Two students at Park View High School in Sterling, Virginia, were hospitalized after what the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office believes was a case of overdosing on opioids.
Loudoun County Public Schools told families that the overdoses were not fatal and that they happened on Park View’s grounds during school hours Wednesday, but that they could not confirm whether drugs were involved, according to Washington’s WTTG.
Tom Julia, the media relations director for the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, told Loudoun Now on Thursday that the two students were juveniles, that they were treated on-site before being hospitalized and that the sheriff’s office is investigating how the students acquired the opioids suspected to be involved in the incident.
WUSA reported that in a letter to families, Park View High Principal Jason Jefferson said, “We have worked diligently to increase awareness about the dangers of fentanyl and other illicit substances. … This issue continues to impact communities across our region, including our own. … Many substances obtained illegally may contain fentanyl or other dangerous additives, often without the user’s knowledge.”
Eight opioid overdoses occurred among Park View High School students in 2023. Four of those took place on school grounds, and all of the incidents involved fentanyl in the form of a counterfeit oxycodone pill, the sheriff’s office said at the time.
