District aims to use data to educate students, parents, community

By Kyle Troutman [email protected]

The Cassville school district was one of 37 in Missouri participating in a voluntary wastewater monitoring program, and it was one of 26 that tested positive for nitazenes in its wastewater.

Merlyn Johnson, Cassville superintendent, said the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education reached out to the district in the fall of 2025 offering the testing program, facilitated by the Department of Public Safety (DPS).

“I as intrigued and thought it would be good to be proactive, so I put us on the list,” Johnson said. “The testing did not start until January, and we did not get the data back until late February or early March. This data can give DPS a lens on where some more serious drugs are being detected, and by providing that data, the goal is to focus on the community and the problem, and provide resources and learning opportunities for families, the community and the district.”

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, nitazenes, or benzimidazole-opioids, are synthetic opioids that originated in the 1950s, and since 2019, the abuse of nitazenes is similar to other synthetic opioids and has resulted in adverse health effects, including death.

Used for their psychoactive effects, nitazenes are likely to be abused in the same manner as schedule I opioids like heroin, etonitazene and isotonitazene. They may be found in tablets, like fake oxycodone, heroin, ketamine and synthetic cannabinoids, and they can be injected, inhaled or swallowed.

Nitazenes demonstrate a potency up to 500 times that of morphine and shown by one animal study to have a higher potency than fentanyl.

Johnson said in cooperation with the city of Cassville, DPS tested the wastewater pipe coming out of Cassville High School on Partridge Street, pulling samples weekly from 2 feet into the pipe coming directly from the school building.

“DPS brought in their wastewater experts, and they are doing the testing,” Johnson said. “Our tap water is safe to drink. This is sewer water [coming from flushed toilets or water going down sinks]. They tested the water during the school day to get majority student restroom use. We understand there could be adults using the facilities, as well. Regardless if it’s from an adult or a kid, if an adult is using, we would hope to catch that and deal with it employment wise, and if it’s from students, we have policies to deal with that.”

The testing is not designed to pinpoint any one individual who may have deposited nitazenes into the wastewater, rather, to provide a full picture of nitazenes present in the wastewater.

“We are working to come up with preventative measures,” Johnson said. “We have been in contact with Sheriff Danny Boyd, and e plan for the Sheriff’s office to come and educate students about dangerous drugs. But, this has been a problem for a while, and it’s not just here.”

Other Ozarks schools with positive results included Republic, Marshfield, Marionville, Eminence, Fair Grove, Salem and St. James. Monett, Crane, Bakersfield, Fordland, Strafford and Waynesville all tested negative.

“We do random drug tests of kids who play sports or drive cars to school, and some people disagree with that, but I think the data we are getting shows the need,” Johnson said. “We don’t believe [nitazenes] in the wastewater necessarily indicates drug use during the school day, but it can be something where someone has used a drug within the last 24 hours, or if someone is flushing pills down the toilet, that would be a high indication.”

Johnson said the district has access to a program dashboard comparing Cassville to other districts, and as Cassville continues to use that data, it will learn more information about where it stands.

“We are open to talking, and we want to be proactive,” Johnson said. “We’re looking for ways to educated kids. Kids are able to get stuff, and they trust each other. We’ve talked about approaching businesses and asking for help. We feel we’ve been put in a corner, and we have to fight back.”

On Thursday, Johnson release the following statement regarding the wastewater testing results:

“As superintendent of Cassville R-IV Schools, I want to take a moment to share with our students, families and community about an important step we are taking to support student safety and well-being.

“Cassville Schools has chosen to voluntarily participate in the State of Missouri’s wastewater testing program. This program is provided at no cost to our district, and our decision to participate reflects our commitment to being proactive and preventative in how we approach student health and safety. Rather than waiting to respond to potential issues, we believe it is our responsibility to stay informed and act early.

“It is important for our community to understand what this program is, and what it is not. The testing conducted through the Department of Public Safety is highly credible and designed to provide reliable, science-based information. At the same time, it does not identify individuals in any way. The data is aggregated, meaning it gives us a broad picture of potential trends, not specific people. This allows us to focus on awareness, education, and support rather than enforcement.

“We also want to be very clear: this is not a challenge unique to Cassville. Communities across Missouri and the nation are facing similar concerns related to dangerous substances, including emerging threats such as nitazenes. This is a widespread issue, and our participation in this program is about being part of a larger, coordinated effort to address it responsibly.

“Our focus moving forward will remain on prevention and education. We are committed to equipping our students and families with accurate information, raising awareness about the risks, and providing the support needed to make safe and informed decisions. As part of these efforts, we are currently making arrangements to invite Sheriff Danny Boyd and his team to speak with our students in the very near future to further reinforce these important messages.

“We will continue working closely with the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and our local partners to ensure we are responding appropriately and responsibly to any information we receive.

“At the end of the day, this effort is about caring for our students, supporting our families, and strengthening our community. We appreciate your partnership as we take this proactive step together.”