VIRGINIA, USA — Over the last three weeks, ten Loudoun County students have overdosed, four of which happened inside of Park View High School. According to a press release issued by Governor Youngkin, Loudoun County Public Schools waited more than 20 days to notify parents of the overdoses.
Now, Governor Youngkin is taking action. In a new executive order, he is directing the Virginia Department of Education to notify all parents of school-related overdoses within 24-hours, work closely with law enforcement, and increase education about the dangers of abusing drugs.
“Overdoses that occur on school grounds or are connected to the school must lead to an immediate parental notification," said Governor Glenn Youngkin. "School administrators’ first instinct when there is a problem cannot be to delay relevant information on critical children's health and safety matters - it must be passed on to parents immediately. Opioid overdoses have claimed the lives of far too many Virginians, devastating families and communities across the Commonwealth and we must continue to combat opioid abuse and overdoses with action and transparency."
This is in line with Governor Youngkin’s rhetoric of parents’ fundamental rights to be informed of what is going on in their children’s lives while at school.
On his first day in office, Governor Youngkin signed the second executive order to reaffirm the fundamental rights of parents in the upbringing, education, and care of their children. Then in May of this year, he issued his 26th executive order in response to the ongoing fentanyl and opioid crisis.