CLAY COUNTY, Mo. (KCTV) – A local high school student has lost his life after taking a pill laced with a lethal amount of fentanyl.
North Kansas City Public Schools identified the student as Oak Park High School sophomore Ethan Everley.
“It makes me incredibly sad,” said local resident Karen Stoner. “Especially living in this area, knowing it’s happened right here in our local high school.”
Interim Principal Chris McCann recently sent a letter out to parents of students at Oak Park High School regarding the death of one of their fellow students.
The principal said Everley took a pill last week outside of school property that he was unaware contained a lethal amount of fentanyl. Sadly, Everley died Tuesday afternoon.
“Of course, heard about the problem in the adult community but it just really is incredibly sad that it’s affecting our teenagers,” said Stoner.
The KCPD said that, between 2019 and 2020, the metro saw a 149% increase in fentanyl deaths. The greatest at-risk group is those 15-24 years old.
That is the reason why many law enforcement agencies, including Clay County Sheriff Will Akin, are warning people time and time again to be careful.
“If a friend or someone else just hands you a pill and says, ‘Hey, take this for your headache,’ with everything going on and the uncertainty of what fentanyl is in, don’t take that chance,” said Sheriff Akin. “Don’t risk it.”
A major problem both nationally and locally that Sheriff Akin said needs to be top of mind for parents is to communicate with their children about the dangers.
“I know that in our daily lives we are extremely busy and if you want to talk with your child it’s sending a text message or Snap or some other social media platform,” the sheriff said. “That’s okay to an extent, but we have to be involved in our children’s lives.”
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office holds drug education summits frequently. The next one is April 25 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Vineyard Church.
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