Student overdoses in Fairfax County Public Schools prompts a discussion to tackle the nationwide issue

FCPS student dies from fentanyl overdose "everything was perfect"

Fairfax County Public Schools hosts a substance abuse community meeting to address student drug overdoses.

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. - Fairfax County Public Schools hosts a community conversation to address opioid overdoses and more.

The meeting is taking place tonight at 6:30 here at Thomas Edison High School. Often, students think they’re taking one drug, and it ends up being something else and, in some cases, it’s a lethal dose of fentanyl.

That was the case of Cayden Foster, a Fairfax County Public Schools student who died from a fentanyl overdose last January.

In a YouTube video posted by Fairfax County Public Schools, Cayden Foster’s parents, Afrodita and Sean Foster, say they never saw it coming. Their 18-year-old son Cayden died from a drug overdose last year.

The school district says this video is a reminder to all families that a drug overdose can happen to anyone. They’re urging families to talk to their children about the dangers of drugs and fake painkillers.

There have already been instances of drug overdoses across northern Virginia, including just days ago at Wakefield High School in Arlington, where a student reportedly overdosed but is expected to survive.

Over in Loudoun County, nine overdoses were reported among students at Park View High School — investigators say four happened in the school and three required Narcan, a drug used to reverse the potentially deadly effects of fentanyl.