Who:
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Patrol Operations Bureau
-School Resource Officer Unit

Narcotics Overdose Prevention and Education (NOPE)
Coordinator: Laurie Serra
727-424-6906
Nope.pinellas@gmail.com
www.nopetaskforce.org

Pinellas County Schools
-Palm Harbor Middle School

What:
Members of the Sheriff’s School Resource Officers Unit will join NOPE for an anti-drug presentation at Palm Harbor Middle School. The NOPE message aims to create awareness among students about the serious problem of prescription drug abuse and overdose deaths.

The presentation scheduled at the middle school takes place one day before NOPE and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office host the sixth annual candlelight vigil to remember those who have died in Pinellas County from drug and alcohol related abuse. (See Press Release #14-255 for further details about the candlelight vigil.)

When:
The presentations will be given at 9:30 a.m. and 10:30a.m.Wednesday, October 22, 2014.

Where:
The presentations will be given at Palm Harbor Middle School located at 1800 Tampa Road.

How/Why:
School Resource Officers and NOPE presenters will deliver an anti-drug message to students at Palm Harbor Middle School.

The students will hear directly from parents who have lost a son or daughter to drug overdose, and from deputies who connect their experiences to the loss. The presentation further provides students with information about drug overdose dangers, deaths and prevention. It teaches about the dangers of mixing prescription or other illicit drugs and alcohol; addiction as a disease; how to recognize the sign and symptoms of a drug overdose; and how to get help for yourself or a friend.

Media is invited to cover the Wednesday morning presentations, as well as the candlelight vigil which is set for 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 23, 2014 at Largo Central Park (for details regarding the vigil, please see press release 14-255).

Please contact the Sheriff’s Public Information Office for any additional information.