To that end, Talawanda will host a community forum on drug addiction at 7 p.m. today, Oct. 24, in the high school’s performing arts center.
“We hope to increase the perception of risk and harm of drug use,” Macechko said.
MORE: Residents weigh in on Talawanda’s drug testing idea
There have been 113 drug overdoses this year through July, and 89, or 79 percent, were heroin/fentanyl related, the Butler County Coroner’s Office said. Last year in the county, there were 189 drug overdoses, and 149, or 79 percent, were heroin related, officials said.
Just six years ago, there were seven heroin related deaths in Butler County, meaning the deaths have jumped 1,957 percent since 2010.
Superintendent Kelly Spivey said the problem of drug overdoses and deaths concern her as a mother, grandmother and superintendent, and she wants the district to be proactive in dealing with the problem.
“I don’t believe our youth see this as a problem,” Spivey said.
The forum will consist of three parts — a county overview of drug use, an Oxford-specific overview of drug use, and participant dialogue.
Speakers for the county part of the agenda will be Jennifer Mason, EMS coordinator and paramedic for Fort Hamilton Hospital, and Lauren Marsh, director of the Butler County Coalition, which coordinates efforts among multiple agencies to make Butler County a healthy, safe and drug-free community.
Oxford Police Chief John Jones and Fire Chief John Detherage will take part in the Oxford-specific portion of the overview along with Jim Squance, a Butler County Sheriff’s Deputy and Talawanda school resource officer, and Macechko.
That will be followed by small-group discussions among participants about forming a community plan built around the information shared and what the community can do next.
Board President Mark Butterfield expressed support for the program and said not many districts are talking about the problem, but that community discussion is crucial.
“I am proud we are getting out in front of this,” Butterfield said.
Macechko said she is proud to be part of the effort to educate parents and residents about drug use issues.
“What we can do on the front-end is to develop strategies to make a difference down the road,” she said.
About the Author