Middle School students in New Jersey got a shocking lesson in art class recently. One which will hopefully open their eyes. A live demonstration of fentanyl’s dangers. Their teacher fell over and turned blue right in front of them.
Students get strong lesson
Students at Roosevelt Intermediate School in New Jersey learned a shocking lesson about the dangers of opiates in general and fentanyl in specific.
The art teacher inspiring sixth, seventh and eighth graders, 57-year-old Frank Thompson, was charged on January 5 “with possession of fentanyl, possession of drug paraphernalia, and endangering the welfare of children.”
The Westfield Police Department notes that Thompson “is facing multiple drug charges after allegedly overdosing on fentanyl in a classroom in November.”
“Frank Thompson, 57, an art teacher at Roosevelt Intermediate School, was found unconscious and unresponsive by a school resource in a second-floor classroom…investigators found fentanyl and other items of drug paraphernalia in the classroom closet.”
He’s now facing charges. pic.twitter.com/nQmRWIZoQI
— Julia 🇺🇸 (@Jules31415) January 9, 2023
The incident happened November 29. Students quickly alerted the school’s nurse but she didn’t have the remedy. Precious moments were lost while staff tried to locate School Resource Officer Fortunato Riga.
As Riga responded to the second-floor classroom, “a nurse was treating the teacher in front of students.” He had the Narcan, which is “a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose.”
That’s something officials should be looking into. It’s great that the security guard has the Narcan but shouldn’t the nurse have some too?
Drugs in the closet
Investigation revealed drugs and “various items of drug paraphernalia” in a closet in Thompson’s classroom. The overdose proves he was using on the job instead of properly instructing students. He’s not returning calls from reporters.
The district notes that “All school resource officers in Westfield are equipped with Narcan.” They should think about getting the medical staff some as well. Thankfully Riga is quick on his feet.
As related by Westfield Police Chief Christopher Battiloro, “in this case, the swift actions of Officer Riga, who is on-site at Roosevelt Intermediate each school day, proved instrumental in maintaining the safety of the students and administering potentially life-saving measures to Mr. Thompson.”
“Mr. Thompson has a B. A. in Art Education from Kean University. He has been teaching in Westfield for ten years, first at the Elementary level and now Middle school. He is currently looking into pursuing his Masters in Computer Arts”. #westfieldnj #frankthompson #Fentanyl https://t.co/oydfG7QAVx pic.twitter.com/Kaem311kno
— Lou Stools® (@Lou_S_Stools) January 8, 2023
Officials aren’t saying much about the time frame before his overdose but classes were moved to avoid contamination.
The district cares about the welfare of their students so “classes were temporarily moved to a different location while the classroom was sanitized.” They also issued a formal statement.
“While the Westfield Public School District cannot comment on personnel matters which are confidential, we will maintain a continued focus on student and staff safety and on preserving the integrity of the classroom learning environment,” Superintendent Dr. Raymond González writes.
