Effective January 3, 2024, Assembly Bill 889 (“AB 889”) adds Section 48985.5 to the Education Code, mandating that local educational agencies inform parents or guardians about the dangers associated with using synthetic drugs that are not prescribed by a physician, such as fentanyl.

• Fentanyl, an opioid pain reliever that is 50 times as strong as heroin, is now being manufactured illegally by criminal organizations.
• This “illicit” fentanyl is mixed into street drugs like cocaine and heroin to make them more potent. It is also being pressed into counterfeit (fake) pills that look like prescription medications such as Percocet, Xanax, and Adderall.
• Youth and adults who purchase these drugs through social media or illegitimate online pharmacies may experience an opioid overdose, which can stop their breathing and lead to death.
• Fentanyl is synthetic, that is, it is formed from lab-made chemicals and not from naturally occurring ingredients. This makes the drug cheaper to manufacture and more profitable to sell illegally.
• Another synthetic drug, xylazine, is increasingly being added alongside illicit fentanyl. Xylazine is a strong veterinary tranquilizer. The combined effect of these two drugs on breathing and the heart can be extremely dangerous and further increases the risk of death.

Out of an abundance of caution, LBUSD proactively trains our administrators and staff to recognize an opioid overdose and respond using the emergency medication naloxone, sometimes referred to by the brand name NARCAN®️. When given right away, naloxone can stop opioids from acting on the brain and restore breathing.

We supply each of our school sites with a naloxone rescue kit that can be used in the unlikely event of an opioid overdose on campus. This kit is kept in the health office alongside the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and epinephrine auto-injectors, which serve similar purposes in treating rare medical emergencies.

SIGNS OF AN OPIOID OVERDOSE

Call 911 if you see someone who is: 

• Unable to wake up or respond to you
• Breathing slowly or not at all
• Making gurgling, choking, or snoring sounds

You can review 5 Things Families Need to Know About Fentanyl and Fake Pills for more information. We encourage you to discuss this topic with your family in an age-appropriate way.