An art teacher at a middle school in Westfield, New Jersey, is facing drug-related charges, among other offenses, after allegedly overdosing on opioids in front of students, according to authorities.
In a Jan. 6 press release (pdf), Westfield Police Chief Christopher Battiloro announced that a 57-year-old teacher, identified as Frank Thompson, was found unconscious inside a classroom on the second floor of Roosevelt Intermediate School shortly after 9 a.m. on Nov. 29, 2022.
Fortunato Riga, an on-site school resource officer, was notified about the incident by a school administrator, who urgently requested the officer’s assistance.
Upon arrival, Riga observed that Thompson was being actively treated by a school nurse. He noticed that the teacher showed signs of an opioid overdose and gave him naloxone hydrochloride—or “Narcan”—a medication used to reverse or reduce the effects of opioids….