Student Assistance Services News

Fentanyl continues to make headlines due to its high risk for overdose and its presence in a variety of drugs. Recently you received an email from LCPS outlining the dangers of fentanyl. In an effort to reinforce the seriousness of this drug, we are providing some additional resources and information to keep your kids safe from fentanyl.

• Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is 50-100 times more powerful than morphine. Most drug overdoses are due to illicitly manufactured fentanyl. (Source: DEA Fentanyl Fact Sheet)
• A dose of fentanyl -- which can be as small as the size of the tip of a pencil -- can be lethal.
• Illicit fentanyl is illegally made and sold as a powder, pills, liquid or nasal spray.
  
• Other drug products like marijuana, cocaine, heroin, or unlawfully sold pills mimicking prescription medicine may be laced with illicit fentanyl without the user's knowledge.
• Illicit drug distributors lace drugs and counterfeit pills with this chemical due to its high potency, allowing them to promise a more intense high at a lower cost, "which makes drugs cheaper, more powerful, more addictive, and more dangerous." - (Source: CDC Fentanyl Facts)
• Naloxone is a life-saving opioid overdose reversal drug that can be easily and safely administered to someone experiencing an overdose from fentanyl or other opioids.
  

What is LCPS doing to help?

• LCPS has Naloxone, also known as NARCAN® Nasal Spray, available at every secondary school in the division (high schools and middle schools), and personnel in each school are trained to administer this treatment. All School Resource Officers for LCSO and LPD carry it as well. LCPS is also expanding the number with upcoming trainings for Directors of School Counseling and Athletic Directors. Learn more about naloxone

• Students learn about the dangers of drug and opioid use during health class.
• Student Assistance Specialists (SASs) have expertise in the mental health and substance-use fields. As Unified Mental Health Team members, student assistance specialists provide educational presentations for students and parents, individualized and group support, referral services, coordination with providers, staff development, and consultation with parents and staff.

What can parents do?

• Talk to your child about the risks of fentanyl and the importance of only taking medications as prescribed by a doctor and delivered by a pharmacy.
• Maintain ongoing discussion about healthy decisions regarding substance use.
• Visit the DEA's Get Smart About Drugs page for information and resources on Fentanyl overdose and protecting teens from fentanyl use.
  
• Connect with your school's Student Assistance Specialist if you have concerns about your child using substances.
• Check out Episode 5 of the Awkward Conversations podcast for parents, in which Clare Kramer guest-hosts and speaks with Wendy Woolcock from the DEA and Amy McCarthy of Boston Children's Hospital about fentanyl overdose risk.

LCPS Resources:

• LCPS Student Assistance Services
• Student Mental Health Services / Substance Use Resources Link
• Family & Parent Information
• Alcohol & Drug Resources

Loudoun County Resources

• Student Mental Health Services / Substance Use Resources Link
• Mental Health, Substance Abuse & Developmental Services
• Loudoun County REVIVE! Training
• Opioid Flyer (English/Spanish)

Websites:

• Centers for Disease Control's Fentanyl Facts: English | Spanish
• DEA's Facts about Fentanyl
• SAMHSA Opioid Overdose Toolkit

Opioid and Fentanyl Awareness (2 events)

February 11th, 9:00 - 10:30 am @ Park View HS

February 21st, 7:00 - 8:30 pm @ Loudoun County HS

Teen Substance Use Trends

March 8th, 6:30 - 8:00 pm @ LCPS Admin Building, Room 100B

See Event Flyers below

Substance Use Prevention Presentations are continuing across the county in the secondary schools. See upcoming presentation dates below. Use the Discussion Guide below to check in with your student about what they are learning during these presentations:

February 15th-17th, 9th grade at Loudoun Valley HS

Feb 16th and 17th, 10th grade at Stone Bridge HS,

February 21st and 22nd, 8th grade at Smart's Mill MS

February 22nd and 23rd, 8th grade at Trailside MS

February 23rd and 24th, 10th grade at Heritage HS

February 24th, 6th grade at Trailside MS

April 24th, 7th grade at Stone Hill MS

LCPS Parent Resource Services continues with its Mental Health and Wellness Parent Series. This series will highlight mental health and wellness issues and offer parents and educators strategies for addressing them. See LCPS’ Parent Resource Services website for the full schedule.

These resources are not maintained or endorsed by Loudoun County Public Schools. LCPS is providing them as a helpful resource but is not responsible for their content.

Safe Storage and Safe Disposal Educational Videos | CADCA

LCPS Parent/Student Substance Use information

LCPS Alcohol Information

LCPS Drug Information

LCPS Tobacco and E-Cig Information

Information for Parents and Educators — Science-based information about drug use, health and the developing brain (National Institute on Drug Abuse)

REVIVE naloxone training - Free training to administer naloxone in the event of opioid overdose

Tobacco and Nicotine education, advocacy and cessation resources

COVID-19 & Substance Use

Stanford study on vaping increasing COVID-19 risk

Drug Fact Sheets — Drug-specific information, pill identifiers, social media trends (DEA)

Get Smart About Drugs - Drug prevention website from the DEA with resources for parents

Addiction Policy Forum — Provides educational videos and articles

Start Talking Now — Education and tips for parents on talking to their children about substance use

Families Against Narcotics — Resources for families

Partnership to End Addiction — Online Support Community for parents/caregivers

Virginia Al-Anon, Loudoun District — Support for family members of someone struggling with addiction (Zoom meetings)

Find an Al-Anon Meeting — Support for children of parents struggling with addiction, (Zoom meetings)

Al-Anon Family Groups — Find online Alateen meetings

Addiction Policy Forum — Help finding and navigating the treatment experience

FindTreatment.gov — Find a treatment center — 1-800-662-HELP (4357) TTY: 1-800-487-4889

Substance Abuse and Mental Heath Services Administration National Helpline

Smart Recovery — Online Recovery Community: Self-Management and Recovery Training

Recovery Dharma — Using Buddhist practices and principles to recover from addiction, virtual meetings available

Narcotics Anonymous — Virtual Narcotics Anonymous meetings

Northern Virginia Intergroup — Virtual Alcoholics Anonymous meetings

LCPS School Based Mental Health Services — LCPS listing of community treatment providers

Student Assistance Specialists (SASs) have expertise in the mental health and substance use field. They have Master’s degrees in Social Work or Counseling, and most are licensed by the Virginia Department of Health Professions as Clinical Social Workers, Professional Counselors or Substance Abuse Treatment Practitioners. As members of the Unified Mental Health Team, Student Assistance Specialists support LCPS initiatives that promote student connectedness, enhance student resilience and educate about mental health and substance use issues. We provide educational presentations for students and parents, restorative practices, individualized and group support, referral services, coordination with providers, staff development and consultation with parents and staff.

To find your school's SAS assignment, visit our website.

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