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CULVER CITY, Calif. () — A new pilot program is aiming to prevent students and families from fentanyl overdoses. One local school district is now offering testing kits for free.
In an effort to be proactive rather than reactive, the Culver City Unified School District is now making fentanyl testing devices available to families.
“We’re trailblazing here,” said Superintendent Dr. Alfonso Jimenez. “We’re the first in the state, at the adult school, that’s making this available as a preventative measure.”
The district partnered with Defense Diagnostics, which provided the fentanyl-testing kits for free as part of a pilot program at the adult school. The devices can test different types of drugs, helping prevent accidental fentanyl overdoses.
“There are times when gummies were a big issue, and students don’t always know what a gummy is laced with,” Jimenez added. “I do know there are parents that are interested in testing what their child is ingesting as a preventative measure.”
Fentanyl testing devices are not welcomed everywhere. In Texas, lawmakers have refused to legalize them, arguing the kits promote drug use. But parents in Culver City say the availability instead promotes awareness.
“It reminds me of practicing safe sex,” said parent Nikki Hart. “If you want to use a condom or you want to be on birth control, you can’t really tell people not to have sex — and this is the next best thing.”
At this stage, the testing kits will not be available to teenagers at Culver City high schools, but could expand depending on the feedback at the adult school.
School board member Triston Ezidore, who helped secure the devices, says the idea originated after a fatal fentanyl overdose involving a Los Angeles Unified School District student three years ago. LAUSD has since made Narcan available at all of its campuses.
Ezidore says he hopes other school districts follow Culver City’s lead in preventing overdoses before they happen.
“The goal is to make sure that what happens here can be replicated when it comes to an overarching goal and mission to make sure that we’re increasing harm prevention,” he said.
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