Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird visited Knoxville High School on Friday.

Bird gave a presentation to the students to talk about the dangers of vaping, texting while driving, and fentanyl use. Also in attendance to speak to the students were Marion County Sheriff Jason Sandholdt, Knoxville Police Chief Aaron Fuller, and Marion County Attorney Jared Harmon. To supplement Bird’s presentation, Sandholdt, Fuller, and Harmon spoke about how all of these issues affect people right here in Marion County. Bird said this presentation was about raising awareness for these issues and protecting our kids.

“We see even middle school students vaping. It’s very dangerous and addicting and often it’s a gateway to illegal drugs. We worry about fentanyl because there is no second chance when it comes to fentanyl, and also the dangers of texting while driving and distracted driving. We want to keep our students safe and have them be leaders with their friends, standing up, and speaking up, so we don’t have anything bad happening related to those issues.”

Fentanyl continues to be a leading cause of death in the State of Iowa, according to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.