Illinois
Naperville student’s mission leads to mandatory fentanyl education in Illinois schools
Naperville student’s mission leads to mandatory fentanyl education in Illinois schools
Fentanyl frequently makes headlines when it comes to the news, but it’s not always talked about – if at all – in the classroom. In a FOX 32 special report, Elizabeth Matthews takes a look at a new law that would change that.
CHICAGO – Fentanyl frequently makes headlines when it comes to the news, but it’s not always talked about – if at all – in the classroom.
In a FOX 32 special report, Elizabeth Matthews takes a look at a new law that would change that.
For Lelia Peradotti, the topic of fentanyl became a personal one about 2 ½ years ago.
“My mom. Her boyfriend passed away from fentanyl. And she had found him in his apartment. Unfortunately he had already passed,” Peradotti says.
The untimely death sent shock waves through her family and got her thinking.
“I kind of questioned myself, and I was wondering what even is fentanyl because at that point I hadn’t been taught a ton about it in school. During that year and during that time, I had my health class, but I was only taught a very, very small amount about fentanyl,” she said.
That’s why Peradotti made increasing education about fentanyl the goal of a social studies project she had at Naperville Central High School last year.
“So my action was creating two bills that have helped get my point across right,” Peradotti said. “So the first one is obviously about fentanyl education in schools.
SUBSCRIBE TO FOX 32 ON YOUTUBE
“This House bill it basically requires high school health classes to teach about the danger of fentanyl. To teach about recognizing the symptoms of an overdose. And more importantly, how to treat that overdose if you see one happening,” she said.
After being contacted by Peradotti’s teacher, State Rep. Janet Yang Rohr worked closely with her to turn those bills in to laws.
The second bill requires school nurses to have Narcan in their offices.
Laura Fry, executive director of the harm reduction organization Live4Lali, says a drug education gap can have deadly results.
“I’m talking to kids who have no idea what fentanyl is. Kids who have no idea what naloxone is and that they should carry it. And then all the way on the other end of spectrum, I know about fentanyl. I like that,” Fry said.
Fry says we need to close that gap make sure kids don’t just learn about drugs on the street.
“That’s not where we want kids to get their education. Children are curious and the moment we say to them one pill will kill you, and they happen to try it, and they don’t die, then we’re all liars. So things are impulsive. Nothing is going to happen to me,” she said.
But statistics show just the opposite.
“What we are finding because we test people’s drugs, is fentanyl across the board. We have tested and found it in all pressed pills. We have tested and found it in LSD,” Fry says.
In 2022, the Cook County medical examiner’s office saw a record number of opioid-related deaths, the vast majority traced back to fentanyl.
DuPage County reported 150 overdose deaths that same year with more than two-thirds of those also tied to fentanyl.
It’s a trend that lawmakers like Yang Rohr have been following closely
“What we’ve seen over the past decade especially, is just like a huge rise in opioid overdoses. And fentanyl has really become a part of that. And so what we want to make sure is that students, that our public is aware of these issues, right? If you don’t talk about it, then maybe you don’t know about it until it’s too late,” Yang Rohr said.
Much like Peradotti and her family.
“So when you put it into that curriculum, then it makes sure that when you’re going through high school. That you’ll definitely get this piece of education,” Yang Rohr said.
Both of the bills Yang Rohr and Peradotti worked on together were signed in to law by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker late last month.
They both take effect at the start of the 2024-25 school year.
Northern Illinois fell to host Miami (Ohio) 20-9 for its fifth loss in the last nine games. The Redhawks won their sixth in a row. Telly Johnson Jr. had a two-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 17-9 before a failed two-point conversion, but that’s as close as the Huskies (6-5, 3-4 MAC) would get.
Javon Tracy had 79 yards receiving on six catches and threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Virgil, who finished with four receptions for 107 yards.
Dylan Downing scored on a two-yard run that gave the Redhawks a 7-0 lead with 2:31 left in the first quarter and Dom Dzioban kicked a 22-yard field goal early in the second quarter. Tracy took a jet sweep to the right and then lofted a pass down the same sideline to Virgil in the end zone to make it 17-0 with 3:50 left in the second quarter.
Kanon Woodill kicked a 47-yard field goal with 4 seconds left in the first half got the Huskies on the scoreboard.
Dzioban made a 22-yard field goal to cap the scoring with 2:25 to play.
CHICAGO — Six of the top 10 best middle schools in Illinois are part of Chicago Public Schools, according to a new analysis by U.S. News & World Report.
