Fairfax County, Va., is no exception to the threat of the opioid crisis to student health and safety, which is why school administrators responded to parents’ concerns Monday night.
Like other communities in the Washington area and across the country, Fairfax County, Virginia is grappling with the fentanyl-induced opioid epidemic; and unfortunately, teenagers are increasingly caught up in the crisis.
Concerned parents gathered at Woodson High School on Monday evening for a briefing by school, health and public safety officials on the dimensions of the drug crisis and its impact on teens.
“Among American adolescents, we’ve seen a fairly rapid increase in fentanyl deaths,” said Jennifer Feltes, an epidemiologist with the Fairfax County Health Department. Parents have been notified that seven Fairfax County teenagers under the age of 18 suffered fatal opioid overdoses from 2020 to nine months of 2022.
And even more teenagers ended up in hospital emergency departments.
“Among those 17 and under, we have unfortunately seen an increase in emergency room visits for non-fatal opioid overdose in recent years,” Feltes said. While there were no opioid-related hospital visits in 2019, there were 27 non-fatal hospital visits last year in Fairfax County and 11 so far this year.
While urging parents to be vigilant about the threat opioids pose to teens, one addiction expert said less than 3% of students regularly use opioids.
“We are here to talk about opioids. It is a very important subject. But I want you all to remember that… the three most widely used substances are still nicotine, marijuana and alcohol,” said Tiffany Jones, senior substance abuse prevention specialist for Fairfax County Schools. .
Jones recommended monitoring medications in the household.
“If you have opioids, I want you to treat them like a loaded gun,” Jones said.
She said it’s also important to encourage young people to do the right thing. And Jones said strong bonds between parents and children, as well as between teachers and students, help prevent children from engaging in risky behaviors.
Fairfax County School Superintendent Michelle Reid told parents the fentanyl issue is significant and will require parents and school officials to work together to protect students from it.
At the information session, parents received training on administering Narcan, the lifesaving inhaler used to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses. Students told the rally that some teachers regularly carried Narcan and student overdoses had become too common.
Officials leading the discussion said while fentanyl and opioid overdoses are impacting lives nationwide, it is a relatively new crisis, forcing school systems and communities to learn together and consider the next steps to counter the crisis.
The school system has told parents it is responding to the crisis by ensuring that students receive health and addiction education, that addiction specialists are available to students, and that Narcan is stocked in all schools.