‘There is a fentanyl problem here': 9 overdoses reported at Loudoun County high school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The sheriff is up for re-election next week. The timing of these stories is not coincidental.

What does that mean?

The sheriff and several school board seats are up for re-election. There is a certain media outlet that delights in reporting negatively about LCPS and the school board in particular. With an election next week, the FUD cycle is ramped up in the hopes of affecting the outcome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The sheriff is up for re-election next week. The timing of these stories is not coincidental.

Students do drugs based on an election date?

Or do multiple students overdose every week and no media reports it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately it’s not just Park View. The superintendent sent out an email yesterday stating that this school year there have been ten suspected overdoses across six high schools, including Briar Woods and Broad Run which are among the top rated schools within Loudoun.

please post the email.

[Anonymous]

I’m in this district. The families of children WHO ATTEND THIS SCHOOL get an email every time this happens letting them know there was an event at school and if their child saw it and needs mental health support, there are resources available at school. The entire LCPS community does NOT receive that message and nor should it when it is an issue occurring at a school they do not attend.

The story coming out now is pure politics. It’s Chapman wanting to scare up drama for re-election- the extra police he’s put at the school aren’t doing anything it standing around outside in the morning. A school board candidate is using this for her campaign. Now there’s news cameras they’re making a spectacle of the school. None of these people actually care about the real issue and this is not new info- people have been to the school board about the drug crisis and LCPS’ lack of response and resources earlier this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I suspect they will trace the 8 recent ones to the same source.

And? Are you saying well everyone does fentanyl but these 8 were only the bad batch?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I suspect they will trace the 8 recent ones to the same source.

And? Are you saying well everyone does fentanyl but these 8 were only the bad batch?

No, they are saying there is likely a dealer dealing laced drugs at school and all the kids who OD got their drugs from the same seller.

[Anonymous]

I do think the state/districts could be more open about this stuff. I know what years ago (pre covid) you used the VDOE school report card used to list drug stats under their offenses data but now that data either isn't listed or is listed under an ambiguous name that I can't figure out (the listed offenses are things such as "behaviors of a safety concern, behaviors that endanger health, safety, or welfare of others, etc...). I am not sure why or when this changed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do think the state/districts could be more open about this stuff. I know what years ago (pre covid) you used the VDOE school report card used to list drug stats under their offenses data but now that data either isn't listed or is listed under an ambiguous name that I can't figure out (the listed offenses are things such as "behaviors of a safety concern, behaviors that endanger health, safety, or welfare of others, etc...). I am not sure why or when this changed.

The reason we are given is that if they discover a student *in possession* of drugs with the intent to distribute them, it can then be a criminal issue which would be reported. The issue is, the kids are simply infesting the drugs and then having overdoses, so at that point it isn’t a criminal issue, it’s a minor’s personal health information, which will never be published for obvious reasons. Rarely do we recover the substance that the student has ingested because … they consume it.

Now, LCPS used to bring drug dogs in to do sweeps and they easily could do that now. I suspect the reason why they don’t is that WOULD be hard data that would reveal just how many drugs are in schools and they would prefer to not have numbers on that so they can pretend it’s not a problem. Because once they have that data, they can’t ignore it- they would have to invest time and money into a) revising policies that exist around drugs and b) creating actual supports or alternative placements for students who continually overdose at school, because right now there are none. Douglass school doesn’t exist any longer. There is no alternative school to send a student who keeps doing this at school. So they just stay in their school with access to the same drugs and making the same choices because they know at school someone will find them and treat them if they’re overdosing. It is quite literally safer to go to school and do drugs than to stay home and do them.

[Anonymous]

(Ingesting the drugs, obviously- forgive typos)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m in this district. The families of children WHO ATTEND THIS SCHOOL get an email every time this happens letting them know there was an event at school and if their child saw it and needs mental health support, there are resources available at school. The entire LCPS community does NOT receive that message and nor should it when it is an issue occurring at a school they do not attend.

The story coming out now is pure politics. It’s Chapman wanting to scare up drama for re-election- the extra police he’s put at the school aren’t doing anything it standing around outside in the morning. A school board candidate is using this for her campaign. Now there’s news cameras they’re making a spectacle of the school. None of these people actually care about the real issue and this is not new info- people have been to the school board about the drug crisis and LCPS’ lack of response and resources earlier this year.

Exactly this.
Parents have been notified all along.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another piece on the same story:

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/virginia-high-school-saw-8-opioid-overdoses-three-weeks-unprecedented-rcna123151?ex=digest

I find this outrageous:

Four of the overdoses occurred on campus and three required CPR. At least three cases also required the administration of naloxone, a life-saving medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration to quickly reverse opioid overdoses.

Julia said at least one person at every school in Loudoun County is trained to administer the medication.

In a statement Tuesday, the superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools, Aaron Spence, said he was "concerned and saddened" by the crisis, adding that "the issue of addiction is truly at play here."

Spence said the school system held community information sessions about fentanyl last spring and is now training and supplying its high school staff with naloxone. Park View families received a message this week with information and resources, he added.

