Alamo Heights ISD is one of 10 school districts in the state selected for a pilot program with the Texas High School Coaches Association (THSCA) to encourage the safe disposal of unused prescription medications.
The Friday Night Lights Against Opioids campaign will distribute more than 3.5 million at-home medication disposal packets at high school athletic programs across the state.
At the last home football game of the year, Friday, Oct. 28, athletics staff distributed DisposeRx packets to AHISD families. The packets contained instructions on how to use the enclosed DisposeRx powder to safely dispose of unused medications.
More than 5,000 Texans die from overdoses each year, mainly from opioids, and more than 50 percent of people who misuse prescription painkillers get them through friends or relatives.
October is Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Month and October 29 is DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
Next year the THSCA program will be launched statewide.