Safe Schools/Healthy Students is a grant project of the Amarillo Independent School District. In order to educate the whole child, AISD, along with Community Partners, work to make our schools and homes safer and our children healthier by addressing five key areas of importance. These areas include safe school environment, drug prevention, student behavior, mental health needs and early childhood education.
Our community partners guide the efforts of this grant. These community partners include Texas Panhandle Mental Health Mental Retardation (TPMHMR), Amarillo Police Department, Randall County Juvenile Probation and Amarillo ISD.
The success of this program depends upon each of us doing our part to make Amarillo the best place for children to grow up. We invite you to return to this site often for information that will benefit you and your family.
The Safe Schools/Healthy Students is a grant that began in 2008. It is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S Department of Health and Human Services.
Teens and Synthetic Marijuana
Teens experimenting with their hair or wardrobe is one thing. But experimenting with a new drug disguised as incense is another.
Two teenage boys recently treated in The Heart Center at Children’s are dealing with heart problems after experimenting with K2 or "spice," a chemically enhanced marijuana substitute. It’s marketed as a harmless blend of herbs, incense or potpourri. In the past few months Dallas, Denton, Frisco, Lewisville and other North Texas cities have passed ordinances against selling or possessing K2. However, it’s easy to buy online or in cities where it’s still legal.
For student athletes who are subject to drug testing, there’s an even bigger selling point: Screening tests don’t pick up this drug. That also makes it impossible for doctors to know how much of the drug is in the body.
Dr. Colin Kane, pediatric cardiologist at Children’s, wasn’t familiar with K2 when the two boys came into the Emergency Department with unexplainable chest pain. In fact, there is no medical literature on K2, and doctors don’t know what the long-term side effects are.
Kane explains why he’s worried about widespread use among high school students and athletes. Dr. Kane is working with toxicology experts at UT Southwestern to study the effects of the drug and they plan to publish their findings.
Only after some prodding did the teens admit to using the popular drug. Unfortunately, one of the boys, a high school football player, has permanent heart damage and will be on the sidelines this year—and maybe permanently. The other young man may have to end his plans to join the military.
Worried about K2 and your teen?
Here are some tips for parents about dealing with K2 and your child:
Keep communication lines open. Ask your child not only about K2 but also drugs in general.
Watch for traces of an herb-like substance in your teen’s bedroom or backpack.
Educate your kids about the dangers of smoking K2.
Be on the lookout for side effects of K2, including paranoia and a soaring heart rate.
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