NEW ROCHELLE, NY (January 12, 2023) — A widely reported story, based on a melodramatic statement by outgoing New Rochelle Schools Superintendent Jonathan P. Raymond, was a false alarm, according to New Rochelle Police investigators who determined the student did not have opioids in his or her system.
In a statement on Monday, in what Raymond called an ominous milestone in our schools, he said a New Rochelle High School student came close to dying:
For the first time, our nursing staff had to use Narcan to save a student who vaped what the student believed to be marijuana. The vape almost cost that student their life…this device is still in our community, potentially threatening the health or lives of any others who use it.
He strongly implied the student suffered a Fentanyl overdose:
Our students, staff, and everyone in our community must understand that even one hit from a cartridge can be deadly. While we have not confirmed the substance that harmed our student today, we know that any vaping devices or drugs purchased on the street may – and likely do – contain the synthetic opioid fentanyl, and even the smallest dose can be lethal.
Raymond praised the nurses at New Rochelle High School for their quick and effective response, saying “their actions may well have saved this student’s life.”
The following morning, Tuesday at 8:03 AM New Rochelle High School Principal Dr. Dagberto Artiles sent an email to NRHS Staff:
Captain J. Collins Coyne, Commander of the NRPD Criminal Investigations Division, said detectives and youth officers were sent to the school to investigate.
“The latest information we received was that there were no opioids in the student’s system,” said Coyne. “It seems that the student may have had a bad reaction and Narcan was administered as a precaution. Thankfully it was not more serious.”
According to a recent news report on drug overdoses among young people, the ability to “measure the presence of fentanyl in patients is available in real-time, within an hour, at all hospitals that have a chemical analyzer” which even the small hospitals have. We have asked Westchester Medical Center to confirm that they can run a toxicology screen for a patient and get the results quickly and will update this story with their response.
The police knew there was no fentanyl in the student’s system before the Wednesday morning email sent to Talk of the Sound. It cannot have have known that (legally) except from the parents due to restrictions under HIPAA.
This raises serious questions.
School officials were in “constant contact” with the family after the incident at about noon on Monday and by early the next morning the high school principal was telling staff the student was going to be OK and was expected to return to school soon.
If the student was transported to Westchester Medical Center about lunchtime Monday and was immediately given a urine test upon arrival to screen for fentanyl (and we know those results came back negative) and the family was in constant contact with school officials and the family shared that information with police detectives, did the parents likewise share that information with school officials and, if so, when?
Superintendent Jonathon Raymond sent out his ominous milestone email to the school community at about 5 pm Monday.
Why do this if the results of a fentanyl screen were available to the parents hours before, the results were negative, and the parents were in constant contact with school officials. Why send any email at all — there was a HIPAA-protected medical event not a violent incident at the school.
Why did Superintendent Jonathon Raymond embark on a national media tour starting Tuesday morning?
Superintendent Jonathon Raymond honored and praised the nursing staff for saving the students’ life about 8:00 pm at Tuesday night’s New Rochelle Board of Education. Why, if he knew the student did not ingest fentanyl?
Coyne said there is an ongoing investigation into the vape cartridge used by the student which has apparently gone missing. Why there would continue to be an investigation given there were no opioid in the cartridge was unclear.
Over the years, PTA’s in Westchester have partnered with the Westchester Coalition for Drug and Alcohol Free Youth to present an interactive presentation called Free Hidden in Plain Sight. SAS is a contract agency of the Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health, and Office of Drug Abuse Prevention & STOP-DWI Program, and Youth Bureau.
As it happened, on Monday at 7 pm, the evening of the Narcan incident, New Rochelle’s Isaac E. Young Middle School Parent Teacher Association hosted a Hidden in Plain Sight forum at the middle school. The forum was promoted within the Superintendent’s melodramatic statement emailed to parents at 4:55 pm, about two hour before the forum.
