STERLING, Va. — Student overdoses have been at the forefront of Park View Principal Jason Jefferson's mind. At least 18 juveniles in Loudoun County have overdosed this year alone, and Dr. Jefferson says enough is enough.
Eight of those 18 were current or former Park View students, and four of those eight overdoses happened on campus.
WUSA9 has obtained a letter Principal Jefferson sent to school district officials back in October asking for help addressing student substance abuse concerns.
In the letter, Jefferson pleads for LCPS support as more and more students find themselves victims to the ongoing opioid epidemic.
"My deepest fear is that one day one of our students will unalive themselves in my building because we are not able to respond quickly to the overdose or they have taken too much fentanyl to be saved by school staff," says Jefferson. Adding, "Twice, within five days, my staff has had to view the lifeless body of a student who was in distress due to the effects of the ongoing epidemic in our larger community."
Jefferson says he has been working as a educator for 21 years and in that time, he has never had to deal with this type of challenge in the areas of substance abuse and juvenile addiction. He says he is in need of effective options to support students who struggle with substance abuse. Something he says he does not have now.
In November, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an Executive Order 28, which directs 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. The order was issued in direct response to recent student overdoses in Loudoun County.
“Overdoses that occur on school grounds or are connected to the school must lead to an immediate parental notification," says 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."
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