"It only takes one pill": Georgia father shares daughter's story as state moves to put Narcan in every public school
A metro Atlanta father is sharing his daughter's story as Georgia takes a major step to fight the opioid crisis in schools. The state is moving forward with a plan to place Narcan — the fast-acting opioid reversal spray — in every public school by spring of next year.
For Andrew Butler, the effort comes just as his family approaches a heartbreaking milestone: nearly five years since his 17-year-old daughter Clara died after unknowingly taking a fentanyl-laced pill.
"We try to honor her every year."
Clara Butler was a senior at Collins Hill High School — an energetic, joyful teen who loved water skiing, working in the garden, her church, and her friends.
"She was very outgoing… didn't know a stranger," her father said.
The night before she died, the family had celebrated her brother's birthday. They came home, said goodnight, and Andrew told his daughter he looked forward to seeing her in the morning.
He never imagined that would be the last time he would speak to her.
"I said, 'I love you… see you in the morning,'" Butler recalled. "And woke up the next morning to wake her for school… and that was it."
In the days that followed, the family learned several teens in the area had died that same week from fentanyl-laced pills — counterfeit tablets disguised as something safe.
Georgia to expand Narcan access in schools
As Georgia prepares to make Narcan available in all public schools, metro Atlanta districts tell CBS News Atlanta they already have doses on hand.
- Atlanta Public Schools says both school resource officers and nurses are trained to administer Narcan.
- DeKalb County School District also confirmed its schools are stocked.
Butler says expanding access to Narcan is critical as fentanyl contamination becomes more common — even in pills teens believe are harmless.
"As much as you don't want to believe your child will try something… you never know," he said. "And now they're lacing just about anything with fentanyl. So to have the resource to help someone and not provide it — I think that's an unwise decision."
A message for parents: "Talk to your kids. Don't assume."
As the state rollout moves forward, Butler hopes Clara's story pushes parents to have difficult, honest conversations.
"Talk to your kids about everything and everybody they're around," he said. "If your kid says nothing's wrong… don't accept that at face value."
He also believes parents should rethink the idea of total privacy in the home. On the night Clara died, he noticed her bedroom door was locked — something he normally didn't allow.
"That night, I thought, 'I'm not going to mess with it,'" he said. "That's a second guess I'll always have."
A loss no family should face
Five years later, Butler honors Clara by spending the anniversary of her death in the garden — the place she loved most. He hopes that by sharing her story, other families will be spared the pain his family carries.
"You never think it's going to be your child," he said. "But it only takes one pill."