The Arroyo Seco Junior High School student who was transported to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Wednesday afternoon due to a medical emergency is safe at home with their family, according to William S. Hart Union High School District officials.
“The student was transported to the hospital, checked by medical professionals and is now home safe with family,” according to a statement from the Hart district sent to the Signal via email Thursday morning.
In a follow-up message the Hart district sent to Arroyo Seco parents Thursday afternoon, the district wrote that a medical emergency is something that happens “somewhat regularly in a district the size of ours.”
“While we cannot speak about the specific health care issues involving minor students, we can share that we have deployed naloxone [Narcan] at all our school sites as a tool to help keep kids safe,” the message continued. “Narcan is an opioid overdose treatment that can be administered via a nasal spray to counteract the deadly effects of drugs like fentanyl.”
According to district officials, Narcan can be used proactively when a child is in distress and when they are not sure about the actual cause of that distress.
“In other words, Narcan may sometimes be deployed in a ‘better safe than sorry’ scenario because the treatment generally has no side effects,” the message to Arroyo Seco parents read.
Naloxone, also known as the brand name Narcan, is a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is often administered when a fentanyl overdose is suspected.
“Those connecting to fentanyl overdose at this time are doing so based upon a rumor,” read a statement from the Hart district sent to The Signal Thursday morning.
District officials wrote in their message to parents that fentanyl was not involved in Wednesday’s incident, and they also reinforced the message that there’s a problem with fentanyl in the Santa Clarita Valley.
“We encourage parents to have honest and open conversations with their children about the unique hazards of this dangerous drug,” the message read.
On Wednesday at approximately 12:47 p.m., an Arroyo Seco Junior High School student was transported to a nearby hospital due to a medical emergency, and Narcan was administered to the student, according to a Hart district source.
Though a Hart district source told The Signal that Narcan was administered on the student, district officials would not confirm whether Narcan was used.
District Superintendent Mike Kuhlman said all school sites were given Narcan on Nov. 16 as a precautionary measure.
“Our governing board took a proactive stance on fentanyl months ago and ensured that we have resources to protect our students,” according to a statement from the Hart district. “The Hart district stocks Naloxone at each of our school sites.”
Kaitlyn Aldana, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said emergency personnel received a call for service regarding a medical emergency at approximately 12:47 p.m. on Wednesday on the 27000 block of North Vista Delgado in Santa Clarita.
Upon arrival at approximately 12:50 p.m., emergency personnel transported one patient, a student, from Arroyo Seco Junior High School to a nearby hospital via ambulance.
According to reports of the incident a student was “sick,” Aldana said. No additional information was available, she added.
Deputy Natalie Arriaga, of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, wrote in an email that the school resource deputy responded to the medical call.
“A student was suffering a medical emergency after ingesting an unknown substance,” Arriaga wrote in an email. “An on-campus nurse rendered aid.”
“Los Angeles County Fire Department responded and transported the student to a local hospital for further medical treatment. Detectives are working with the family to determine if narcotics were involved,” Arriaga’s report continued.
For more information and for resources to help guide parent-student discussion on the dangers of fentanyl, visit the fentanyl awareness page on the Hart district’s website www.hartdistrict.org/apps/pages/fentanyl-awareness.
