I examine in this dissertation, using a three article format, how rural districts, communities, and superintendents made sense of and responded to the current opioid epidemic in western Pennsylvania. I conducted extensive fieldwork in rural western Pennsylvania, an area heavily affected by the recent opioid crisis, over the 2017-2018 school year. I examine how economic and educational policies affected the capacity of districts in this region to respond to the opioid crisis and its effects (e.g., the effects of parental substance use disorders on students). I further analyze the ways local residents applied moral valuations associated with rurality and drug addiction to make sense of their own and their community's responsibility in supporting those addicted to opioids, and how these moral valuations in some instances limited collective resolve to address this crisis. Having examined the broader and local contexts that structure district and local responses to this crisis, I explore the skills and strategies that superintendents have used to work within their contextual opportunities and constraints to implement district responses to this epidemic that support all students. I conclude with a discussion of the policy, theory, and educational practice implications of this research. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]