The ninth student overdosed on fentanyl Tuesday night at a Loudoun County high school in the past month.
Celia Linares’ son was among the nine who overdosed on the deadly drug, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Wednesday, according to NBC Washington. The Virginia student “didn’t have a pulse” when he was transported to the hospital, a “very worried” Linares said in Spanish.
It’s clear now that Loudoun County Public Schools knew about the many fentanyl overdoses for weeks. It still appears the Loudoun County Superintendent didn’t notify all parents who have kids at the school about these overdoses. If Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman didn’t… pic.twitter.com/w6LY0nWM8z
— Nick Minock (@NickMinock) November 2, 2023
“They look just like Percocet pills,” Sheriff Mike Chapman said. “They look just like pharmaceutical-grade pills and they’re not.”
A potential drug market exists among Park View High School students, according to the outlet. Deputies staked out the school in an intensification of the investigation, searching for pills disguised as prescription drugs. Fentanyl is thought to be contained in the counterfeit pills.
One overdose victim “met [with another student] in the school bathroom to purchase the pills, the day before he overdosed” on Oct. 17, detectives said, according to a search warrant affidavit filed Oct. 24. Two weeks passed before the victim’s parents were notified of his overdose, the outlet reported.
“Why was there a delay until Oct. 31 in letting the community know?” Loudoun County School Board member Tiffany Politico said. “Let parents know exactly what happened so they can have these very real and necessary conversations with their children.” (RELATED: Former Sheriff’s Deputy Allegedly Tied To Cartel After Being Found With Thousands Of Fentanyl Pills)
Nineteen juvenile overdoses related to fentanyl have been reported in Loudoun County in 2023, the sheriff said. Officials urged parents to communicate with their children regarding the risks associated with Linares’ son’s overdose as the victim is “getting better” but remains “in bad shape.”