Wednesday, July 3, 2024
Two white pills that might contain traces of fentanyl were discovered in the Gatesville High School cafeteria, Gatesville ISD said in an alert to parents on Friday.
According to the statement, campus custodians found the pills on the floor while cleaning in between lunches. High school administrators were able to safely retrieve the pills before sending them to a campus police officer for testing. Preliminary results from a drug test kit indicate that the pills could contain fentanyl.
“We want to be very transparent with this incident because fentanyl is extremely dangerous and is prevalent in every community,” Gatesville ISD’s statement read.
Campus administrators reviewed security footage but could not find the origin of the pills. The school district’s statement said they called in a drug dog from the Coryell County Sheriff’s Office to inspect the campus but found no other issues.
"Our high school custodial staff did a great job of being attentive and noticing two very small pills on the cafeteria floor that could have easily gone unnoticed," Superintendent Barrett Pollard said in an email. "Liz Shoaf, high school principal, also showed great forethought by not using her bare hands to retrieve the pills. We will now use this incident as an opportunity to retrain our staff and speak to our students again about the extreme dangers of fentanyl."
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid drug that is approximately 100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroine, according to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.
Following the incident, Gatesville ISD wrote on their Facebook page that they will go over the dangers of fentanyl with students and staff this week, including the following reminders:
The school will also review with staff the location and procedures for how to administer Narcan.
“Please talk with your children as well about the dangers of fentanyl and any unknown pills found lying around,” Gatesville ISD said on Facebook.
