By Brittany Anderson
KYLE — Fentanyl is not just a “big city” problem — and with the drug causing the death of three local students in the span of a month, it is evident that there is a crisis right here in our community.
Various Hays CISD officials, along with local law enforcement and first responders, held a media briefing on Aug. 24 to address the ongoing fentanyl crisis that has made its way to Hays County and Hays CISD students.
Pharmaceutical fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, commonly used for treating severe pain, such as advanced cancer pain. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, it is similar to morphine but 50 to 100 times more potent.
Illegally-used fentanyl is sold as a powder, dropped onto blotter paper, put in eye droppers and nasal sprays or made into pills that look like other prescription opioids. Dealers will mix it with other drugs because it takes very little to produce a high, making it a cheaper option.
Kyle Police Chief Jeff Barnett said that the department started noticing a fentanyl trend in January 2022. Since then, at least seven people have died due to overdoses.
Barnett said that recently, pills found with fentanyl have been light blue in color and stamped with ‘M30’, similar to Oxycodone or Percocet. Pills can also be made to look like candy, and some of the ‘street names’ or nicknames that Kyle PD have been made aware of are “Coloring” or “Rainbow,” among other terms.
“Drug dealers are going to adapt and try to market their illegal product to children in any way they can,” Barnett said. “The more enticing they can make it look, the more commonplace they can make it look. … then that's absolutely what they're going to do,” adding that dealers will use various cell phone apps and code words to sell the drugs and remain as anonymous as possible.
San Marcos Hays County EMS Deputy Chief Jim Swisher noted that at the beginning of this year, the amount of medication carried on EMS vehicles had to be increased because fentanyl is so potent that normal treatments were not working.
Additionally, Swisher said that the problem is that many times, by the time EMS arrives on scene, it’s “way late in the game.”
“There is no piece of these pills that is safe,” Barnett said. “We are hearing in subsequent interviews from survivors that they believe that if they break the pill into smaller pieces they can take an amount of that pill that is safe. Then, when they don’t get the reaction they want, [like] a high, they decide to take a second piece, or third piece, or the other half of a piece. And that doesn’t contain the same amount of fentanyl as the first piece or first half.”
Naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, is a medicine that is an antidote to opioid drugs, including fentanyl. Narcan helps those experiencing an overdose let their body “wake up” and keep breathing. Narcan can be administered in the form of a nasal spray or injection.
Realizing the level of crisis Hays County is facing, Kyle ER & Hospital stepped up over the weekend to help by offering 100 doses of Narcan spray free to the community. Shelly Joyner, director of marketing, is passionate about getting these life-saving measures into as many hands as possible. Joyner said she plans to continue getting shipments in when possible and will give them away “no questions asked.” There is no need to provide a name or any identifying information, they only ask that recipients be age 18 or older. Supplies are limited to one box (containing two doses) per adult. Joyner explained that, generally, those who are not active drug users are the most at risk of overdose. She stressed the importance of parents of middle and high school students having Narcan on hand. “The boxes are small, they can be kept in the car, in a purse, a backpack,” Joyner said. The best place to get information on current availability is the Kyle ER Facebook page, or by calling the office at 512-504-9950.
In addition to Narcan availability, Kyle ER offers free, confidential access to a recovery specialist via its recovery line. Those looking for support or resources can reach out to 512-745-9943 via phone or text.
Jeri Skrocki, Hays CISD Chief Safety and Security Officer, also said that all student clinics and the SROs (school resource officers) on secondary campuses are equipped with Narcan.
However, these lifesaving drugs are also in short supply, as the fentanyl crisis is reaching every corner of the nation, heightening the importance of parents having candid conversations with their children as soon as possible.
“Even if you don’t think they’re not exposed to illegal drugs, you need to ask them. Ask them what they see and hear from their friends,” Barnett said. “Give them coping mechanisms to say no.”
Skrocki said that the district’s focus is getting into the classrooms and educating children firsthand, because “quite frankly, they’re not people watching the news; they’re not reading the headlines.”
Skrocki said that the district is working to create a video PSA with local community members who are experts that will be shown in the district’s middle and high school levels to get students to understand the risks, dangers and warning signs, what they can do if they experience this and what options are available for them.
Skrocki also acknowledged the role of campus SROs, saying that they are not there to arrest people — they are there as a resource.
“You’re not tattling. You’re potentially saving a life,” Skrocki said. “What we know is there’s a lot of reservation among students, because they don’t want to get their friends in trouble or they don’t want to get in trouble. So our goal is to try to get them to understand the importance and recognize that we can get there before it happens.”
Officials also stressed the importance that change is not just going to have to come from parents talking with their children — it’s going to have to come from the children themselves.
“If they’re involved in these kinds of activities, they need to pay attention to their friends and discourage their friends,” Swisher said. “The fix to the problem is not all the stuff that we can do on the ‘cop’ side. It’s going to come from the kids making a conscious decision, a moral decision, to get involved with their friends and deter their friends. I can stand up here all day long and say, “Don’t do this.” They’re not listening to me. They’re listening to their peer support groups. That’s the key for us. They need to be aware and willing to stand up for their friends.”
As HCISD, EMS and fire agencies and law enforcement on a local, state and federal level collaborate to address this epidemic by educating students and working to eliminate these drugs in the community, one fact remains the same: that this heart-wrenching crisis is avoidable.
“It is a criminal offense to do something that causes the death of another, whether unknowingly or knowingly,” Barnett said. “We’re coming after you.”
