Bronson Middle/High School locked down after students become ill from methamphetamine
Sheriff McCallum on left (LCSO photo) and Superintendent Cowart on right (Facebook photo).
Bronson, Florida - On Wednesday, November 2, 2022, the nurse at Bronson Middle/High School was alerted by a student that two students felt ill and were vomiting inside one of the school's bathrooms, and that other students in the same class were also feeling ill.
When school staff members located a white powdery substance inside the bathroom where the students were ill, the Levy County Sheriff's Office (LCSO), School Resource Deputy was contacted, who in turn, contacted a detective with the LCSO's Drug Task Force to assist in the investigation - fearful that the white powdery substance might contain a dangerous and potentially deadly drug named fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine - often added to street drugs and a common cause of drug deaths in recent years.
The school went into an immediate lockdown status to protect other students from potential contamination with this deadly drug. Detectives determined that the substance was methamphetamine, and also that it did not contain fentanyl.
Emergency medical services (EMS) personnel assessed several students in the class who were feeling ill of flu-like symptoms, and they determined that the students were not suffering from an exposure to a chemical or narcotic.The students who reported not feeling well checked out of school, and areas where possible contamination may have occurred were sanitized. School was open the next day, for classes as usual.
A 13 year-old student was transported by Levy County EMS to a local hospital for observation. The other student was treated and released to their parent. The 13 year old student responsible for delivering the drugs has been arrested. She was processed at the Levy County Detention Center and released to the Department of Juvenile Justice.
Levy County Sheriff Bobby McCallum and Levy County School District Superintendent Chris Cowart issued a warning to students: "During the Fentanyl epidemic, drugs can appear to be one thing, but laced with this deadly drug, and if taken or exposed (to the drug), can cause immediate death. This was a frightening experience for all the staff members at BMHS and should serve as a wake-up call to all parents, to monitor their children closely and stay involved with their activities and their choice of friends."