The story of a fentanyl overdose of a high school student went national with New Rochelle Schools Superintendent Jonathan P. Raymond appearing around the world on Fox News First with NRHS PTA Co-President Mary Monzon. The segment was titled “Fentanyl in Schools?” Carley Shimkus, the host breathlessly intoned how a student went unconscious — a claim almost immediately contradicted by Raymond — and that officials believe the marijuana in the vape cartridge was laced with fentanyl — a claim strongly implied by Raymond but determined to be false by NRPD detectives. Much of the segment contains false and misleading information most centered on the idea that the student nearly died but for school nurses administering Narcan to the student.
As you watch the video, note how the words “death” and “fentanyl” are repeated over and over then keep in mind that police determined there was no fentanyl in the student’s system; that the student did not become unconscious, and was not close to death.
The story also went national on the syndicated news program Inside Edition. Using clips from WCBS-TV, Raymond and Monzon reiterated some of the same talking points as on Fox News.
We along with every other media outlet who reported on the Narcan incident took the Superintendent’s claims at face value. Many others built on his words so the story morphed into variations on the theme “student revived after nearly dying after a hit on vape pen containing fentanyl-laced marijuana”.
News12 reported Raymond feared there was more fentanyl-laced vape cartridges in “the community”.
Fox News reported school officials believed the vape device used at New Rochelle High School was laced with fentanyl, that the student was revived with Narcan.
The New York Post the student went unconscious, referred to deadly fentanyl and quoted Raymond saying “any time you try anything from the street, whether it’s marijuana, off a vape, chances are it’s going to be laced with fentanyl” and “we know that any vaping devices or drugs purchased on the street may — and likely do — contain the synthetic opioid fentanyl, and even the smallest dose can be lethal.”
WCBS News reported “It is believed the concentrate was contaminated with the powerful opioid fentanyl,” said school officials were worried more students may have access to the potentially contaminated vape cartridges, and quoted Raymond saying “They (nurses) saved the student’s life.”
Patch attributed to Raymond the statement an overdose more typical of a narcotic.
WPIX-11 reported the student is lucky to be alive after overdosing at school, marijuana was laced with what appeared to be fentanyl and the school district is urging parents to keep Narcan in their homes.
WNBC News reported a student suddenly collapsed.
Inside Edition reported a nurse needed to use Narcan to save a student’s life, that the Superintendent believes the (marijuana) concentrate contained fentanyl, and the Narcan reversed the effect of the drug (fentanyl).
Here are example of the scare headlines including our own generated by Jonathan Raymond’s false and misleading statement on Monday:
Talk of the Sound: New Rochelle High School Nurses Make Narcan Save of Student After Suspected One-Hit Vape Fentanyl OD
News12: Narcan administered to save New Rochelle high student
NY Post: New Rochelle student saved with Narcan after vaping
WCBS News: Officials: New Rochelle High School nurse saves student with Narcan
Patch: New Rochelle HS Nurses Save Student With Narcan After Vaping OD
WPIX-11: New Rochelle High School nurses save student after accidental overdose
WNBC News: NY High School Student Overdoses After Smoking Weed Vape Possibly Laced with Fentanyl
Inside Edition: Student Saved From Possible Fentanyl Poisoning by School Nurse With Narcan in NY
Not addressed in any of the reporting or school official statements is Raymond’s casual mention that students were smoking marijuana in the hallway during the middle of the school day which is newsworthy.
Based on the various public statements and interviews of school officials, police officials and others since Monday we have pieced together the what amounts to a rather pedestrian timeline from about noon Monday, January 9, 2023 at New Rochelle High School:
- A female student was smoking marijuana in a hallway
- The marijuana was contained in a vape pen cartridge
- The student went to the nurse’s office where she reported feeling disoriented.
- The student did not lose consciousness
- A person at the nursing office called 911
- A nurse administered the anti-opioid Narcan
- EMS arrived at New Rochelle High School
- The student was transported by EMS to Westchester Medical Center
- Tests at Westchester Medical Center were negative for fentanyl
- The student was determined to be fully recovered and released by Westchester Medical Center
- The student was “doing fine” and returned to New Rochelle High School on Wednesday
In a classic case of the media chasing a story too good to fact-check, the Superintendent’s tall tale was twisted into a frightening cautionary tale by him, other school officials and reporters unwilling (as this one did) to ask the police whether they were investigating what amounts to a serious crime: possession and distribution of a highly toxic synthetic opioid.
