why would St. Michael's want to implement a program about which evidence is inconclusive? Some studies say drug testing is not a deterrent, and I found a lot of evidence from adolescent health experts that say that it can even lead to increasing risky behavior among teens -- they turn to binge drinking or inhalants."

Two University of Michigan reports utilizing data from nearly 900 schools that performed drug tests suggest the tests did little to deter drug use -- as does a 2007 Journal of Adolescent Health Care paper.

Conversely, the U.S. Department of Education's 2010 report titled "Effectiveness of Mandatory Random Student Drug Tests" reveals that students subjected to such tests reported less substance use than students in comparable high schools without such test policies in place. (That study acknowledges that such drug tests have no effect on these students' plans to use drugs in the future.)

Other reports note that there is still not enough evidence to make a decision either way.

Govea said that while there are "still some negative vibes out there," support for the policy from parents and staff members has been overwhelming.

He stressed that the school wants to build intervention and support programs around the plan. "Our intention is not to be punitive, but to be helpful," he said. "If students test positive, we're there to help. If they fall down, we will help."

Govea said he initiated similar drug tests at Cathedral High School in El Paso, where he worked as principal before taking over the helm at St. Michael's about a year and a half ago.

"Out of the 10 years I tested there, we had maybe five positives, and they all came back negative [the second time]," he said.

Though some parents argue the policy violates personal privacy and goes against the school's Lasallian tradition of displaying respect, servicing the poor and accepting all faiths, Govea said, "We are required to educate our kids about religious, moral and societal issues. More of our Lasallian schools are doing this around the country. ... It's totally Lasallian. We care about the whole child."

Elder is standing firm: "We are facing maybe the biggest health issue, education issue, in drug use among our young people. It's ripping our country to pieces. Educators, I believe, are the best positioned people to impact this. ... My prediction is, you will see St. Michael's culture change."

He said no other school in New Mexico is using his company for drug testing, but he believes that may change soon with "some schools right up the road" who are reaching out for more information.

As for Wheeler, he acknowledges that some St. Michael's students use drugs.

Not him, though: "My dad is the [captain] of police here, so I would never do anything like that."

Contact Robert Nott at 986-3021 or rnott@sfnewmexican.com.