HARTFORD, CT (WFSB) – A 13 year-old Hartford boy has died after he overdosed on fentanyl at the Sports and Medical Sciences Academy.
Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin made the following statement:
Our city grieves for this child lost, for his loved ones, his friends, his teachers, and the entire SMSA family. We still have much to learn about the circumstances of this tragedy, and about how a child had access to such a shocking quantity of such deadly drugs, and our police dept. will continue their investigation and seek to hold accountable the adults who ultimately are responsible for this child’s death. In the meantime, our prayers are with everyone touched by this loss, and we will do everything we can to support the SMSA community.
On Thursday, around 10:45 a.m. three seventh graders were rushed to the hospital after being exposed to fentanyl at school.
The Sports and Medical Sciences Academy is a magnet school in Hartford, with about 600 students.
Hartford firefighters said they received a report that three students overdosed at the school.
One of the students, a 13-year-old boy, was unconscious.
“Initial reports indicate that CPR was initiated by the school nurse on one student and HFD personnel took over performing CPR until relieved by responding medics,” said Mario Oquendo Jr., public information officer, Hartford Fire Department. “Rhythm returned for that student and CPR was stopped.”
It’s believed that student was in a classroom and then went to the gym.
All three students were transported to the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.
The 13-year-old seventh grader is in grave condition after officials say he ingested and overdosed on fentanyl.
Two other students, also seventh graders, only complained of dizziness after being exposed to fentanyl and are being monitored at the hospital.
Family members were notified.
Officials initially said a teacher was also transported to Hartford Hospital, but later said that she was “highly upset about what she witnessed” and was treated at the school.
The school was placed in a code yellow. That means students have to stay in place.
Drug sniffing dogs went through the building and additional bags of fentanyl were found in two classrooms and the gym.
Police believe a student brought the drugs to the school. Investigators are still trying to figure out if the two other students ingested fentanyl.
Mayor Luke Bronin had a powerful message for parents.
“This is one more lesson that fentanyl is a poison, these drugs are a poison. Please, if you are a parent, have that tough conversation with your child tonight. If anyone offers, suggests, that they experiment with, ingest some substance that they think is a drug, they don’t know what it is, don’t do it, stay a mile away, and for God’s sake, please report it so we can try to protect your child, their friends, everything,” Bronin said.
One of the students, a 13-year-old boy, was unconscious.
Students and staff were dismissed after their shoes were decontaminated with bleach and other chemicals.
Because police are still not sure what else was in the drug, they had to treat it as a worst case scenario.
“I’m shocked about what’s going on. I just don’t understand how fentanyl reaches the schools so it’s heartbreaking to know they were in contact with it,” one parent said.
The CDC says some fentanyl is approved to treat pain, while others are illegally made. All types known to be abused and leading to death.
Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, along with Hartford Police and Public School officials, addressed the possible the overdoses at a local school Thursday.
Here in Connecticut, data shows drug overdose deaths have spiked.
From January to November 2021, there were more than 1,200 people dead.
“When it starts to happen to children, that’s not good for business, so you will see an exaggeration of efforts to respond, which you hate to say, but something bad has to happen for people to take their head out of the sand,” Mark Jenkins, the executive director of the Connecticut Harm Reduction Alliance, says.
It happened at the Sports and Medical Sciences Academy on Huyshope Avenue around 10:45 a.m.
Mark deals with overdose cases every day and says people are afraid to talk about the help that’s out there, like Narcan, a medicine that can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose, something Jenkins says should be in schools and could have been used on the seventh grader.
“It falls out. It goes just into your hand like that, into your nose and push it, so now I just ingested a dose of this. I’m not going to fall over. I tell people, ‘Why would I do that? Are you an idiot?’, is to show you no harm, no foul,” added Jenkins.
Three seventh graders from Hartford were rushed to the hospital after apparently overdosing at school Thursday.
Jenkins says local and state officials need to address the overdose situation, because it’s not just an urban issue.
Jenkins says you reach out to his organization if you would like to train or learn about overdose prevention.
Police are now looking for whoever brought the substance to the school. No arrests have been made yet.
Hartford police and firefighters said they responded to the Sports and Medical Sciences Academy on Huyshope Avenue on Thursday morning.
Local and state officials were on scene for several hours and they are still examining to see what else was is in the fentanyl.
In a letter to families, Principal Alison Giuliano said that all classes at SMSA are cancelled and the school will be closed Friday.
Several students appear to have overdosed on something at a school.
Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez, the superintendent of Hartford Public Schools, released a statement on Sunday:
With profound sadness, I informed all Hartford Public Schools families, staff, and partners on Saturday night that our student from Sport and Medical Sciences Academy (SMSA), who is in grave condition at Connecticut Children’s hospital, had passed away. I extend my heart and offer my deepest condolences to the student’s family, friends, and loved ones for their loss. I ask that everyone keep the family, friends, and the entire school community at SMSA in their thoughts and prayers.
This tragic loss will raise many emotions, concerns and questions for our school community, especially your students. Our school district Crisis Intervention Team has already been assembled and will continue to help with the needs of students, parents, and school personnel.
Our School Social Workers are available on Sunday and Monday for students, families, and staff both in-person and virtually. Clinical Psychologists from Connecticut Children’s hospital will also be available for students, families, and staff on Sunday and Monday by phone to offer their emotional health support.
Today I sent a message to all our families tat provided additional resources to help with supporting their child through grief and loss. The message included some ways parents and guardians can begin these difficult conversations with their children, as well as responses to questions that may come up over the next few weeks and months.
As a community, we will continue t provide additional support and care to students, families, and staff who need it. Once again, I ask that everyone please keep the family, friends, and the entire school community in your hears as we support each other through this incredible tragedy,
Mobile Psychiatric Crisis Services is available for students. SMSA community members can reach out to them by calling 211.
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