Three Texas high school students believed to have died of fentanyl overdoses

The overdoses claimed the lives of one 15-year-old and two 17-year-olds

Three high school students in Hays County, Texas are believed to have died of fentanyl overdoses in the last month.

FOX 7 in Austin reported on Wednesday that fentanyl overdoses have affected three high schools in the Hays County system since last May, serving as a reminder of the danger fentanyl poses to recreational drug users.

The most recent overdose death claimed the life of a 15-year-old high school sophomore in San Marcos last weekend. Two 17-year-old students, both of whom were seniors, died of suspected fentanyl overdoses in previous months.

Authorities in Hays County, a fast-growing growing area between Austin and San Antonio in South Central Texas, held a press conference on Tuesday with law enforcement and education officials to highlight the danger that fentanyl is posing to children.

“This is indeed a crisis situation,” Eric Wright, the Hays school superintendant said in his opening remarks.

The Kyle, Texas police department said that of the 16 drug overdoses it has responded to this year, a significant number have involved high school students.

The danger posed by fentanyl, a highly powerful synthetic opioid often illegally made and mixed with drugs like heroin and cocaine, has been developed as a major concern for health officials across the country in recent years.