As there was no fentanyl in the student’s system there was no fentanyl-laced marijuana in the vape pen cartridge, no need to track down a ticking time bomb of a fentanyl-contaminated vape cartridge, no near-death experience, no reason to issue a melodramatic statement, no basis to scare parents, no need to bring further negative attention to New Rochelle High School, and no reason to go on national television to be interviewed about something that did not happen.
The real cautionary tale here is that Superintendent Raymond should get his facts in order before rushing out to the media with incomplete and inaccurate information — not for the first time. And reporters should do more than credulously parrot what government officials tell them without independently fact-checking the information.
None of this is to say that the nurse’s involved should not be credited for calling 911 or administering Narcan out of an abundance of caution; or that having Narcan available in schools in a not good thing; or the vaping is not unhealthy; or that children should consume alcohol or drugs.
The issue for the New Rochelle Board of Education is that the Superintendent — not for the first time — put out a false narrative. He then spun up the inaccurate story further, assisted by a gullible media, to create hysteria to no apparent purpose.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is our email exchange first with NRPD Captain J. Collins Coyne, and then Jonathan Raymond, his PR person and all members of the New Rochelle Board of Education.
From: Robert Cox
Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2023 13:08
To: Coyne, J.Collins
Subject: Narcan at NRHS
Captain
Does NRPD have a role in this matter? Superintendent Raymond said the vape cartridge involved was still out there. Are you guys tracking that down?
Is the student facing any sort of legal trouble?
From: Coyne, J.Collins
Sent: Wed, Jan 11, 2023 at 9:09 AM
To: Robert Cox
Subject: Narcan at NRHS
Good morning,
We did send detectives and youth officers to investigate. The latest information we received was that there were no opioids in the student’s system, so thankfully it was not more serious. It seems that the student may have had a bad reaction and Narcan was administered as a precaution. As far as the vape cartridge investigation, it is ongoing. If I get new information that is contrary to this, I will let you know.
Thanks,
Captain J. Collins Coyne
Commander, Criminal Investigations Division
New Rochelle Police Department
From: Robert Cox
Date: On Thu, Jan 12, 2023 at 8:45 PM
Subject: Fwd: RE: Narcan at NRHS
To: Coyne, J.Collins
Captain,
I believe many parents are terrified of this story so please do advise on new information
I will say that the news that there no opioids in the kid’s system while welcome takes the narrative in a new direction. I need to think on that.
Bob
From: Robert Cox
Date: On Fri, Jan 13, 2023 at 10:24 AM
Subject: Fwd: RE: Narcan at NRHS
To: Jonathon Raymond ,Monica Mahaffey, New Rochelle Board of Education
Mr. Raymond,
I think you owe the school community an immediate explanation — and a statement clarifying the facts especially that there was no fentanyl found in the student’s system.
NRPD Captain Coyne emailed me on Wednesday at 9:09 am and stated “the latest information we received was that there were no opioids in the student’s system”. As this was a shocking (to me) statement I attempted to report on this on background before ultimately running a story on Thursday.
If NRPD knew within less than 48 hours that there was no fentanyl and all that implies, when did YOU know there was no fentanyl? It occurs to me this was likely known Monday afternoon as testing for fentanyl would be a top priority at the ER at WMC.
Why has there been no statement from you walking back your statement on Monday or otherwise correcting the record or correcting your many media interviews or any effort to reach out to reporters including me to correct the significant misreporting that has gone all week.
As I stated in my article yesterday, none of this is to say that the nurse’s involved should not be credited for calling 911 or administering narcan out of an abundance of caution; or that having narcan available in schools in a not good thing; or the vaping is not unhealthy; or that children should consume alcohol or drugs. The issue here is you put out a false narrative, spun up further by a gullible media, to create hysteria to no apparent purpose.
