Town hall at Justice High School addresses fentanyl overdoses

Parents need to establish strong bonds with their kids and talk to them about the dangers of fentanyl, school officials advised during a town hall on drug abuse Jan. 8 hosted by the Justice High School PTSA.

“Kids are dying,” said PTSA President Kim Lanoue, referring to Justice 10th-grader Madeline Valeria Mora Centeno, who died at home on Dec. 3 from a fentanyl overdose.

That incident spurred the PTSA to search for answers on how students are getting fentanyl and what parents and school leaders can do to prevent drug abuse.

The solution, they agreed, is all about educating students and parents, making sure students are connected to a trusted adult, and encouraging them to report suspected drug use.

Fentanyl is particularly dangerous because an amount that can fit on a pencil point can be fatal. Also, when students buy pills – often fake blue Percocet pills called perc 30s – they don’t know how much fentanyl is in them. Percocet is a strong opiate prescribed for pain.

Another four juveniles suffered nonfatal overdoses last year in the area around Justice High School, said Lt. Col. Eli Cory, Fairfax County deputy chief of police for investigations.

Back in the 1990s, people bought and sold drugs in open-air markets on street corners or back alleys, Cory said. It’s very different now. The majority of drug transactions are happening digitally on What’s App or other social media sites. The seller arranges to leave the drugs in a certain location; the buyer picks it up and leaves the money.

When the police investigate an overdose, their main concerns are identifying the supplier and getting help for the victim, Cory said.  

Related story: Justice HS overdose victim identified

According to the Fairfax County Youth Survey, in 2022, 1 percent of students (20,507) in grades 8, 10, and 12 reported using painkillers without a doctor’s order in the past month. That’s down from 4.9 percent in 2015.  

The survey might not reflect the whole picture, however, as it’s voluntary and anonymous, said school board member Ricardy Anderson (Mason).

Regarding drug use at Justice High School, Principal Tiffany Narcisse said, “We’ve seen a huge decrease this year.” She installed posters in the cafeteria urging students to say no to drugs and is making sure teachers and students know the signs of drug use. That has helped, she said although, “we’re nowhere near perfect.”

Every administrator at Justice has Narcan, a drug that revives an overdose victim, Narcisse said.  

Kids are not allowed to carry Narcan, but can attend a training session on it from the Community Services Board if accompanied by a parent, noted Tiffany Jones, a senior substance prevention specialist at Fairfax County Public Schools.

This year, there was one drug-related incident in a boys’ restroom and two in a girls’ restroom, said David Wall, head of security at Justice. Staff do targeted sweeps of bathrooms, which has resulted in a “dramatic drop” in drug use.

Fentanyl is ingested when people crush the pills and smoke the powder in aluminum foil, Wall said. It smells like a combination of burnt popcorn and chemicals.

PFC Chase Briggs, the school resource officer at Justice, says students have let him know when other students are using drugs in the bathroom.

It’s important to build rapport with students, so they will report drug use. In one incident this year, a student told staff that another student was experiencing an overdose. The student survived.

Lanoue said students often don’t report drug use because they don’t trust adults and don’t want the victim to be punished.

That’s why it’s critical for every student to be connected to a trusted adult, said Anderson. “Students with a trusted adult would be most likely to report a problem.”

There are ways for students to report tips anonymously, said FCPS Superintendent Michelle Reid. That issue will be discussed in more detail at a “community conversation to raise awareness about fentanyl and other drugs” Jan. 10 at Edison High School.

The parents of Cayden Foster, an overdose victim, will be at the meeting to share their story and help prevent other parents from going through the pain they’ve endured. Cayden, a student at Centreville High School, died in January 2023 after taking a Percocet pill that contained fentanyl.

Related story: Police educate Annandale residents on the fentanyl crisis

Jones urged parents and school staff to be aware of the signs of drug abuse. Students could exhibit personality changes and problematic behavior, stop hanging out with their old friends, and drop out of school activities.

“It’s a matter of tolerance” whether someone overdoses, said Jones. The longer a person is using fentanyl, the more tolerance they build up, and because they don’t know what’s in the pills they are taking, they could end up with a fatal dose.

Kids take fentanyl because they want a cheap high, they’re looking for escape, they are prone to taking risks, they are dealing with trauma, or they have mental health issues. In some cases, student athletes who are injured are prescribed painkillers and get addicted.

“Kids are autonomous beings. You can do everything right but they still get to make a choice,” Jones said. She advised parents to give them correct information and avoid using scare tactics.

Reid urged parents to monitor their children’s activities and phones, as well as have ongoing discussions about drugs. If kids are connected to a sport or other healthy activity and have a positive peer group, they will be less likely to turn to drugs, she said.

Parents are paying the phone bill, so they have the right to look at their kid’s phone, added Narcisse. She noted that when her daughter was in middle school, she took the bedroom door off its hinges.

“The school board takes this very seriously,” said Anderson. But more needs to be done and resources are limited. She would like to see more security personnel in middle schools.