A student at DeWitt Perry Middle School in Carrollton was revived Tuesday with Narcan, according to a district message obtained by The Dallas Morning News.
The student, who has not been identified, was unresponsive in class. Staff administered the opioid-reversal medication, and the student was taken to a local hospital, the letter to Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD families says.
“We want to commend our students and staff for their quick action in assisting in this incident,” the message reads. “It takes our entire community to keep children safe. We need your help, if you see something, if you hear something, say something.”
Other students who were in the classroom received support from district crisis counselors, the message said. No additional information about Tuesday’s incident was available.
While the letter didn't specify whether fentanyl was to blame, it did point families to a district resource page educating both parents and students about the dangers of fentanyl.
Over the last six months, the district has seen a string of fentanyl overdoses and poisonings that have killed three teenagers.
The district has responded with multiple informational meetings for parents and students, signs plastered in school bathrooms warning of the dangers of fentanyl and by stocking campuses with Narcan.
Carlos Quintanilla, an activist who's organized vigils and rallies alongside families in the district, said he received several calls from parents Wednesday who were terrified to see another student found unresponsive.
"They’re very concerned. Their daughter goes to that school. They saw a student overdosing in a classroom. So it’s not like they’re overdosing at home. They’re overdosing at school with fentanyl in their bodies. So something’s wrong because it’s not ending," said Quintanilla.
He said parents want to see more done like drug testing, counseling in the neighborhood, and funding for the establishment of a rehabilitation program.
To read more, visit our partners at the Dallas Morning News.
