Knowing somebody who abuses opioids isn’t uncommon for students in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Kaya Stephens knows at least three people who have overdosed and sees addiction firsthand at her school in Montgomery County, Maryland.
“It’s very unfortunate how normalized it is,” said Stephens, a rising senior at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring.
By the time students are in 12th grade, 46 percent have tried illicit drugs, including opioids, according to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics.
Public school systems in the DMV are trying to combat drug abuse after having multiple cases of students nearly overdosing while at school.
Eleven students in Montgomery County Public Schools died of an overdose in 2022. Neighboring counties have encountered the same problems relating to opioids and students. A high school in Loudoun County, Virginia, had eight student overdoses in three weeks during 2023.
The opioid fentanyl is a relatively new drug among students and is deadly.
Drug dealers are lacing other opioids with fentanyl, which means people who didn’t intend to use the drug can be affected. To protect their students, local school districts have instructed staff to carry a life-saving drug that temporarily reverses the effects of an overdose: naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, the brand name for one of the original nasal sprays.
Montgomery County is fighting opioid abuse by increasing access to naloxone. The county has added a new approach by teaching students and staff how to administer naloxone and be safe. In addition to equipping staff and security with naloxone, the county allowed students to carry it as well in May 2023.
Students see this problem firsthand. Watching a friend or classmate battle drug addiction or nearly overdose in school is something that stays with them. However, students are experiencing the opioid problem so much that some have become desensitized.
“I know a lot of people who OD’d,” said Reggie Mateck, a rising junior at Montgomery Blair High School. “It affects my mental health, like not as much as someone would think, but it’s just like … I know that person and … he dies.”
“It doesn’t really have an effect,” Mateck added, “because at the end of the day, you’re in control of your life. You know what you’re doing.”
Similar to Montgomery County, D.C. Public Schools stock schools with naloxone. Programs include scenario-based learning, informational health suites and multimedia resources to show real-life consequences of substance use. The District has also equipped schools with mental health professionals to help students with various issues. Prince George’s County Public Schools has also set up counseling centers in high schools at various times and dates. Many counties have also installed vape detectors in high schools.
Alexandria City Public Schools takes a comprehensive, multi-tiered approach, including prevention and education in classrooms from kindergarten to 12th grade, early identification, recovery support, emergency overdose response, and coordination with local public health and federal drug enforcement agencies. Alexandria also receives naloxone from the state of Virginia to distribute to schools.
Fredy Martinez, Substance Abuse Prevention & Early Intervention services coordinator, explains how his district is equipping and training staff.
“We provide Narcan supply,” Martinez said. “We get more supply from the state and distribute those. We have universal, mandated training for new hires [and] booster sessions for those who are working with us every year.”
Lawmakers have also stepped into the fight against drug and opioid abuse. Due to the increase in school-related overdoses, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order in 2023 requiring school districts to notify parents of school-connected overdoses within 24 hours.
Nationally, lawmakers have introduced several bills to protect students. For example, U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., introduced H.R. 5625 Fentanyl Awareness for Children and Teens in Schools Act in 2023. Sen. Margaret Wood Hassan, D-N.H, introduced the Senate version of the FACTS Act last year.
Beatrice Coe-Mullin, a rising senior at George C. Marshall High School in Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia, wants districts to do more to uplift their students.
“One of the most important things is making sure that students have a good support system because, oftentimes, people [who abuse opioids] don’t need to keep getting ridiculed.”
Adanna Akamigbo is a reporter for VoicesofTomorrow.news through the Howard University Multicultural Media Academy. She is a senior at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland.
