AUSTIN, Texas — Since summer 2022, Hays CISD has had six deaths of high school students from suspected fentanyl overdoses, all of them outside school hours.
In response to those deaths, Hays CISD stocked up on Narcan, a drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose and helps restore breathing.
This last school year, school nurses have had to use the drug a handful of times.
"Coming out of COVID, we entered fentanyl and the opioid crisis," said Megan Benthall, Hays CISD's lead nurse and director of Student Health Services. "That has been quite an ordeal coming out of COVID. I don't think it was anything we truly expected."
This last school year, nurses had to use Narcan seven different times after kids overdosed while in school. Many of them were repeat offenders.
"Yes, typically, it's the same kids," Benthall confirmed.
The district is working to educate students about the dangers of the opioid, but say it'll take much more than school resources to help students.
"When there is an overdose that happens in the school setting, our instinct is we want to prevent loss of life," Benthall said. "That's our No. 1 thing ... making sure they get the medical care they need right then. It's kind of the after effects – there is a lack of mental health resources for some of these kids that may be truly addicted to opioids."
Benthall said students need resources outside of what a school can provide. A school is a place of educating, and students need care after school hours to recover and overcome their opioid addiction.
Here are a few questions parents might have when it comes to opioid overdose response in the district:
What resources are available for students?
To help fight the fentanyl problem, Hays CISD has stocked Narcan on all campuses, has partnered with local law enforcement and is working on in-school educational opportunities for the upcoming school year to keep teaching students about the dangers of this opioid. Learn more about the awareness campaign.
What happens when a student overdoses during class?
When a student overdoses during school hours, the entire school goes under a hold-in-place. This is a temporary lockdown, meant to limit the movement of students and staff while dealing with short-term emergencies.
This won't lift until staff can get the situation under control and more help arrives.