There is a history here going back to the student v student West End Shooting a year ago where you sent me knowingly false information about the enrollment status of the alleged shooter. As then, I do not appreciate being used by you to push a false narrative.
Please immediately issue a statement correcting the record. I will appreciate it if you either answer my questions directly or address them in your statement.
Robert Cox
Talk of the Sound
UPDATE 1/13/23 7:18 PM: Statement issued by Jonathan Raymond with analysis by Robert Cox.
Superintendent Jonathan Raymond issued a 492-word statement at 5:23 pm on Friday January 13, 2023; after end of business on a Friday heading into a 3-day weekend. This what is known in the business as a Friday Night News Dump.
It is a long-practiced tactic of newsmakers like government officials, corporate executives and high profile personalities who for various reasons, compelled to disclose bad news or make controversial announcements, want as few people as possible to know about it. When better than the start of the weekend, and especially a holiday weekend?
Stories that break late Friday tend to garner less attention from the public, making it an ideal time for those seeking to dodge public scrutiny.
What follows is the entire 492-word statement then, after, the few words that are actually relevant to our reporting yesterday, that police investigators determined (from the family) that the student tested negative for opioids including fentanyl on a toxicology screen at Westchester Medical Center.
Dear New Rochelle Community,
I want to update you on developments since Monday’s medical emergency at New Rochelle High School where our heroic nurses – for the first time – had to use Narcan to stabilize a student. That student had used a vape cartridge thought to be marijuana and had a reaction so severe that Narcan was required. We are grateful to report that the student is fine, thanks to the quick and effective response from our professional nurses and high school administrative and security teams.
While we cannot disclose our student’s private medical information, we know the opioid threat is real and is in our community. Nationwide, adolescent drug use has remained fairly consistent, but fentanyl-involved deaths among teens have nearly quadrupled (from 253 in 2019 to 884 in 2021). During the same time, opioid-related fatalities among all age groups in Westchester County have also quadrupled.
We were not able to recover the device used on Monday to confirm or rule out fentanyl. But we know that fentanyl and other deadly synthetic opioids are in our community. We implore parents, families, and guardians to talk with your children about the dangers of vaping and drugs of any kind. Our teens are too often targeted by street dealers, and we must do all we can to keep them safe. We cannot lose anyone to this epidemic.
Following Monday’s emergency, our administrative, medical, and security teams debriefed on our response. We then added more Narcan doses and stations in our schools. Multiple doses of Narcan may be necessary to revive someone due to the potency of synthetic opiates, like fentanyl, that may be hidden in vape fluid, pills, or powder without your knowledge.
By the end of the month, we will have trained more security, administrative, and newly hired nursing staff in administering Narcan. We are working to make training available to families. Anyone can get Narcan and everyone should – just ask your pharmacist.
As part of our Family University Forum series, we will host an Evening Focused on Safety on January 25. It will begin in the New Rochelle High School House 4 Cafeteria at 6:30 p.m. and will be a three-part conversation starting with Gun Safety with the New Rochelle Police Department; then Narcan Information for Families; and will move to the Whitney auditorium for a 7:00 p.m. “Hidden in Plain Sight” workshop for adults age 21 and over. The workshop will help parents, families, and caregivers recognize the signs of alcohol and substance use and will train them on where to look for the associated paraphernalia.
We are working with our internal provider, Student Assistance Services Corporation to strengthen our messaging to our students and will utilize students to talk to their peers about the dangers and risks involved in vaping and street drugs.
We all have a role in keeping our students safe. There is no greater calling for our school or for our community.
The bulk of the statement is filled with a deceptive practice known as “the halo effect”, a series of statements to portray the speaker as a saintly figure who would never lie while lying and getting others invested in their lie. That is why the statement features praise for our heroic nurses, the quick and effective response from our professional nurses and high school administrative and security teams. Parents are mentioned repeatedly. It is all about getting as many people as possible basking in the glow of the lie being true so everyone will not just defend the lie but be unable to recognize the lie. There are melodramatic touches like “we cannot lose anyone to this epidemic” and “We all have a role in keeping our students safe” and “There is no greater calling for our school or for our community.”
