Concord Police Investigating Overdose At Rundlett Middle School

CONCORD, NH — Concord police are investigating an overdose at the Rundlett Middle School.

On Friday morning, fire and rescue teams were sent to the school for a report of a student who was unconscious in the nurse’s office. Arriving firefighters reported Concord police were already at the scene, having been sent by their department’s dispatcher.

According to scanner chatter, the student reportedly had a previous medical condition, but this incident was unrelated to that history. A few minutes later, the student was taken to Concord Hospital. Not long after that, a parent arrived at the school and was questioned by police.

Det. Lt. Thomas Yerkes Jr., of the Concord Police Department’s criminal investigations division, confirmed there was an open investigation into the matter but could not offer much comment because the case involved a juvenile.

“We’re trying to find out what happened to the student,” he said.

Several parents of middle school students expressed disbelief and concern last weekend that not only was there not a story about the incident but the school district did not inform the greater RMS community about a potential drug overdose in the school.

However, Kathleen Murphy, the superintendent for SAU 8, the Concord School District, said ambulances and police regularly visit the schools for all kinds of medical situations and the entire school community was not informed about every incident.

“If students and staff are in harm’s way,” she said, “I would ask the principal to send out a message, or I would. But if that isn’t the case, we don’t. Only if it impacts children and staff.”

Murphy said students have medical issues, and there are also privacy concerns for students and staff. The parents of students involved are immediately notified of any problem.

When questioned about using the word “medical” instead of “drug,” Murphy said she would not report specific information about a student or staff member. Incidents like the one Friday at the school would be considered the same as a teacher who fell or a student who was injured. Emergency services to the nurse’s office would be considered a medical issue.

New Hampshire and the federal government have health information privacy laws that limit and protect information from being released. However, officials will release the information when warranted or when they require help finding missing persons or escapees from medical facilities.

When asked about the school resource officer being stationed at RMS — something that members of the board of education have rejected previously, Murphy said she had consistently proposed it during the past three budget cycles due to the number of students in the middle school.

“It’s helpful to support our students,” Murphy said.

Yerkes agreed an SRO at RMS “would help.” But he added the presence of an officer would not “solve every issue we come across.” The SRO, for example, cannot know precisely what happens to students before or after school, he said. But the position was about “having a face kids can go to and staff can lean on,” Yerkes said.

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