Youngkin presses Virginia schools to address fentanyl after overdoses

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) is pressing schools in his state to address fentanyl overdoses.

Youngkin issued an executive order Wednesday calling for the superintendent of public instruction and the Virginia Department of Education to issue guidance requiring parents to be notified within 24 hours of a “school-connected” overdose, alongside other related directives.

“The order instructs the issuance of new guidance in coordination with law enforcement to prevent student overdoses and address the scourge of fentanyl on Virginia’s families and communities,” a press release accompanying the order reads.

The order also noted recent opioid overdoses in one county school district in northern Virginia.

Last month alone saw nine opioid-related drug overdoses among students at Loudoun County Public Schools, with four happening on school property, according to Youngkin’s order. In two cases, school staff performed “live-saving CPR.” In 2023, there have been 19 such overdoses among juveniles in the county.

“Transparency and community awareness are essential to ensuring the safety and well-being of Virginia’s children. The Loudoun County Public School division reportedly waited more than 20 days to inform parents despite clear evidence of numerous incidents of overdose among the students,” the order reads.

“Failure to promptly notify parents endangers the health and welfare of their children and limits parents’ fundamental right to make decisions concerning the upbringing, education and care of their children,” it continued.

Earlier this year, Youngkin joined a group of governors who sent troops to the southern border at the request of Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas), saying one of the reasons states were doing so as attempting to slow the movement of fentanyl. 

The Department of Homeland Security also unveiled a plan to crack down on illicit opioids such as fentanyl in September. The strategy broadly seeks to curb the international and domestic supply of illicit opioids, target opioid traffickers and work with private industry as the government clamps down on the drugs.

“For more than five years now, fentanyl has been causing so much loss of life and destruction in our communities,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.

“We in the Department of Homeland Security, along with our federal, state, and local partners, are committed to combatting this scourge and protecting American communities from it,” Mayorkas added.