Just hours after a student suffered a possible overdose at Fairfax High School on Monday, the school district held a meeting with parents to discuss the school system’s growing drug problem.
Rescue crews rushed to the high school after a male student was suspected of overdosing on fentanyl, according to 911 dispatch. Sources from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue confirmed to News4 that student was hospitalized.
“We can’t go a week without an issue around this topic in our young people, and so it’s critical as we approach spring that we have more education and a sense of awareness,” Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid said.
The meeting was the first of several town halls the school district and Fairfax County police plan to hold to raise awareness about the risks of opioid use.
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I lost my son to an unintended overdose.
Fairfax County parent
Chandra Ozkan, who has three sons in elementary school, said when it comes to the dangers of drugs such as opioids and fentanyl, she wants to be prepared.
“As I see it more and more, I see the older kids getting exposed, and I’ve already started talking to my boys,” Ozkan said. “Only a small small tiny dose or exposure to it is going to ruin your life.”
A team of medical experts along with representatives from the DEA and U.S. Attorney’s office made detailed presentations at the meeting. They spoke about addiction and the deadly consequences of just a small amount of fentanyl.
I had friends tell me I was being severe by telling my kids this young, but now I think it’s gonna be a weekly discussion with my kids.
Chandra Ozkan, Fairfax County mom of three
For parents like Ozkan, it was the personal stories on stage and comments from the audience that had the biggest impact.
“I lost my son to an unintended overdose,” one parent said.
“I lost my son about a month ago,” another parent said.
“I had friends tell me I was being severe by telling my kids this young, but now I think it’s gonna be a weekly discussion with my kids,” Ozkan said.
Reid said this meeting was a first in a series and there will be another community conversation in April. The school district will also present the dangers of opioids to high school students over the next two weeks.
Reid declined to share the number of overdoses in the school district this year but said the data will be released soon.
