Student’s vape pen had fentanyl in it, TN sheriff says. 3 school workers were exposed.
Fentanyl was found in a student’s vape pen at a Tennessee high school, the sheriff said.
A school nurse and two resource officers became exposed to the drug.
After the employees showed symptoms of exposure to the powerful opioid, they were given Narcan at Sequoyah High School in Madisonville, according to a Nov. 30 news release from the Monroe County sheriff’s office.
The 17-year-old student who brought the vape pen to school was arrested and taken into custody.
The nurse and two school officers were in stable condition after receiving Narcan, also known as naloxone, which is often used to stop opioid overdoses, the sheriff said.
McClatchy News has left a message with the sheriff’s office seeking further information.
Dr. Kristi Windsor, the director of Monroe County Schools, said in a statement the school is “devastated that this situation occurred and interrupted our students’ learning while causing anxiety for all involved.”
A local Drug & Violent Crime Task Force responded to the scene in hazmat suits to remove the fentanyl residue from the school hallway, according to a post from the district attorney’s office.
The high school closed down for that sanitation on Dec. 1 and will be closed Dec. 2, WATE-TV reported.
A school resource officer, who wasn’t exposed to fentanyl, said the opioid was not contained within the vape pen’s cartridge, WVLT reported.
Because of this, he explained that the fentanyl was potentially not in a liquid form, according to the outlet.
“We will work hard to take steps to curb any drug issues in our schools, including the use of random drug dog searches both inside our schools and all around our school grounds,” Windsor said.
On top of the extra searches, Monroe County will train school workers on how to spot and how to handle drug use, she added.
Fentanyl is an addictive, synthetic opioid that can be many times more powerful than morphine, Drugabuse.org explains. When an overdose occurs, a person’s breathing will slow down or stop altogether.
This story was originally published December 1, 2021 at 5:20 PM with the headline "Student’s vape pen had fentanyl in it, TN sheriff says. 3 school workers were exposed.."
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