B.C. mother calls for change after daughter finds drugs on elementary school grounds

A Vancouver Island mother is speaking out after her daughter found a package of drugs at her elementary school.

Andrea Miller says her daughter, Everleigh, found a packet containing fentanyl and other drugs on the grounds of École Quarterway Elementary in Nanaimo – and she's concerned that it's only a matter of time before a student overdoses.

Miller says if her child had ingested what was inside the bag – which appeared to be a white powered – she could have been killed.

"So that was terrifying," she said.

Miller got the contents of the bag tested, and found that it was a mixture containing fentanyl and benzodiazepine.

"If my daughter would have ingested this in class, she would have died before a teacher could get an ambulance there to save her," said the kindergartener's mother.

Miller says the school district has been quick to respond.

"Safety of our students and staff are of the utmost priority," said Dale Burgos, spokesperson for Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools (SD68).

The school district is installing security cameras at Quarterway and is reminding kids to tell an adult if they find something.

SD68 will also be performing additional sweeps of school grounds throughout the day.

École Quarterway Elementary in Nanaimo is pictured. (CTV News)"So that we’re not only finding empty bottles, which we often do, [and] cans," said Burgos. "There have also been incidents where our principals are cleaning up human feces and this is a daily occurrence."

"Thankfully, some parents have stepped up and have said, 'I can help,'" said Burgos.

The school district adds that every high school carries naloxone, though that's not the case for elementary schools.

SD68 says it's assessing the need to train staff on how to administer naloxone at every school, which is something Miller says she'd like to see.

"The fact that a lifesaving measure is not a given and available in every school appals me," she said.

"I got to experience what it would be like to know that your kids could’ve died and I don’t want anyone else to ever feel that way."