The 2025 best middle schools rankings includes more than 2,500 in Illinois and scores them based on state assessment scores and publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education.
Scores were analyzed in the context of socioeconomic demographics, and student-teacher ratios were used as a tiebreaker when schools scored equally.
Find out what’s happening in Wilmette-Kenilworthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
LaMont Jones, U.S. News’ managing editor for education, said research shows that students’ academic performance in early grades can be major indication of their success at the secondary and postsecondary levels.
“The 2025 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings offer parents a way to evaluate how schools are providing a high-quality education and preparing students for future success,” Jones said in a release. “The data empowers families and communities to advocate for their children’s education.”
Find out what’s happening in Wilmette-Kenilworthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Top 10 Middle Schools In Illinois
1. Edison Elementary Regional Gifted Center – Chicago
Grades: K–8
Enrollment: 267
2. Young Magnet High School – Chicago
Grades: 7–12
Enrollment: 2,148
3. Lane Technical High School – Chicago
Grades: 7–12
Enrollment: 4,496
4. Decatur Classical Elementary School – Chicago
Grades: K–6
Enrollment: 323
5. Reservoir Gifted School – Peoria
Grades: 5–8
Enrollment: 277
6. Skinner North Elementary School – Chicago
Grades: K–8
Enrollment: 490
7. Thurgood Marshall School – Rockford
Grades: 5–8
Enrollment: 482
8. Taft High School – Chicago
Grades: 7–12
Enrollment: 4,464
9. Hickory Creek Middle School – Frankfort
Grades: 6–8
Enrollment: 910
10. Lena-Winslow Junior High School – Lena
Grades: 6–8
Enrollment: 165
Below is the list of the top 25 middle schools in Illinois located outside of Chicago (the top four are also listed above) with their grade levels and enrollment.
It includes 12 schools in Cook County, two each in DuPage, Lake, Peoria and Winnebago counties, and one each from Clinton, Effingham, Grundy, Stephenson and Tazewell counties.
Top 25 Illinois Middle Schools Outside Chicago
1. Reservoir Gifted School – Peoria
Grades: 5–8
Enrollment: 277
2. Thurgood Marshall School – Rockford
Grades: 5–8
Enrollment: 482
3. Hickory Creek Middle School – Frankfort
Grades: 6–8
Enrollment: 910
4. Lena-Winslow Junior High School – Lena
Grades: 6–8
Enrollment: 165
5. Northbrook Junior High School – Northbrook
Grades: 6–8
Enrollment: 631
6. Kennedy Junior High School – Lisle
Grades: 6–8
Enrollment: 931
7. Teutopolis Junior High School – Teutopolis
Grades: 7–8
Enrollment: 178
8. Highcrest Middle School – Wilmette
Grades: 5–6
Enrollment: 760
9. Daniel Wright Junior High School – Lincolnshire
Grades: 6–8
Enrollment: 764
10. Margaret Mead Junior High School – Elk Grove Village
Grades: 7–8
Enrollment: 671
11. Aviston Elementary School – Aviston
Grades: PK–8
Enrollment: 429
12. Park Junior High School – La Grange Park
Grades: 7–8
Enrollment: 694
13. Marie Murphy School – Wilmette
Grades: 6–8
Enrollment: 276
14. Willowbrook Middle School – South Beloit
Grades: 5–8
Enrollment: 296
15. Dunlap Middle School – Dunlap
Grades: 6–8
Enrollment: 544
16. Sunset Ridge Elementary School – Northfield
Grades: 4–8
Enrollment: 249
17. Westfield Middle School – Bloomingdale
Grades: 6–8
Enrollment: 484
18. Saratoga Elementary School – Morris
Grades: PK–8
Enrollment: 772
19. Field School – Northbrook
Grades: 6–8
Enrollment: 309
20. Central School – Glencoe
Grades: 5–8
Enrollment: 568
21. Wood Oaks Junior High School – Northbrook
Grades: 6–8
Enrollment: 475
22. McClure Junior High School – Western Springs
Grades: 6–8
Enrollment: 455
23. Highland Middle School – Libertyville
Grades: 6–8
Enrollment: 755
24. Morton Junior High School – Morton
Grades: 7–8
Enrollment: 485
25. The Joseph Sears School – Kenilworth
Grades: PK–8
Enrollment: 471
More information is available from U.S. News & World Report’s full list of the best Illinois middle schools
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
Alabama was unsuccessful in last Friday’s fierce test against a Big Ten program, falling at Purdue to slide out of the top five in the polls.
