As opioids continue to take students’ lives nationwide, schools stocking up on Narcan, a nasal spray that can reverse the deadly effects of opioids, must be coupled with equally critical mandated health education to ensure community safety. While reported drug use continues to decrease in Santa Clara County, according to the Population Reference Bureau, overdoses are rising. The sheer strength of illegally distributed synthetic opioids significantly contributes to this harrowing statistic. The risks of synthetic opioids like fentanyl must be highlighted in schools and the general public.
Fentanyl is a highly addictive synthetic opioid and the leading cause of drug-related deaths in California’s young people aged 15-24, according to EdSource. The opioid is 50 to 100 times stronger than heroin, and drug dealers often add the substance to opioid prescription drugs like Adderall, Percocet, and Oxycodone. Drug dealers often cut their opioids with fentanyl for higher chances of their clients returning to them, a dangerous economic incentive. Most overdoses are accidental, with just 2 milligrams of fentanyl being fatal, demonstrating how threatening these substances can be in our schools and community. Change must begin with mandated health education along with a preventative and caring approach to drug use rather than one based on stigma and punishment.
As overdoses rise in neighboring counties, administration and teachers have begun to receive Narcan training, according to Assistant Principal Jennifer Hutchison. Still, MHS is among the majority of schools in California where health education that offers students a comprehensive view of the risks of substance use is optional. As a result, students struggling with drug use are often met with suspension and connected to School-Linked Services at MHS, which connects students to family engagement programs, according to the Santa Clara County Department of Behavior Health Services. Outsourcing the issue instead of providing solutions is ineffective, as school-wide measures must be in the form of education, not a blanket policy like locked bathrooms.
Additions to the school, like the Wellness Center and social-emotional learning, can have an immense impact if outreach is done effectively, since the programs aim to provide direct student support and resources. However, MHS does not currently have any active dialogue on the dangers of drug use, let alone fentanyl. Creating a connection between the student body and administration is already tricky, but the lack of strategy other than the life-saving Narcan training places us at a disadvantage.
In an anonymous survey administered by The Union, 47% of the 150 student-respondents did not know what fentanyl was. Santa Clara County’s Department of Behavioral Health Services and the California Department of Education have released public service announcements that currently focus on the policy in response to an overdose. As vital health education takes on the role of an elective or a hasty addition to physical education, what could be a powerful tool is now too little too late.