The superintendent of Socorro Consolidated Schools is asking for stiffer penalties for students accused of drug possession.
The lack of penal consequences for such crimes has led to a rise in drug use in schools, Superintendent Ron Hendrix told KRQE.
"Three weeks ago, we had some fentanyl," he said. "Two weeks ago, we had some fentanyl. Then, last week, we had a student with just a backpack full of drugs."
Hendrix said students are arrested and released soon after, KRQE reported.
"If there's bad behavior, and there's no consequences for it, the bad behavior's going to continue," he said.
School administrators told KRQE there is limited space available to detain juvenile offenders, so most are released.
"We work diligently to get the juvenile placed into a juvenile facility, but unfortunately, there are no facilities right now that are willing to take our kids," William Armijo, Socorro County sheriff, said.
Two students in the district died from drugs tainted with fentanyl in the past year, according to KRQE. This made drug use an urgent issue with the potential for tragic consequences. Administrators hope state funding can provide additional spaces at juvenile facilities.
"For every administration team, for every child, for every parent – this is a plea that we need to step up and take this serious [sic] right now," Dave Hicks, president of the Board of Education at Socorro Consolidated Schools, said.
Staff members from the sheriff's office work on prevention by giving speeches at schools to show the consequences of drug use, KRQE reported. More funding is needed for prevention programs, as well. School officials want more support from authorities, including harsher penalties for adults who sell drugs to minors.
"We're not seeing a whole lot of success; we're having to release them [students] back to the parents," Armijo said.
Hicks is concerned about drugs tainted with fentanyl and potential overdoses.
"My biggest fear is to have to look one of my friends and one of my community members in this town in the eye and say that 'We didn't do enough about it, and I'm sorry your child is dead,'" he said.
The New Mexico Public Education Department helps school districts with prevention programs and training on the use of Narcan, which can reverse an overdose, according to KRQE. This assistance comes through the Department of Health. Albuquerque Public Schools have not reported a rise in fentanyl cases in the district. Rio Rancho Public Schools reported a few recent cases and continue to monitor schools in their district.