DENVER — An overdose involving five students at John F. Kennedy High School is forcing school administrators to make some changes.
As of Friday, students are no longer allowed to hang out in their cars while on the school's grounds. Where they park is also under stricter supervision.
The overdoses happened Thursday morning. Medics took one teen to the hospital for treatment. Their condition is unknown, but was listed Friday as stable. Another teen was treated at the scene. The other three teens were released to their parents.
Neither Denver Public Schools nor school administrators have specified which drug the teens overdosed on.
Still, a messageFriday from principal Tiffany Almon urges families to read more about the dangers of fentanyl.
"I think this is an unfortunate situation that is all too prevalent around our schools today," Rise Above Colorado executive director Kent MacLennan said Sunday.
His statewide organization aims to prevent substance abuse among our youth. Recently, it has honed in on reminding teens about the risks of taking drugs that come from the streets.
"Whether that's being passed from your friend or someone you think is a trusted person, you have to assume that those risks are out there," he said.
The best way he recommends parents talk about this topic with their kids is to do so in a science- and fact-based way, not scare tactics. Focus on the risks and how to prevent an overdose.
"As much as we want to prevent it and educate youth, we want to also have those tools at our disposal to get help quickly and to provide Naloxone," MacLennan said.
DPS has a whole page online dedicated to fentanyl, including
"As a parent, go there and see how we're trying to communicate with youth, and then maybe you can take some of those tools with you," MacLennan said.
You can read Principal Almon's full message to parents below:
Dear Commander Family,
I want to take a moment to celebrate our students. Not only are they resilient and empathetic, but they also look out for one another and advocate for each other even in times of great adversity and trauma. We care deeply about the safety of our students and want to work together with our students and families to keep all of our students healthy and thriving; therefore, I encourage families and students to take time together to carefully read this one-pager that contains information regarding the dangers of Fentanyl. Additionally, we will be providing in person experiences to educate our students and families on Fentanyl use and overdose prevention.
We have increased supervision in our student parking lot and are prohibiting students from hanging out in their cars while on school grounds. If your car is not registered through our Treasurer, you must bring your license, proof of insurance, and proof of registration to Marylou Diaz in the main office. Parking permits are free of charge.
I received permission from the family of the student involved in the incident that led to a medical transport on the morning of 12/1/22 to share that the student is in stable condition. If any students need an extra layer of support or someone to talk to as they process the incident that took place on Thursday please connect with a trusted Kennedy staff member who will be able to connect you with a member of our mental health team.
If you know of anyone who may be using or distributing fentanyl, please report to Safe 2 Tell or to a trusted Kennedy staff member. We are stronger together!
