STERLING, Va. — The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office has launched an investigation at Park View High School after at least eight students suffered opioid-related overdoses, seven of which were reported in the past three weeks.
Investigators say four of the overdoses occurred in the school, and of these, three required Narcan to be administered, and two required CPR by school personnel. All these overdoses appear to involve fentanyl, which is commonly found in the form of a counterfeit 30 mg oxycodone pill that is blue, circular, and may be stamped “M30”.
The sheriff's office has assigned additional resources to Park View High School to identify the source and distribution of the opioids and is working closely with school administrative and security personnel there.
“We know the overwhelming number of Park View students are responsible and care about the safety of their school, and we are putting all available resources into identifying who is responsible for distributing these lethal drugs,” said Sheriff Mike Chapman. “We have also encouraged LCPS to continue its communications with the Park View community and have offered our assistance with additional educational and security measures,” he added.
No students who overdosed will be named by the school, nor information about the status of the ongoing investigation.
Officials say an opioid overdose is defined as a reaction to a suspected opioid that requires medical treatment in the form of Narcan, CPR, or transport to the hospital.
Including these recent overdoses at Park View, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office has investigated 18 reports of opioid overdoses of Loudoun County juveniles this year. In 2022, the LCSO investigated a total of 19 comparable reports.
Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid, easy to disguise, and relatively inexpensive to produce and distribute. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, 7 out of every 10 pills seized contain a lethal dose of fentanyl.
Please contact the LCSO immediately if you have any information about the overdoses at Park View High School or any other Loudoun County school.
- You can call the LCSO non-emergency number at 703-777-1021.
- You can report an anonymous tip by calling 703-777-1919.
- You can email a tip to Sheriffs_Narc_Tips@loudoun.gov.
- You can report a tip through the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office app.
- You can report a tip through the Safe2Talk app.
- You can report information on the LCSO website at LINK
If you, or someone you know, has substance abuse issues there is help available. Call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration hotline at (800) 662-4357.
Naloxone, commonly known as NARCAN, is a medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and can be purchased over the counter or requested from many health departments at no cost.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse says naloxone has no effect on someone who does not have opioids in their system. According to the CDC, it may be administered on people of all ages.
Where to find Naloxone in DC, Maryland and Virginia:
Maryland: Department of Health
Virginia: Department of Health
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