As fentanyl continues to pose a threat to Texans, a school resource officer in Allen is opening up about the deadly effects it’s having on high school students.
SRO Matthew Johnson, who works at Allen High School—one of Texas’ largest high schools—told CBS News that he administered Narcan three times this year to students who were suspected of overdosing on the deadly drug.
Narcan is a life-saving drug that is typically administered to individuals who have overdosed on opioids. The drug can reverse the effect of an overdose.
Johnson says the latest event occurred on the day of the solar eclipse in which he received reports of an unresponsive student in a restroom stall. After discovering contraband in the student’s hand, he quickly administered two doses of Narcan to revive the student.
“His respiratory rate was almost nonexistent,” Johnson said, per CBS. “He wasn’t breathing. He was foaming at the mouth … That kid might not [have] had five more minutes. He was on really bad terms the way we found him.”
According to a previous report by The Dallas Express fentanyl-laced pills in North Texas are typically blue and labeled “M30” to mimic the highly addictive drug Percocet.
The disguise means that individuals buying and taking the pills often do not know they are exposing themselves to a potentially fatal dose of fentanyl. Just two milligrams of fentanyl is considered a lethal dose.
“It’s a crisis,” Johnson warned. “It’s everywhere, and the scary part is these kids think they’re doing a real prescription pill.”
Stefanie Turner, founder of Texas Against Fentanyl, told Texas Scorecard that it’s important for parents to know when these incidents happen to spread awareness of the crisis.
“Our schools have an obligation to keep our children safe, and our youth are in the crosshairs of the fentanyl crisis,” said Turner. “Narcan is regularly administered on campuses nationwide, and it’s imperative that parents are notified of these occurrences to help increase awareness and further engage our communities in this fight.”
The Dallas Express reported that in 2023 the city of Allen saw 24 fentanyl-related overdoses, 11 of which were fatal. Already in 2024, the city has seen eight overdoses, none of which have been fatal due to the use of Narcan.
Texas Scorecard previously reported on another instance in which a central Texas teen died after being sold a fentanyl-laced pill. The man accused of selling the pill to the teen was ultimately sentenced to 13 years in prison.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, overdose deaths involving fentanyl rose from 891 cases in 2020 to 2,189 in 2022.
With the rise of fentanyl-laced pills being sold around Texas, lawmakers passed House Bill 6, which creates a criminal offense of murder for supplying fentanyl that results in death. It also enhances the criminal penalty for the manufacturing or delivery of fentanyl.
The measure was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in June.
