Overdoses in Virginia’s schools was one of Governor Glenn Youngkin’s top concerns on the campaign trail.
Thursday morning, the state’s Board of Education voted to approve new guidelines for how schools should inform parents when they happen. But some of the language proved to be too controversial for even members appointed by Youngkin.
“I think it's important for the board to understand that those facts are in dispute,” said Virginia Board of Education member Anne Holton criticizing the specific mention of Loudoun County schools in Youngkin’s campaign-promised school overdose parental notification policy.
Holton, a long-time educator, also criticized the inclusion of Loudoun by name in the first place.
"I'm not asking that we resolve this factual dispute today, but there's no reason for the BOE to include language specifically calling out or naming a division in model guidance," she said.
Loudoun County has been a flashpoint for numerous politically charged education issues since the 2021 election, including claims of poorly reported student fentanyl overdoses. But Loudoun County Superintendent Aaron Spence wrote a letter to the board, read aloud in part by Holton. It said references to the number of overdoses and the way in which parents were notified, as mentioned in the draft policy, differed from the county’s version of events.
“Specifically, the introduction states that LCPS didn’t notify parents until 20 days later," she said, reading from Spence's letter. "This is not true.”
Holton is the only member of the board not appointed by Youngkin and she’s often been the lone voice against some of the administration’s education policies. Youngkin appointee and board vice-president Bill Hansen supported the inclusion of the Loudoun County language.
“I think it's actually helpful for us to identify illustrations of the problem we are trying to address with these overdose guidelines,” he said, arguing the Loudoun County Sherriff's Office was among those challenging the school division's claims around overdose reporting.
"I don't think we've had such a critical concentration of these events that are referenced in this language in a history of what I've seen since living in the Commonwealth since 1964," he added.
But Hansen failed to sway other Youngkin appointees, including civil rights attorney Ida McPherson.
"I don't' want any students to be unfairly identified in this situation," she said, suggesting its already hard for students to come forward in overdose scenarios.
“I’m concerned about students talking about who it was as this all becomes public,” she added. "We accomplish what we accomplish by having the guidelines."
The final vote of 4-2 included three Youngkin appointees.
In a statement, LCPS said they support family notification, and they were grateful the Board voted "with a focus on the issue across school divisions."
"In the end, this is about ensuring children across the Commonwealth are safe," the statement read.
Youngkin, in a statement sent to Radio IQ, said he was "pleased that the board approved the Guidelines for School-Connected Overdose Response and Parental Notification Policies ensuring school divisions improve communication with parents."
Over in the General Assembly, legislation was passed with unanimous bipartisan support during the 2025 session which requires administrators in all Virginia's K-12 to report overdoses.
The fine print of the bill, carried by Loudoun County Delegate JJ Singh, includes a 24-hour window for notification following confirmation of the overdose by a medical professional or law enforcement. Notification is also required if Narcan is used in school or at a school sanctioned event.
The bill is currently awaiting Youngkin's signature.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
