Amarillo school district approves new fentanyl awareness program, charter buses
The Amarillo Independent School District (AISD) has announced a new program to spread awareness for students, staff and parents regarding a rise in fentanyl abuse and accidental overdoses related to the drug in the area, as well as the district's plans to add new charter buses to its fleet as a replacement for current vehicles.
During the Monday evening board of regents meeting, AISD discussed the implementation for a grade 6 though 12 fentanyl poison awareness presentation, which will be presented to district students in the month of October to coincide with Fentanyl Awareness Month. According to the district, the presentation will also be made available for parents to review and speak to their children about year-round through Parent Square.
This presentation was implemented by the district in accordance with HB 3908, also known as Tucker's Law, and the Texas Education Code 28.004(c) that requires that the School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) recommend to the local board of trustees a curriculum for instruction in the dangers of opioids, including addition to and abuse of synthetic drugs such as fentanyl.
"I know we are doing this to meet the law, but it is also the right thing to do, in doing all that we can to make students and parents aware of the dangers of these drugs," Doyle Corder, AISD board president, said during the meeting.
According to the district, this new presentation was also created as a way of awareness for students and parents because of the local rise in the illegal synthetic drug and the overall rise of accidental overdoses in Texas due to substance abuse, and fentanyl.
"I have heard two presentations of fentanyl. One was at TASB from the Dallas DEA office, and the other was locally from the Amarillo DEA office and it is stunning. ... It is cheap, it's deadly and it's readily available, and that is a bad combination. I think it is the newest and most dangerous drug out there, and it's killing a lot of people, so anything to remain proactive is what we need to do," AISD board member Jon Mark Beilue said about the drug.
As stated in the presentation, seven out of every 10 pills confiscated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) include potentially fatal doses of fentanyl. That number has risen over the past year from the previous six out of 10. The presentation also discussed potential high risk substance abuse indicators, visual representations of the minimal but lethal dose of fentanyl, prevention and more.
As stated in the meeting, AISD is also working on a presentation for grades below 6 as a part of fentanyl awareness month in October.
In addition to the new awareness program, AISD also approved the purchase of six Ultra Coach Liner activity buses for a total of $2,487,834 from national bus sales.
With this, the district will be able to retire the existing motor coach fleet, currently including nine buses, each a 1998 model, purchased in 2008, and reaching the end of their life cycle.
According to the Amarillo district's Chief Operations Officer Kirk Self, the current fleet has reached an average mileage between 800,000 and 1 million miles, and the district's bus mechanics are beginning to experience difficulty finding necessary replacement parts.
Each of the new buses is equipped to carry 57 passengers, which is seven more than the previous fleet. The new buses will also include seat belts, USB ports, power outlets, extra storage, and lighting per seat.
According to the district, four of the new buses are expected to be implemented into their current fleet by the beginning of the next school year.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo ISD approves new bus fleet, fentanyl prevention presentation
