Superintendent Gothold Joins County Leaders in Effort to Enhance Substance Abuse Prevention Education

San Diego County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Paul Gothold joined San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond and District Attorney Summer Stephan Monday at a press conference to address the need for fentanyl awareness education in schools and other harm-reduction strategies as the opioid epidemic continues to impact adults and young people across the county.

An item will go before the Board of Supervisors on Oct. 11, 2022 that, if approved, would direct the county to work with education officials and the California State Legislature to require substance abuse prevention, specifically around fentanyl, in the classroom for students. The action would also increase distribution locations and trainings for parents and students on naloxone, the opioid-reversal drug, and explore opportunities for additional funding to support on-campus drug and alcohol awareness programs.

Fentanyl is an extremely potent and dangerous synthetic opioid. Unsuspecting individuals, including students, are obtaining and ingesting what they believe are common prescription drugs, such as Xanax or Vicodin, but turn out to be fake and contain only fentanyl.

“One pill can kill – that is the message we need to get out to our children, the young people in the county,” said Supervisor Jim Desmond. 

Currently, there is no requirement for schools to provide substance abuse prevention education. In 2009, a section of the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Act was eliminated, removing the mandate — and the funding — around prevention curriculum.

“Although there is no required curriculum, the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) has been focused on comprehensive substance abuse prevention education for decades because we believe it’s in the best interest of young people to be informed and have the tools they need to make smart choices impacting their own wellness,” said Dr. Gothold.

“Several districts across the county are providing exceptional prevention and intervention services to students, but additional funding and resources are needed to support these efforts."

Bringing to light the dangers that fentanyl poses were two families who each lost their teenage sons to fentanyl overdoses. They support education efforts but also increased mental health supports for students. 

“Our students are self-medicating because they don’t know how to deal with the pain,” said Rita Palet, who lost her son Jacob to an overdose. 

SDCOE works collaboratively with the San Diego District Attorney’s office, the San Diego Drug Enforcement Agency, the County of San Diego, and countless other community organizations to ensure that districts and schools are connected to partners that can assist in their prevention, intervention, and treatment efforts.