HAYS COUNTY, Texas — Editor's note: The video in this story may be difficult to watch for some viewers.
On Monday, district leaders at Hays Consolidated Independent School District showed surveillance video of a teen overdosing as a way to raise awareness about the dangers of street pills. The student did survive.
The video shows a teen overdosing from suspected fentanyl poising on school property in Hays County back in September. The student went unconscious.
Live Oak Academy senior Lexi Venditelli watched the video in her fifth period class.
"It's a difficult to watch knowing it's a student from our community, knowing this isn't something that’s on a show or TV," said Venditelli.
In the video, a person performs CPR on the teen for more than 15 minutes until first responders arrive.
"Very nerve-racking, anxiety-inducing not knowing the lasting effects of being unconscious, not breathing or having a heartbeat," said Venditelli.
EMS gave the student Narcan and he survived, but four students in Hays CISD have died from suspected fentanyl overdoses within the past year.
Senior Genesis Estrada also watched the video.
"I did know people who knew them, and I know how their family was affected by that, and it’s really sad. I wouldn't want to think about my sisters or anybody going through that," said Estrada.
It is one of several videos the district is releasing, showing the dangers of drugs. The district said fentanyl is often the ingredient used in counterfeit pills purchased on the street.
"To engage in critical thinking, 'Do I, or do I not?' And the reality we wanted to instill in them is that these are life-and-death consequences," said Hays CISD chief safety and security officer Jeri Skrocki.
Venditelli said the video was very eye-opening and believes this can have an impact on students.
"The saying we have is 'one pill can kill,' and hearing that, you understand what that means, but actually seeing it is a different type of scare to it, or fear, having that image in your head, seeing a student kind of feel the effects of that," she said.
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