Again, this is not to be critical of any New Rochelle High School staff who rightly assumed the worst while hoping for the best — a far better showing than after the Valaree Schwab and Ethan Jordan stabbings almost 5 years ago to the day.
Two sentences jump out from the statement:
We were not able to recover the device used on Monday to confirm or rule out fentanyl.
There is no need to recover the device for the purpose of determining whether the student ingested fentanyl. That determination is made by peeing in a cup. That happened on Monday at the Emergency Room at Westchester Medical Center and fentanyl was ruled out. A senior commander of the New Rochelle Police Department confirmed this in an on-the-record statement on Wednesday but we have since learned that NRPD Detectives had this information on Tuesday and possibly sooner.
While we cannot disclose our student’s private medical information, we know the opioid threat is real and is in our community.
This is a twofer:
- In Raymond’s statement today (and other school official statements over the course of the week), the District repeatedly disclosed the student’s private medical information — and the last disclosure today is entirely false:
- The student had a medical emergency at New Rochelle High School on Monday
- We are grateful to report that the student is fine
- The student had a reaction so severe that Narcan was required — except Narcan was not required because Narcan is an anti-opioid and the student did not ingest an opioid or synthetic opioid (fentanyl)
- Our heroic nurses – for the first time – had to use Narcan to stabilize a student (again, Narcan was not required for the reasons above)
- Additionally, during nationally broadcast TV interviews, the Superintendent disclosed the student is female; the student reported feeling disoriented and unwell; the student did not lose consciousness; the student was administered the anti-opioid Narcan
- Additionally, (from the Dr. Artiles memo), the student was transported to Westchester Medical
- Additionally, (from the Dr. Artiles memo), “We are happy to report that the student will be ok and is expecting to return to school as soon as possible.”
All of these are disclosures of the student’s private medical information. There are others.
- The statement contains a deliberately deceptive word-bridge between two unrelated ideas which the author uses to conflate those unrelated ideas to convince the reader they are logically joined ideas when they are not: “the threat is real” (not in dispute) and “we cannot disclose our student’s private medical information” (where that information is whether the student ingested fentanyl, beyond dispute by virtue of the NRPD statement that there was no fentanyl). The author hopes to trick the reader into making the leap across the word bridge into believing what is real is the student ingested fentanyl but that “fact” cannot be disclosed because the District places such a high premium on protecting a student’s private medical information while simultaneously broadcasting that information from coast to coast. It is also a Freudian admission that the opioid threat, as it applies to the student from Monday, is not real.
UPDATE 1/17/23:
LoHud: A New Rochelle HS student received Narcan. Experts warn of unintended overdoses ($)
After more than a week, The Journal News has finally weighed in on the fake fentanyl narrative with more than 1,000 words which, incredibly, both confirms our reporting last week that police determined there was no fentanyl and yet reports out the story as if the fentanyl narrative were still true.
LoHud advanced the story by reporting that the student returned to school on Wednesday which appears to be yet another privacy violation by school officials if that information came from the District.
They also reported that County officials are jumping on the fake fentanyl narrative bandwagon.
County Executive George Latimer and County Health Commissioner Sherlita Amler will recognize the school nurses who administered the student Narcan and took care of them Tuesday afternoon.
EDITOR’S NOTE: We have contacted the City School District of New Rochelle and the Westchester County Executive Office and requested details so we can cover the event.
The article, like Superintendent’s Friday Night News Dump, glossed over the details of the incident and focused primary on the danger of fentanyl and what can be done about it.
Captain J. Collins Coyne, who we cited as our source in breaking the news that there was no fentanyl in the student’s system, told the Journal News “the student didn’t have opioids in their system” and “he hasn’t seen fentanyl in schools” but “credited the nurse for giving the student Narcan”, adding “Even if the student didn’t have opioids in their system, fentanyl doesn’t cause harm if it’s not needed.”
In other words, Narcan with no fentanyl present is a matter of “no harm, no foul”; administering Narcan had no effect as there was no fentanyl.
