HILLSBORO, Ore. — (Update: Police have referred a 15-year-old to the Washington County Juvenile Department for delivery of a controlled substance. The students ingested substances from the benzodiazepine family.)
Five Hillsboro High School students were taken to the hospital after they appeared to be under the influence of intoxicants, according to the school’s principal.
In a letter sent to parents on Thursday, Principal Dave Vickery said the students were taken to the hospital “as a precautionary measure.”
During mid-morning Thursday, three students started acting erratically and said they did not feel like themselves. Later in the day, two more students had similar symptoms.
Vickery said it’s not yet known what type of intoxicant the students may have ingested, how they obtained them, or how widespread the issue might be. The school is investigating.
“Typically, we don’t distribute mass communications about matters of student health, as that information is confidential. However, because of the high level of emergency response and its impact on the campus, I wanted to provide as much insight as possible,” Vickery said.
“I felt it was important to let families know what is happening,” he said.
Hillsboro police said they're happy the school acted promptly.
"This is very unusual," said Sgt. Eric Bunday. "We're grateful the school officials were proactive in recognizing the symptoms and calling for aid for the kids quickly, so this didn't turn out worse."
Vickery asked parents to talk with their children about the dangers of consuming any drug that has not been prescribed for them.
Full letter from Principal Vickery:
Dear Hilhi Families,
I wanted to let you know about an unfortunate situation we faced today, in which several students appeared to be under the influence of intoxicants.
Four of those students were transported to the hospital by ambulance or parents to be evaluated as a precautionary measure.
Typically, we don’t distribute mass communications about matters of student health, as that information is confidential. However, because of the high level of emergency response and its impact on the campus, I wanted to provide as much insight as possible.
Also, because we have not yet completed our investigation into the type of intoxicant(s) that may have been ingested, how the students obtained them, and how widespread the issue might be within our student body, etc., I felt it was important to let families know what is happening.
Please take this opportunity to talk with your student about the dangers of consuming any type of drug or medication that has not been prescribed for them. In addition, please ensure they understand that taking or distributing drugs or medications on campus outside of the guidelines Board PolicyJHCD/JHCDA and its accompanying administrative regulation JHCD/JHCDA-AR is prohibited. Please see page 21 of the Standards of Student Conduct for information about controlled substances and the consequences for their use, possession, sale or distribution at school.
We are committed to supporting students in making safe and healthy choices, and to ensuring that our school environment is one where all students feel safe and ready to learn. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.
Thank you,
Dave Vickery
Principal
Following the hospitalization of the five students, Washington County Public Health shared a message to the Hillsboro School District:
A message from Washington County Public Health:
In the past week, several Hillsboro area high school students have overdosed on benzodiazepine drugs. Important points:
- Benzodiazepines (or "benzos" for short) are a class of prescription drugs that includes Xanax, Ativan, Valium. The slang terms for these drugs include "Xannies, Xannie bars, Hulk."
- Benzodiazepine overdose signs include getting sleepy, slurred speech and lack of coordination. If a person takes a large dose or uses other drugs or alcohol with benzos, they can become unconscious and have dangerously slow breathing.
- Overdose is a medical emergency. Call 911.
- It is incredibly dangerous to take pills that aren't prescribed for you. Also, counterfeit drugs are out there. It is easy to make pills that look exactly like prescription pills. Counterfeit pills have led to overdose and deaths in our community.
- Check your medicine supplies at home and secure any and all drugs. Parents, talk to your kids and trust your instincts! For more information visit Partnership for Drug Free Kids ( www.drugfree.org/drug/xanax/ ), contact the Washington County Crisis Line at 503-291-9111, or visit the Hawthorn Walk-In Center in Hillsboro.
Talk to your school administrator if you’d like a program educator from Washington County to speak to the student body about drugs.