Fentanyl Awareness

In accordance with California Education Code 48985.5

Palo Alto Unified School District is committed to student safety and to keeping families informed about the risks associated with synthetic drugs, including fentanyl. This page provides required annual information for parents and guardians regarding fentanyl, counterfeit pills, and the use of social media platforms to market and sell dangerous substances.

What's Happening

Deaths from fake pills with fentanyl are surging across California and the country. Teens purchase what they think are OxyContin, Percocet or Xanax pills via social media, but drug dealers are making these fake pills with the cheaper, stronger and more deadly synthetic drug called fentanyl to increase their profits. Fentanyl is up to 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Fentanyl is odorless, tasteless and colorless. One pill can kill.

The tablets are so well made that even experienced users say that they cannot tell the difference between a counterfeit pill and a pill manufactured by a pharmaceutical company.

The amount of fentanyl needed to overdose and die is equivalent to two grains of sand. These are not pharmaceutical-grade painkillers. Instead, they are pills made by drug dealers, mostly outside the country. There is no quality control. Pills in the same batch can have wildly varying levels of fentanyl.

According to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) California Overdose Surveillance Dashboard:

• Opioid-related overdose deaths in California's youth ages 10 to 19 increased from 2018 (54 total) to 2021 (245 total), marking a 353 percent increase during two years, largely driven by fentanyl.
• Fentanyl-related overdose deaths in California's youth ages 10 to 19 increased from 2018 (36 total) to 2021 (239 total), a 563 percent increase.
• In 2023, there were 11,359 drug related overdose deaths in California, with 69% involving an opioid.
• All drug emergency department visits increased from 150 to 175 per 100,000 California residents from 2018 to 2021, a 17% increase. Opioid-related ED visits increased more dramatically, from 17 to 36 per 100,000, a 117% increase driven mostly by fentanyl.

Officials say that young people find pills especially appealing, because they are cheap, more socially acceptable than meth or heroin, and do not have a tell-tale smell like alcohol or marijuana.

Counterfeit Pills: What Families Should Know

Many overdoses involving youth occur after taking counterfeit pills that are made to look like legitimate prescription medications such as oxycodone (Percocet), alprazolam (Xanax), or other pain or anxiety medications.

• Counterfeit pills may look identical to real prescription pills

• They may contain unknown or deadly amounts of fentanyl

• Pills obtained from friends, social media, or online sources are never safe

There is no reliable way to tell if a pill contains fentanyl without laboratory testing.

Social Media and Online Drug Marketing

Social media platforms are increasingly used to market and sell counterfeit pills and other synthetic drugs, including fentanyl. These activities often occur in ways that are difficult for adults to see.

Common tactics include:

• Drug sales disguised using slang, emojis, or coded language

• Posts or stories that disappear after a short time

• Accounts posing as peers or trusted sources

• Moving conversations quickly into private messages or encrypted apps

Students may be exposed to drug-related content even if they are not searching for it.

How can you help?

One of the best ways to protect kids from substance abuse is by having regular and open conversations to educate them about the risks. Listen to them without judgment. Also monitor their social media use. Discuss the risks of online drug marketing and social media interactions. Drugs are often offered by someone who they know or a stranger who they met on social media. Encourage kids to seek help from a trusted adult if they encounter unsafe situations online. Safely store and properly dispose of prescription medications at home. 

Watch for changes in their behavior including:

• Irregular eating or sleeping patterns
• Low energy
• General signs of depression or anxiety
• Unusual irritability
• Slipping grades
• Lack of interest in activities the individual once loved
• Drastic clothing style changes

If you notice a change, ask about it. Trust your instincts.

Resources

1. Expect Fentanyl (sccgov.org)
2. Fentanyl Takes Friends (sccgov.org)
3. Song for Charlie (Non-Profit Charity)
4. One Pill Can Kill (dea.gov)
5. The Real Deal on Fentanyl - Get the Facts (Ad Council)
6. Parents (dropthefbomb.com) (Ad Council)
7. They Didn't Ask for Fentanyl by Carlmont High School journalism students
8. California Overdose Surveillance Dashboard
9. Fentanyl (cdph.ca.gov)
10. Naloxone Distribution's Project FAQs page
11. 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Line: Call or Text to 988
12. 24/7 Crisis Text Line: Text "HOME" to 741741

PAUSD Naloxone Program

Naloxone (Narcan) emergency kits are available in each school Health Office, most automated external defibrillator (AED) boxes, and High School Athletics Offices. Kits are marked with a purple Naloxone sign, remain on school sites, and are regularly stocked. Naloxone kits are not taken on field trips.

Naloxone is a medication that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose when given promptly. It is most commonly administered as a nasal spray and is effective in reversing overdoses involving fentanyl, prescription opioids, counterfeit pills, or heroin. Effects typically begin within two to three minutes and may last 30 to 90 minutes; in some cases, additional doses may be needed.

Recognizing a Possible Overdose

A suspected overdose is a medical emergency. Signs may include:

• Unresponsiveness or inability to wake

• Slow, shallow, or stopped breathing

• Gurgling or snoring sounds

• Cold or clammy skin

• Blue or gray lips, skin, or nails

• Very small (pinpoint) pupils

Emergency Response

If an overdose is suspected, call 911 immediately and stay with the person until help arrives. Even if naloxone is effective, opioids can remain in the body for hours and symptoms may return. Emergency medical personnel are trained to provide further care.

Student Safety and Overdose Prevention

To support student safety and timely emergency response, middle school, junior high, high school, and adult school students may carry fentanyl test strips and opioid overdose reversal medications, such as naloxone, while on campus or at school-sponsored activities.

Students 12 years of age and older may also carry and administer over-the-counter naloxone nasal spray when they reasonably believe someone may be experiencing an opioid overdose.

Carrying these items is intended for emergency response and safety purposes only and does not replace the need for adult support or emergency medical services. In all suspected overdose situations, calling 911 remains critical.