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Frisco ISD Holds Town Hall For Fentanyl Crisis

Collin County Sheriff's Office reported fentanyl use increased by more than 800% since 2018
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Photo: VINCENT GIORDANO PHOTO | Shutterstock

Following the tragic fentanyl-related deaths of three Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District (CFBISD) students and one Plano ISD student, school districts across North Texas have been taking safety measures as well as holding workshops to keep parents informed about the issue. 

As reported by NBCDFW, on Apr 20, 2023, Frisco ISD held a town hall meeting as part of its efforts to combat the problem.

The school district invited four panelists to participate in the discussion including a sergeant with the Frisco Police Department, the City of Frisco Medical Director, personnel with Frisco ISD Guidance and Counseling and Shannon White, the executive director of GraceToChange, an outpatient substance abuse center based in McKinney.

In White’s more than 15 years of experience working with substance abuse, she’s never seen anything like the fentanyl crisis that’s sweeping our communities today. “This is one that’s just going to perpetuate and get worse because it is so readily accessible and inexpensive,” she said. “So, I think we haven’t seen even the tip of the iceberg with this unfortunately.”

In addition to the easy access to the drug, White pointed to the high risks it presents when compared with other drugs. The synthetic opioid is similar to morphine but 50 to 100 times more potent, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Due to its potency, the drug is highly addictive and like other synthetic opioids, it’s one of the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths.

“Back in the day, marijuana or alcohol was what you experimented with, and you got really high and ate a lot, or really drunk and you got a hangover,” White said. “You literally can take half a pill and it kills you on the spot.”

Also at the meeting was Gayle Meeks, a Plano mom who lost her only son to fentanyl in September 2022. “I didn’t even know anything about fentanyl until my son’s death,” she said. Meeks distributed Narcan to parents and talked about the use of the medication used to reverse opioid overdoses. 

Earlier this year, Frisco ISD trained all nurses, clinic assistants and administrative staff on the use of Narcan at all campuses and naloxone is readily available on all campuses in case of overdose incidents.

However, according to data presented at the town hall meeting, fentanyl overdoses increased by more than 800% since 2018, even with naloxone available and encouraged. 

All four panelists agreed the message they are trying to pass on to parents is clear: one pill can kill. Meeks said the difficult conversation is no longer an option and parents need to talk about the dangers of taking pills from friends.