City of Dallas and Dallas ISD to host Spanish fentanyl awareness forum on Saturday

The city of Dallas is teaming up with Dallas ISD to hold a forum in Spanish this Saturday on fentanyl overdoses among North Texas teenagers.

The event will be at the Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center, 1201 E. Eighth St., from 8 a.m. to noon.

The forum will be in Spanish because at recent meetings held by DISD about the fentanyl crisis, most parents who attended spoke Spanish as their first language, said Claudia Torrescano, communications manager with the city.

“We are doing this in Spanish intending to reach more parents, specifically with this vital information. We know the majority either speak Spanish as their first language or feel more comfortable receiving information in Spanish,” said Torrescano.

In Dallas, at least 36% of the population speaks Spanish, according to the U.S. Census.

Fentanyl is a highly potent and addictive synthetic opiate. An amount as small as the tip of a sharpened pencil can be a potentially deadly dose, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

It’s often mixed into counterfeit pills that look like other prescription opioids. Unknown to buyers, the drug is often laced into fake Percocet, OxyContin, or Xanax pills, the DEA says on its website.

In February, three Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD teens died, and at least half a dozen other students were hospitalized after taking fentanyl.

Last month, parents from Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD demanded that the district provide informative sessions in Spanish. About 55% of the district’s students are Hispanic.

Details about the event

Parents and children from five years old and up are welcome to attend the event, and breakfast will be served at 8:30 a.m.

The event will start with the documentary Dead on Arrival, about how fentanyl kills young people. The documentary is in English but will be captioned in Spanish.

Speakers will include DISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde, Dallas City Council members Paula Blackmon and Adam Bazaldua, Dallas police Chief Eddie García, and representatives from the Overdose Response Team, the DEA and Children’s Health Hospital.

Torrescano said interpreters will be available for any panelists who do not speak Spanish.

For teenagers, there will be a separate room for them to speak with counselors confidentially in case they want to share anything related to the fentanyl crisis, said Torrescano.

The event will be live streamed via Univision News at univisiondfw.com for those who can’t attend. Attendees are encouraged but not required to register before the event through this form: https://bit.ly/41kq0cz.

For more information, visit: dallascitynews.net/dallas-fights-fentanyl-educational-forum

This is the first forum the city is hosting. Dallas officials also plan to meet with representatives other area school districts to create a uniform campaign against fentanyl overdoses.