Despite having no basis in fact, the false fentanyl narrative is repeatedly promoted throughout out the LoHud article both directly and repeatedly presenting the New Rochelle incident as a cautionary tale.
For example, LoHud reports that in an email to the school community the day of the incident, Raymond said officials could not confirm the substance that harmed the student, and as of Friday, the school district was unable to confirm it was fentanyl, and the vape pen still hadn’t been recovered.
Raymond actually said Friday he could not address whether there was fentanyl in the student’s system because that was personal medical information — despite routinely disclosing personal medical information. And how is repeatedly conveying that the student overdosed on fentanyl not disclosing personal medical information?
Obfuscation aside, NRPD has known for at least a week that there was no fentanyl in the student’s system.
LoHud has New Rochelle Schools Superintendent Jonathan P. Raymond saying “a nurse administered Narcan, the nurse revived and stabilized the student while calling 911” and “We want to celebrate the three nurses and certified nurse assistant who cared for our student. They very likely saved the student’s life.”
Except there was no fentanyl involved so Narcan had no effect on the student so nurses did not save the student’s life.
State Sen. Pete Harckham said he wasn’t surprised to hear about the New Rochelle incident because of the proliferation of fentanyl in drugs in general.
Except there was no fentanyl involved in the New Rochelle incident.
The Journal News reported “Officials saw the New Rochelle incident as a reminder for parents to warn their kids that any drug can be laced with something more dangerous than they know.”
It has become clear that school officials and public officials are embracing former Clinton Administration official Rahm Emanuel’s famous quote from a Wall Street Journal forum in 2008: “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” Except in this case, the crisis did not exist and the fake fentanyl narrative manufactured out of whole cloth.
UPDATE 1/17/23:
The Westchester County Executive’s Office put an announcement early this morning about a press event to recognize New Rochelle High School nurses.
Westchester County to Recognize New Rochelle School Nurses Who Saved a Student After Suspected Fentanyl Overdose
County Health Department Reminds Residents of Free Naloxone Training Program
(White Plains, NY) – After a New Rochelle High School student nearly overdosed from vaping a substance suspected to be laced with fentanyl, County Executive George Latimer and County Health Commissioner Sherlita Amler, MD will recognize five New Rochelle School Nurses who saved the student’s life by quickly administering Naloxone (Narcan).
MEDIA ADVISORY
Tuesday, January 17 4:30 p.m.
Michaelian Office Building
Press Room – 9th Floor
148 Martine Avenue
White Plains, NY 10601
County Executive George Latimer said: “We would like to recognize these nurses from the New Rochelle City School District, for their heroic actions that ultimately saved this teen’s life. We recognize that fentanyl is present in our communities and among young people, and we want our communities to be saturated with Narcan. Our school districts, communities, residents and families should know that our Health Department offers free Narcan training. Because of these nurses this student was given the gift of continued life, and they are all deserving of our most esteemed praise.”
The Westchester County Health Department is also taking this opportunity to remind residents of its free, life-saving Naloxone (Narcan) Training Program. The training program can be taken by anyone 18 years of age or older who live or work in Westchester County, and educates people on how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose.
Naloxone is a prescription medication that is used to reverse an opioid overdose, and the drug is provided for free to anyone who attends a training session. When administered correctly, Narcan nasal spray restores breathing that has been dangerously slowed by an overdose of heroin or prescription painkillers. If used quickly and effectively, Narcan has the potential to save lives.
The Health Department provides school trainings as well as community trainings, and residents who participate will receive a free Narcan kit. To learn more about Narcan or register for an upcoming Community Opioid Overdose Training Session, visit the Health Department’s Website.
Westchester County Health Commissioner Sherlita Amler, MD said: “The dangerous part of fentanyl is that most of the time users don’t know what they’re taking, and it does not take much fentanyl to create an overdose situation. Narcan can work within a minute or two, giving emergency responders extra time to arrive and transport the person to a hospital before it’s too late.”
County Executive George Latimer, as shameless as ever, held a so-called “news conference” where no questions were allowed; it is not much of a press conference where reporters are not allowed to ask questions. News12, WCBS, WABC and Talk of the Sound were there plus a few others.