But Julia said the sheriff's office felt the need to draw more attention to the issue by issuing a press release on Tuesday.

"Normally we allow the schools to take the lead in this, but in all honesty, we felt that there was not enough public information being put out there of what was actually happening," he said.

Loudoun County Public Schools did not respond to a request for comment.

So, the school did not contact parents? The sheriff's office had to do this?

If you read what you quoted, it indicates that the school did contact parents. From above, “Park View families received a message this week…”

"This week." This has been happening for 2 weeks. A bit behind the 8-ball here.
This message should have gone to parents much earlier.
And, I don't care if the sheriff is up for reelection. You think he should NOT have notified parents?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another piece on the same story:

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/virginia-high-school-saw-8-opioid-overdoses-three-weeks-unprecedented-rcna123151?ex=digest

I find this outrageous:

Four of the overdoses occurred on campus and three required CPR. At least three cases also required the administration of naloxone, a life-saving medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration to quickly reverse opioid overdoses.

Julia said at least one person at every school in Loudoun County is trained to administer the medication.

In a statement Tuesday, the superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools, Aaron Spence, said he was "concerned and saddened" by the crisis, adding that "the issue of addiction is truly at play here."

Spence said the school system held community information sessions about fentanyl last spring and is now training and supplying its high school staff with naloxone. Park View families received a message this week with information and resources, he added.

But Julia said the sheriff's office felt the need to draw more attention to the issue by issuing a press release on Tuesday.

"Normally we allow the schools to take the lead in this, but in all honesty, we felt that there was not enough public information being put out there of what was actually happening," he said.

Loudoun County Public Schools did not respond to a request for comment.

So, the school did not contact parents? The sheriff's office had to do this?

It is outrageous, but not for the reason you think. It's outrageous because the corrupt sheriff's department is politicizing things. They did it during the sexual assault cases that made the news (to deflect their culpability) and they did it when they failed to protect the LCPS board and keep order at those board meetings last summer when people from out of town came in and tried to incite violence. Sheriff Chapman has been a partisan phucktard and really needs to be kicked out of office next week. And the board needs to create a Loudoun County Policy Department and just regulate the sheriff's office to jail duty and prisoner transport.

[Anonymous]

I wonder why so many people seem to be so surprised by this news. Kids have been ODing in schools for years. There have been awareness campaigns and Narcan trainings offered to the community. Every time I get one of the ambulance emails from the school, I assume it's an overdose. This is not new. It has been an issue for a long time and some people just haven't paid attention.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another piece on the same story:

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/virginia-high-school-saw-8-opioid-overdoses-three-weeks-unprecedented-rcna123151?ex=digest

I find this outrageous:

Four of the overdoses occurred on campus and three required CPR. At least three cases also required the administration of naloxone, a life-saving medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration to quickly reverse opioid overdoses.

Julia said at least one person at every school in Loudoun County is trained to administer the medication.

In a statement Tuesday, the superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools, Aaron Spence, said he was "concerned and saddened" by the crisis, adding that "the issue of addiction is truly at play here."

Spence said the school system held community information sessions about fentanyl last spring and is now training and supplying its high school staff with naloxone. Park View families received a message this week with information and resources, he added.

But Julia said the sheriff's office felt the need to draw more attention to the issue by issuing a press release on Tuesday.

"Normally we allow the schools to take the lead in this, but in all honesty, we felt that there was not enough public information being put out there of what was actually happening," he said.

Loudoun County Public Schools did not respond to a request for comment.

So, the school did not contact parents? The sheriff's office had to do this?

The Narcan training takes no more than 10-15 minutes. EVERY teacher/staff member should be trained.

Absolutely. In our neighborhood Halloween party in DC the fire department was handing out Narcan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m in this district. The families of children WHO ATTEND THIS SCHOOL get an email every time this happens letting them know there was an event at school and if their child saw it and needs mental health support, there are resources available at school. The entire LCPS community does NOT receive that message and nor should it when it is an issue occurring at a school they do not attend.

The story coming out now is pure politics. It’s Chapman wanting to scare up drama for re-election- the extra police he’s put at the school aren’t doing anything it standing around outside in the morning. A school board candidate is using this for her campaign. Now there’s news cameras they’re making a spectacle of the school. None of these people actually care about the real issue and this is not new info- people have been to the school board about the drug crisis and LCPS’ lack of response and resources earlier this year.

Exactly this.
Parents have been notified all along.

I am no Youngkin groupie AT ALL. I think he is a dangerous slick politician. However, I do believe parents have the "right" to know that this is happening and to what extent it is happening in their kids' school. There is a big difference between the generic email notifications the schools currently send out (we're APS, but they sound exactly like what's described above) and actually notifying parents that an OVERDOSE or DRUG incident occurred. The generic emails can be anything from a student fainting and an ambulance being called, someone falling down the stairs and breaking an arm, a fist-fight fight in the cafeteria, to a student being high or unconscious from an accidental drug overdose. Drug use and the mental health "crisis" of teens is a larger issue concerning more than individual kids and their parents. Fentanyl has advanced the game tremendously. It is important for the parents to know the extent of the problem in their kids' school.