Dana Hills High School in Dana Point, California, has faced the devastating effects of the fentanyl crisis, experiencing five student overdoses in the past four years. Mike Darnold, an 80-year-old former police officer and recovering alcoholic, has worked at the school for 16 years helping students struggling with substance abuse, but the rise of fentanyl has turned his job into a life-and-death battle.
Before 2020, Darnold rarely saw students die from drug overdoses. However, the surge of counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl has changed that, making drug-related deaths one of the leading causes of fatalities among 14- to 18-year-olds in the U.S. Among the five students who died at Dana Hills were a cheerleader and a freshman football player, with all the deaths linked to fentanyl-laced pills.
Eddie Baeder, now 15, could have been the sixth victim. At age 14, Eddie’s life was spiraling due to drug and alcohol abuse, but he was saved thanks to Darnold’s intervention. Eddie’s recovery began after an overdose at a party where he was revived by Narcan. With support from his adoptive parents and Darnold, Eddie has been sober for 11 months.
Dana Hills has implemented various programs to prevent drug use, including after-school activities like movie nights, beach outings, and volunteering events. Darnold has also focused on educating parents through workshops that emphasize communication, setting boundaries, and confronting substance abuse early.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid largely produced in Mexico, has caused a dramatic rise in drug-related deaths among teens nationwide. In Orange County alone, opioid-related deaths among youth aged 15-19 surged from six in 2019 to 33 in 2021. Nationally, an average of 22 high school-aged teens died of overdoses each week in 2022, even though drug use among teens is reportedly lower than in previous decades.
Amy Neville’s son Alex, also a Dana Hills student, died of a fentanyl overdose in 2020 after unknowingly taking a counterfeit oxycodone pill. Since then, Neville has partnered with Darnold to educate students about the dangers of fentanyl, speaking at Dana Hills and other high schools across the country. She emphasizes the deadly risks of counterfeit pills in a documentary, Dead on Arrival, sharing her personal tragedy with students.
Dana Hills High School, under Darnold’s guidance, has been proactive in tackling the crisis, launching initiatives like the SOS (Save Our Students) club, which offers teens safe, drug-free spaces to socialize. This city-sponsored club organizes community service activities and events to keep students engaged and away from harmful substances.
The school has seen positive results from these efforts, with no drug-related deaths in the past two years. However, the fentanyl crisis continues to affect teens across the U.S. The White House has called for schools to increase drug prevention efforts and stock Narcan, while California has introduced legislation requiring schools to implement overdose prevention plans.
Darnold believes the crisis goes beyond drugs coming from across the border; he argues that the root of the problem is a societal dependence on substances to avoid difficult emotions. By providing students with positive outlets through sports, activities, and service projects, Dana Hills High aims to address the core issues driving drug use.
“We’re trying to reach every segment of our population on campus with education and prevention resources,” Darnold said. “I think everybody needs to do as much as Dana Hills High School.”
