Cleveland ISD wages fight against drugs after facing several overdoses: 'Matter of life or death'

CLEVELAND, Texas (KTRK) -- Cleveland ISD is sounding the alarm after more than a dozen drug-related instances have occurred on school grounds since August.

The district said it is not staying quiet about this issue and wants to face it head-on in an effort to cut back on the amount of drug use and overdoses happening in schools.

The students Eyewitness News spoke with are aware of the growing issue.

"The teachers are trying to spread the message, like, 'Stay away from drugs. Don't take anything in the bathroom. Don't take anything at all,'" Aden Rodriguez, Cleveland ISD high school senior, said.

The administration said there's no time to wait.

"It could be a matter of life or death," Cleveland ISD Communications Director Matt Bieniek said.

The number of overdoses at schools can't go unnoticed.

"It has happened in our bathroom stalls. There have been cases (when overdoses happen) in the classroom," Bieniek said.

Cleveland ISD reports that since August, there have been 15 instances of drugs being found or used on campuses, with the majority being found at the high school. Eight of those instances required EMS services to be called, and four resulted in overdoses that required Narcan, the latest ambulance use of it happening Wednesday morning.

Thankfully, no one has died

"We didn't previously have Narcan on our campuses, but our school board thankfully approved having it this school year, so we were ready for when this instance happened. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if we didn't have Narcan," Bieniek said.

Cleveland police told ABC13 that district officers are handling any investigations or reports. Bieniek said anytime they are able to obtain a sample of the drug, they send it off for testing to get a better idea of what is impacting their school.

In a letter to parents, Cleveland ISD said four instances of overdoses are connected to Percocet laced with fentanyl.

In an online video, Cleveland ISD Superintendent Stephen McCanless asks parents to monitor medication at home and talk with their students about the seriousness of drug use.

"Make sure you talk to your student at home about the importance of prescription drugs only being used by the people they are prescribed to," McCanless said.

The district said they want to focus on education. They are hosting two town halls where they will provide information resources and Narcan.

The meetings are on Oct. 18 and Oct. 23 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Cleveland Civic Center.