I had a question prepared:
A police investigation determined a week ago there was no opioids in the student’s system; Narcan is an anti-opioid but otherwise has no effect on a patient. The County Executive and Superintendent have both repeatedly mentioned fentanyl and Narcan in saying the student’s life was saved.
What do you have to say to the New Rochelle Police Detectives who determined there was no fentanyl?
New Rochelle Schools Superintendent Jonathan P. Raymond was not present nor was anyone from his cabinet, no one from the high school administration, no one from the school board. Two media relations staff were present. Medical Director Dr. Brooke Balchan and the four nurses received plaques from Westchester County: Diane Vetrano, Wendy Miceli, Lisa Grillo, and Calara Cavaho (?)
Latimer’s office put a press statement and two photos and a video of what they called a “News Conference”.
Here is their video:
Here is my video:
Here is their press release which is heavy on fiction, pushing the fake fentanyl narrative.
Westchester County Recognizes New Rochelle School Nurses Who Saved A Student After Suspected Fentanyl Overdose
County Health Department Reminds Residents of Free Naloxone Training Program
(White Plains, NY) – After a New Rochelle High School student nearly overdosed from vaping a substance suspected to be laced with fentanyl, County Executive George Latimer and County Health Commissioner Sherlita Amler, MD recognized five New Rochelle School Nurses who saved the student’s life by quickly administering Naloxone (Narcan).
County Executive George Latimer said: “We would like to recognize these nurses from the New Rochelle City School District, for their heroic actions that ultimately saved this teen’s life. We recognize that fentanyl is present in our communities and among young people, and we want our communities to be saturated with Narcan. Our school districts, communities, residents and families should know that our Health Department offers free Narcan training. Because of these nurses this student was given the gift of continued life, and they are all deserving of our most esteemed praise.”
Westchester County Health Commissioner Sherlita Amler, MD said: “We recognized the dangers of these substances more than eight years ago, when the Westchester County Health Department began training first responders to administer Narcan. To increase the potential to save lives, we have expanded our training program every year and, with the support of County Executive George Latimer, we continue to do so.”
The Westchester County Health Department is also taking this opportunity to remind residents of its free, life-saving Naloxone (Narcan) Training Program. The training program can be taken by anyone 18 years of age or older who live or work in Westchester County, and educates people on how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose.
Naloxone is a prescription medication that is used to reverse an opioid overdose, and the drug is provided for free to anyone who attends a training session. When administered correctly, Narcan nasal spray restores breathing that has been dangerously slowed by an overdose of heroin or prescription painkillers. If used quickly and effectively, Narcan has the potential to save lives.
The Health Department provides school trainings as well as community trainings, and residents who participate will receive a free Narcan kit. To learn more about Narcan or register for an upcoming Community Opioid Overdose Training Session, visit the Health Department’s Website.
Here is a closeup of the County Proclamation.
She was a member of the medical team that was instrumental in saving the life of a high school student. A student at New Rochelle High School is lucky to be alive after she suddenly collapsed amid an overdose, after smoking a marijuana vape pen that was laced with deadly fentanyl.
Once again, a police investigation determined more than a week ago there was no fentanyl present in the student’s system.
She went to visit her school nurses, who are trained to spot and treat potential opioid overdoses. The school nurses quickly administered Narcan to help the student, and ultimately saved her life. The student was later hospitalized, and able to return to school later in the week; and
It is my great privilege, to recognize Dr. Brooke Balchan for her successful efforts that saved this teen’s life.
This student was given the gift of continued life, and you are worthy of our most esteemed praise; and, now therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that as the Westchester County Executive, I recognize Dr. Brooke Balchan, DO, FAAP, as an outstanding Physician and citizen, whose work as the Medical Director/School Physician, for the City School District of New Rochelle, New York is a reflection of her humanitarian spirit, and she continues to give the health and safety of Westchester County school children her utmost devotion and attention.
