ARLINGTON, Va. — Dozens of families held a march outside Wakefield High School to show support and call for change after two nearly back-to-back incidents this week.
Parents and students joined the march on Friday to mainly denounce drug use after freshman Sergio Flores died from an apparent drug overdose. He was found unconscious by a friend in one of the bathroom stalls and died on Thursday. Four other students were also treated by medics on the scene.
"He was already dead when I found him," Flores' friend Santos Vasquez said. "I miss him so much, because he was like a brother to me."
Elder Julio Basurto of Juntos en Justicia and Janeth Valenzuela organized the event as an extension to their months-long work raising awareness about opioids in Arlington Public Schools. They wanted to show support and love amid the tragedy, while blasting people responsible for distributing the drugs.
"No more drug dealers in our community!" Basurto chanted. "They're not welcome here."
The march started by the front and wrapped around George Mason Drive.
Many of the people in attendance were mothers.
"It definitely has been a really, really hard week," one mother said. "Even though my kids don't go to Wakefield, it feels so close to home."
Principal Dr. Christian Willmore addressed people in attendance by calling for collaboration and teamwork. He urged for more listening and responding to students who need help. He said drug use is not a new problem in school communities, but the presence of fentanyl in pills that students may not realize is present, has been a concerning trend.
"There are people out there targeting children to get them addicted and it's just unbelievable," Willmore said.
Following a trespassing investigation that prompted a lockdown for hours, parents and children are asking for school resource officers to return to school.
"We need more security in the schools because there's too much drugs and bad things going on," student Estefany Cruz added. "It's been overwhelming because everyone is scared on what's going to happen next."
School board member Bethany Zecher Sutton says she prefers to not have officers in schools, but said if the board revisited the idea, it will require community engagement. She said it might be urgent to discuss the topic but wants to see a range of solutions and strategies first.
"We need both immediate response and ways that we want to react when we're in crisis," Sutton said. 'And we also need leadership for the future where we're thinking about preventative strategies when we're thinking about safety and security for the long term and improving the overall health of our system."
Arlington Public Schools released some efforts in place to address the problem, including implementing more of the opioid reversal drug Narcan.
"We have over 200 staff trained on using Narcan, including all administrators, and it is in every school clinic," a schools spokesperson said. "We are currently looking at every option to address what more can be done."
Current efforts include:
- Middle and high school student education focused on dangers of opioids
- Lessons for fourth and fifth grade students, strategies to make positive choices
- Staff training on prevention and response
- Education on opioids and fentanyl for all Safety and Security and Wakefield staff
- Individual and small group counseling
- Naloxone available in all school clinics (all nurses and school security coordinators are trained)
Moving Forward:
- Holding a series of community conversations at the high school level
- Budgeting for additional substance abuse counselors
- Expanding availability of naloxone
- Launching a new student-led video and social media campaign on dangers of opioid use and the dangers of fentanyl
- Increased outreach to PTAs and community organizations to expand parent education on risks, signs of opioid use, prevention, etc.
- Deeper engagement with Arlington County to provide resources and support for students
- Expanding small group opportunities for students facilitated by Substance Abuse Counselors