EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — Crime Stoppers of Houston is expanding its educational outreach to El Paso schools in response to the growing fentanyl crisis.
Sydney Zuiker, the senior director of programs, explained that the initiative began after a South Texas school shooting that happened in 2018 and caught the attention of the governor.
As a result, the organization received funding to broaden its educational efforts across the state.
Zuiker said, “Since then, we have hired staff members all across the state of Texas to go into schools and to educate students about all kinds of things that they’re experiencing, everything from bullying to mental health to cyber safety to fentanyl.”
In El Paso, the need for education is pressing.
Since 2015, at least 15 cases have been reported in local schools where students were administered Narcan, a nasal spray that can reverse the effects of an overdose long enough for emergency care to arrive.
Zuiker noted that these incidents are increasingly occurring even in middle schools.
“Our kind of vision as we’re looking at what areas can we go to, can we help in, we’re like, El Paso needs our help in this education space not only for students but also for parents,” Zuiker said. “How do we talk about this really scary subject with students?”
To aid families in these discussions, Crime Stoppers of Houston has developed a resource called “Drugs in a Snap,” a five-step plan designed as a parent’s guide to discussing fentanyl.
The guide addresses the effects of fentanyl, the reasons behind its rising prevalence, and how to talk about its presence on social media. It also includes instructions on administering Narcan.
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