Media Coverage of Latimer News Conference
WCBS: 5 New Rochelle school nurses honored for saving teen’s life
They administered Narcan on a high school student they believed had used a vape laced with fentanyl. The student later tested negative for opioid exposure.
WABC: Nurses at New Rochelle High School honored after saving student with Narcan
…rushed to help save a high school student who collapsed after vaping. School officials say vaping could have killed the teen… New Rochelle Police say there were no opioids in the student’s blood, and their investigation is closed.
News12: Nurses from New Rochelle HS recognized for saving student with Narcan
School officials said they haven’t been able to recover the vape, which could help determine what substance the student reacted to and where it possibly came from as part of the ongoing investigation.
No mention by News12 that NRPD determined there was no fentanyl. Nurses now say student was unconscious and non-responsive which contradicts statements by New Rochelle Schools Superintendent Jonathan P. Raymond last week.
News12: Police: No opioids in blood of New Rochelle student during suspected overdose
New Rochelle police say a New Rochelle High School student who appeared to be overdosing last week did not have opioids in their bloodstream…the nurses administered Narcan when the student lost consciousness, which was later determined to not be needed.
File this day late and dollar short “revelation” next to Hindenburg Crashed.
Patch: Westchester Honors Staff Who Gave Narcan To Student In Suspected OD
Since the incident, the New Rochelle Police Department told multiple media outlets, including Talk of the Sound and CBS2, that the student’s bloodwork showed no evidence of opioids.
Patch is the only media outlet who correctly acknowledged our role in breaking the news that NRPD determined there was no opioids involved (CBS2 got that information from us, then independently confirmed). It is appreciated.
Who is Jennifer Peck?
A reader tells us that her Facebook profile indicates that Jennifer Peck is New Rochelle Schools Superintendent Jonathan P. Raymond spouse.
Peck posted to our Talk of the Sound page on Monday in response to our reporting on the Friday Night News Dump:
There’s nothing about this that was false. Have you tracked how prolific and terrifying the fentanyl crisis is? It deserves alarms. And, as a parent, I don’t care whether there was fentanyl in the device in the end or not – a nurse acted quickly to save a student who took a substance. The student is safe. Parents need information and guidance and the district is providing that.
Unaware of who she was, we responded to her post:
Jennifer Peck before I delete this comment as I do with all comments that are not posted robertcox.substack.com let me address the foolishness of your comment.
First, you obviously did not read the article linked above. This is the main reason I delete comments — people who comment without bothering to read what I wrote. In this case, the Superintendent’s statement on Friday contained many false and misleading statements.
Second, the nurse involved did the right thing, when in doubt assume the worst.
Third, the nurse did NOT save the student’s life by treating her with Narcan because, as the article explains had you bothered to read it, Narcan is an anti-opioid. As, according to NRPD, there were no opioids in the student’s system the Narcan had no effect.
The student did not OD on fentanyl so the student is not “safe” because the nurse administered Narcan.
That fentanyl is dangerous is not a justification for creating and promoting a false narrative that a student nearly died but was saved a nurse administering an anti-opioid medication to a patient who did not ingest an anti-opioid.
The article notes that the entire media blitz by the Superintendent was meant to accomplish what you have demonstrated here — that he has caused many people including you to become invested in what we now know to be a false narrative.
Knowing that there was never any fentanyl should be dispositive but like the Superintendent and the District as a whole you are invested in wanting the fentanyl narrative to be true when it is not true.
You might ask yourself why you cling to something that is false being true.
We received an answer to that last question from a reader who convinced us with details from her Facebook profile that Peck is here defending her husband, Jonathan Raymond. We offered her an opportunity to provide appropriate context for her comment but, so far, she declined.
I do think readers should know that you are not a disinterested party in the matter when it comes to Superintendent Raymond and this false fentanyl narrative.
Do you want to tell them or shall I?
EDITOR’S NOTE: We will track and retractions or corrections here. So far, one two three four five six media outlet have confirmed with NRPD our reporting that there was no fentanyl but have continued to report as if the original claims by school officials were true:
- WVOX-AM
- Journal News
- WCBS
- WABC
- News12
- Patch