New curriculum in Rutherford County Schools targets opioid epidemic
RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A new curriculum in Rutherford County Schools takes fighting the opioid epidemic into the classroom. This week, the district will begin to pilot the HOPE curriculum at four elementary schools, four middle schools and its high schools after getting approval from the school board. HOPE stands for “Health and Opioid Prevention Education.”
The initiative stemmed from a collaboration with Director of Schools Dr. James Sullivan and Rutherford County Commissioner Craig Harris who spearheaded a task force to combat the opioid crisis. The Tennessee Health department reported 130 people died from drug overdoses in Rutherford County in 2022. There were 116 of those deaths that included opioids and 108 included the highly-lethal drug fentanyl.
Harris explained how he began wanting to address drug overdoses in the first place.
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“I had a personal family involved in it,” said Harris. “I’ve always concentrated on three things: awareness, education and recovery. And so that’s the blueprint of what we do. I just felt like in our schools, we didn’t talk about it, you know, and it’s ugly. It’s an ugly subject. But what people don’t understand is that target was 18-24 (year olds).”
He said they approved funding for the curriculum through money the county received via nationwide settlements from drug companies. There was a similar program in schools that proved successful before it was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’ve always believed that our children are the most important things in our life. And we had to show them the ugly side of this,” said Harris. “I’ve always said, I can tell you Don’t do drugs. But if you see how bad and devastating this epidemic is, I think a kid will look at that and, and shun it, I think he will say, you know, this is too ugly, I don’t want no part of this.”
According to the HOPE curriculum’s website, the K-12 program will help students develop the skills to make healthy and drug-free choices. Director of schools Dr. James Sullivan explained that RCS will start their elementary school lessons with fifth grade students before introducing it to lower grade levels. He said it’s similar to the DARE program that’s taught by school resource officers. The HOPE curriculum focuses on opioid awareness and will be taught by health teachers.
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“It’s around medication as well, make sure that you only take medication that a trusted adult gives you, don’t touch things that you don’t know what they are, if they’re not for you,” said Dr. Sullivan. “A lot of times when fentanyl overdoses or any type of opioid overdose is happening, the kids are taking things that they don’t know what they are, adults are taking things they don’t know where they are.”
Dr. Sullivan added that they’ll work with parents who have children who want their kids to opt out. The lessons will also have tests before and after their taught to see their effectiveness.
“We need our kids to be here and to be successful,” said Dr. Sullivan. “There are dangers in life and in society that, you know, the school and the community and parents, we’re all in partnership together. And so we have to be open with each other of what we’re talking about, we have to make sure that we’re communicating what our expectations are. And then we have to be able to partner and give the kids and students the skills they need to be successful, whether it’s academically, but also making sure just in life.”
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