The No. 8 Crimson Tide will see another ranked Big Ten squad on Wednesday when they battle No. 25 Illinois in the C.M. Newton Classic at Birmingham, Ala.
Alabama (3-1) was outclassed 87-78 in the showdown against the Boilermakers. But coach Nate Oats indicated there is a method behind the madness of playing a road game against a team that lost in last season’s NCAA title game.
“We schedule these games for a reason,” Oats told reporters. “We like to go against the best teams in the country and figure out what we have to work on, and we have plenty to work on because (the Boilermakers) are good. Braden Smith is one of the best guards in the country and he does not turn the ball over. As a team, they only had three turnovers.”
The Crimson Tide struggled defensively but received a solid offensive performance from freshman guard Labaron Philon, who scored 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Philon is averaging 12 points through four games.
“Labaron has been really good. Probably better than what we thought he was going to be,” Oats said. “I thought he had a pretty good game. But we got to keep developing our bench. We got to keep developing the young guys and they got to help us win a lot of games this year.”
Mark Sears had 15 points and six assists but made just 5 of 15 shots against Purdue. The first-team All-American is averaging a team-best 17.3 points but his high outing is just 20.
Last season, Sears scored 20 or more points on 26 occasions while setting a school record with 797 points.
Illinois (3-0) won its first two games by 45 and 32 points, respectively, before posting a 66-54 home win over Oakland on Wednesday.
Fighting Illini coach Brad Underwood said the Golden Grizzlies affected the speed of the game by their cautious approach and a zone defense that forced patience and perimeter shots.
The Illini didn’t respond well, committing 18 turnovers and making just 7 of 25 3-point attempts.
“The biggest, most important, takeaway for me is it’s not always fun and easy and free flowing,” Underwood said. “There’s going to be some grind-it-out games. I thought we handled that pretty well for the most part, but we’ve still got some things to work on.”
Tomislav Ivisic recorded 20 points, six rebounds and four steals to continue his strong start. He has a team-best five steals and also leads in rebounding at 9.0 per game in addition to being the squad’s second-leading scorer at 17.3.
The 7-foot-1 Croatian made 9 of 14 field-goal attempts while finding open creases in the Oakland defense.
“We were preparing for their zone the whole week,” Ivisic said. “The coach was asking for me to be in the middle spot. That I would have a lot of space there to help my teammates, assist them, or have open shots.”
Will Riley, who is averaging 17.7 points and 6.0 rebounds off the bench, had just eight points on 2-of-8 shooting against Oakland.
Alabama has won three of the four meetings between the schools. In the most recent contest, Alabama rolled to a 79-58 home win in the first round of the NIT.
–Field Level Media
SS United States, record-setting ocean liner, makes its final voyage
Democrats in disarray: Growing field in race to chair party
Suzanne Simpson's home may be sold as missing realtor's husband remains behind bars in murder case
FEMA must be 'completely revamped,' House Republican from hurricane-battered district tells agency chief
Democrat responds after sparking protests outside office with defense of women's sports
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
SS United States, record-setting ocean liner, makes its final voyage
President-elect Trump has considered buying Greenland: Here's every proposal in American history
G20 Summit: Brazil's president calls for more action on climate change
Who is Linda McMahon? Donald Trump taps WWE co-founder, top ally to be education secretary
Graham asks 51 intel officials on Hunter laptop letter if they'd still sign it now amid threats to clearances
-
News1 week agoHerbert Smith Freehills to merge with US-based law firm Kramer Levin
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25724877/Super_Nintendo_World.png "The next Nintendo Direct is all about Super Nintendo World’s Donkey Kong Country")
Technology1 week agoThe next Nintendo Direct is all about Super Nintendo World’s Donkey Kong Country
-
Business7 days ago
Column: OpenAI just scored a huge victory in a copyright case … or did it?
-
Health7 days agoBird flu leaves teen in critical condition after country's first reported case
-
Business3 days agoColumn: Molly White's message for journalists going freelance — be ready for the pitfalls
-
Politics1 week ago
Editorial: Abortion was on ballots across the country in this election. The results are encouraging
-
World1 week agoSarah Palin, NY Times Have Explored Settlement, as Judge Sets Defamation Retrial
-
Politics2 days agoTrump taps FCC member Brendan Carr to lead agency: 'Warrior for Free Speech'
