SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (KGUN) — Four Cochise County schools are participating in a pilot program designed to teach students about the dangers of fentanyl and how to respond to an overdose.
Buena High School is one of five county schools taking part in the program. So far, over 400 people from the school, including staff, have completed the online course.
"I learned how to save a life," Buena High School student Lacy Gaspardo said.
Topics in the course include how fentanyl works, the effects it has, and how to help someone who is overdosing.
"It shows people the scary reality of fentanyl, that it's crazy how it can be the size of a pencil lead, and that kills you, that I think will hopefully open people's eyes to the fact that fentanyl is scary," Gaspardo said.
By giving students a path to fentanyl education, the county and state are hoping to empower them to make thoughtful decisions if they are ever in situations involving drugs.
Buena High School Principal Nicole Young said the course is part of a broader commitment to community safety.
"We want education in every form, as teachers, as principals, we're always learning and this is just something else that we need to learn about to be able to help our community be safe and be informed," Young said.
Student Jason Young said having access to the information will serve him well beyond the classroom.
"I think, just have access to it now so we can go forth in our lives with this knowledge and use it whenever we need to is helpful," Young said.
The program was created by the School Training Overdose Preparedness and Intelligence Taskforce and the Arizona Department of Education. The Cochise County Superintendent's Office was chosen to pilot the program.
Cochise County Superintendent of Schools Jacqui Clay said the county embraces the responsibility of being first.
"We are spearheaders. We take risk, especially if it's for the good of our students and for our county. I believe that the next generation is the one who's going to carry that message forward, because they're killing they're killing kids, they're killing adults at a horrible rate, and we can't just do nothing about it," Clay said.
The five schools are working through the course and providing feedback to its creators. The hope is for the program to eventually be used across Arizona.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
