Student hospitalized after overdosing at Wakefield High School, officials say

ARLINGTON COUNTY, Va. - A student was rushed to the hospital after overdosing at an Arlington County high school just days after returning from winter break, officials say. 

Police responded to Virginia Hospital Center around 2:15 p.m. on Jan. 4 after a Wakefield High School student was taken there for a reported medical emergency. 

The incident is being investigated as an overdose and police say the teen suffered non-life threatening injuries. 

The school says no additional information about the student or the incident will be released but per Virginia law, they were required to notify parents about the incident. 

In a statement to parents, the school administration wrote, "This message is to inform you that emergency personnel responded to Wakefield High School briefly today to assist with a medical incident involving a student. The family of the student has been notified. As some of our students observed the first responders in our building, we wanted to ensure you are aware that the incident was resolved, and everyone is safe." 

This isn’t the first overdose Wakefield High School has dealt with.

In September of last year, two girls — 15 and 17 years old — overdosed inside the school. Two boys were charged with supplying the girls with the dangerous drugs.

Another student overdosed in the first week of the new school year in August and in the prior school year, a student died from an overdose. 

In February 2023, freshman Sergio Flores was taken to the hospital after he was found unconscious in a bathroom inside the school. He was later pronounced dead and the school closed for a couple of days.

Other Virginia schools are struggling to control student drug use and stop overdoses as well. 

A student at Justice High School in Fairfax County died of an overdose in December. 

Over in Loudoun County, nine overdoses were reported among students at Park View High School.

According to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, four of the overdoses happened inside the school, three required the use of Narcan, and staff had to administer CPR on two of those occasions. The five other reported overdoses happened off campus but investigators determined they were Park View students.

Many schools and law enforcement say they are working to make Narcan available in schools while also investigating where the drugs are coming from, and why so many students are using. 

They continue to ask students and parents to report anything suspicious to their local authorities or school officials.