SAMMAMISH, Wash. — A Skyline High School football player died of a drug overdose on Sunday, officials said.
He's the second junior from the school to die of the same overdose in less than two months.
Detectives are investigating if the opiates taken by the teens contained fentanyl, a drug considered by experts to be 30 to 50 times stronger than pure heroin.
>>Related: Health officials: Fentanyl-laced drugs linked to increase in King County overdose deaths
Tuesday night, Skyline's football team came onto the field during a girls' soccer game for a moment of silence to honor the victims: Lucas Beirer and Tom Beatty.
Parent Meg Barlament helped organize the special recognition but said "the Skyline women's soccer team and ASB did ll the work and got all the kids there."
"One of the victims is a football player, so to have the team lined up down there during the moment of silence just makes it that much more special," she said.
Parents want answers about the drug that's killing students.
"It's being laced with fentanyl and these kids, they're dying," Barlament said. "And the ones that make it to the hospital and aren't dying? It's just going to happen again."
The Issaquah School District says opiate abuse is a crisis in the Sammamish community and released this statement:
"Our hearts ache for our students and school communities that have been and continue to be impacted by the devastating effects of opiates. Not only are we passionate about the educational success of our students, but we care deeply for their health and well-being. We have invested in additional counselors and Swedish Hospital mental health specialists in every secondary school. More than two weeks ago we reached out to the City of Sammamish to discuss the impact of opiates and the role of law enforcement in our schools and community. We intend to engage similarly with all our city partners. Last week during the Board retreat, we had a strategic discussion about the crisis in our community with illegal drug abuse. Yet we know that talking about it is not enough."
Cox Media Group
