Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia on Tuesday issued an executive order mandating that schools notify parents about student drug overdoses that occur on school property or during school hours after one Loudon County high school saw nine overdoses in October.
The order requires schools to notify parents within 24 hours when a student overdoses and to discuss ways to prevent future incidents from occurring.
Park View High School waited more than 20 days to notify some parents that their children had overdosed at school; all of the overdoses involved fentanyl made to look like Percocet.
None of the students died from the overdoses; Narcan was administered to three students who overdosed on school grounds, and two of them were also administered CPR to bring them fully back to consciousness.
Park View is now engaged in assemblies and educational efforts to help students understand the dangers of taking pills even when they think they know what it is, of taking pills offered by someone else, and of the effects of fentanyl.
“LCPS is taking active steps to support our students, families and staff with fentanyl awareness and education, including training and supplying staff in each of our high schools with Naloxone for emergencies,” said Aaron Spence, LCPS Superintendent, in a statement.
We encourage you to share this article on Twitter and Facebook. Just click those two links - you'll see why.
It's important to share the news to spread the truth. Most people won't.