Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Wastewater at all four public high schools in Quay County tested positive for opioids or stimulants in recent months.
High schools at the Tucumcari, Logan, San Jon and House districts tested positive for the drugs in November or December in an initiative by the governor’s office and New Mexico Environment Department.
According to the data, Tucumcari High School’s wastewater tested positive for the opioids of norfentanyl, hydromorphone and hydrocodone and the stimulants of methamphetamine and amphetamine on Nov. 28.
“We are not really surprised by this information,” interim TPS superintendent Dave Johnson wrote in an email to the Quay County Sun. “We have known for years that there are drugs in our community, and the schools are a microcosm of the community.
“We continue to work with local police and the community to alleviate the problem, but there are no easy fixes.”
Wastewater at Logan High School tested positive for the opioids hydromorphone, codeine, hydrocodone and morphine on Nov. 28. It also tested positive for methamphetamine.
San Jon High School’s wastewater tested positive for amphetamine on Nov. 28. No traces of opioids were found there.
Wastewater at House High School on Dec. 13 tested positive for methamphetamine. Traces of opioids were not detected.
Emails to superintendents at San Jon, Logan and House requesting comment about the tests were not answered.
The wastewater testing was part of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s public health order regarding gun violence and drugs. The governor and several state agencies wanted a more data-driven picture of possible illicit drug use in schools.
The state Environment Department collected wastewater every 15 minutes over the course of one day, using an automatic sampling device at manholes or cleanouts at the schools. The tests checked for 11 types of opioids and four types of stimulants.
The state so far has tested more than 100 schools.
A number of schools in the region, including Mosquero, Roy, Fort Sumner, Melrose and Grady, hadn’t yet been tested.
The tests came with caveats.
“The results offer insight into how much and what types of drugs have been consumed for a given population,” the drug-test webpage stated. “The results do not, however, indicate whether the drug consumption was illicit or used in accordance with a prescription.”
The webpage also cautioned that contents in the wastewater didn’t originate from just students. It included faculty, staff and visitors who used restrooms at the facility.