VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — As a new school year begins, public high school students in Virginia will be educated on the dangers of fentanyl.
Tuesday afternoon in Richmond, Gov. Glenn Youngkin and First Lady Suzanne Youngkin held a press conference giving an update on the “It Only Takes One” campaign.
Suzanne Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares announced the launch of the fentanyl awareness pilot program for Roanoke back in January. The goal is to elevate awareness and resources to Virginians about the dangers of fentanyl poisoning.
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The administration says it will incorporate social media messaging, increase NARCAN training, and enlist families who've lost loved ones to fentanyl — equipping them to help spread the message and encourage families to talk about the dangers.
This comes as the Virginia Department of Education announced that it will oversee the distribution of information to high school students. It’s under House Bill 1473 which the General Assembly passed this year requiring VDOE and the Virginia Department of Health to develop an informational one-sheet that school districts will distribute to students in grades 9-12 within the first two weeks of the 2024-2025 school year.
A spokesperson for Virginia Beach City Public Schools says they have also incorporated a fentanyl and drug use/abuse lesson in high school health and P.E. classes and that this year, all students will receive the same specific lesson. That’s in addition to the informational sheet through VDOE and the Virginia Department of Health.
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Shannon Doyle, a Virginia Beach mother who lost her 16-year-old daughter Makayla Cox to fentanyl poisoning in 2022, says this is a step in the right direction.
“I think it really has grown over the past almost three years where there really wasn’t much education and awareness,” said Doyle.
She added that with the increased educational component from state officials, she plans to continue talking to teens about the dangers of drugs.
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“Hopefully the kids open up the discussion with their parents and the parents open up the discussion with the kids, because that’s really your first line of defense.”
To see the informational flyer through VDOE and VDH, click here.
You can find more resources here.
There is also a group called Virginia Fentanyl and Substance Awareness that is trying to bring together those who have been affected by fentanyl and other drugs. Their organizers say they are always looking for voices to bring more awareness and impact as the war against drugs continues.
