Guilford County parents will host town hall to raise awareness of fentanyl-related deaths

Drug overdose deaths in North Carolina have increased 72% since 2019. State officials say that's largely due to illegally manufactured fentanyl.

Concerned parents of Guilford County students will host a town hall about the issue on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the Northern Guilford High School Auditorium.

Kelly Reis, the president of the Parent Teacher Student Association of Northern Guilford High School, spoke about student drug use at a school board meeting on Feb. 7. 

“Today we face a massive lethal threat to the health and education of our children and loved ones. That threat is fentanyl,” she said. 

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid up to 100 times stronger than morphine. While the pharmaceutical variety is used to treat severe pain, illicitly manufactured fentanyl is used in the illegal drug market for its similarity to heroin. It’s frequently mixed in with other drugs, which makes them cheaper to manufacture but far more dangerous. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, overdose deaths among adolescents increased 109% from 2019 to 2021. The overwhelming majority of those deaths involved fentanyl. 

Reis worked with the PTSA to organize a town hall for middle and high school students and their families to learn more about these drugs. 

“According to the Guilford County Division of Public Health, over the past 10 years, Guilford County has seen a 200% increase in overdose deaths with opioids accounting for 80%,” Reis said. “It's only a matter of time when a Guilford County student is one of those deaths.”

The school district reported 116 controlled substance violations so far this year. 

“Drug use is a pervasive issue in communities across the country, and Guilford County is no exception. The district is aware of the increase in drug overdoses over the past decade in our community,” said Guilford County Schools Spokesperson Gabrielle Brown. 

Education about drug use prevention is part of the district’s curriculum as required by the state. Brown says that GCS “believes it is important to bring awareness to this issue and work together to address it.” 

Reis said the efforts to prevent drug overdose deaths will go beyond this town hall. She is looking to partner with the school district to put the overdose-reversing drug naloxone in every classroom, and train teachers, staff, and coaches how to use it.