Loudoun County Public Schools to use drug-sniffing dogs in high schools
ASHBURN, Va. (DC News Now) — After a rash of overdoses in Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS), the school system is partnering with law enforcement to bring in drug-sniffing dogs.
The plan is to have dogs from the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office and Leesburg Police Department randomly search every high school in the county by the end of the year.
Those dogs will be scanning for illegal drugs.
The opioid epidemic has hit Loudoun County hard over the last year.
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In 2023, 22 children overdosed, impacting the school system and Park View High School in particular.
“You had nine students at that school in a period of about three weeks. And then if you add a couple about a month before that, there was a couple more people that were no longer in the school. And then what happened after it was reported that particular night,” said Sheriff Mike Chapman.
That’s why the sheriff’s office and Leesburg police are partnering with LCPS to bring in dogs to scan for drugs.
“We just think it’s another tool in the toolbox to where we can be proactive and also send the message, you know, to kids that this stuff is just not allowed in our schools,” said Dan Adams, public information officer for Loudoun County Public Schools.
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In emails obtained by DC News Now through a Freedom of Information Act request, Park View High School Principal Jason Jefferson wrote to LCPS colleagues on Oct. 17, 2023, saying, “We are in need of assistance! We need drug enforcement dogs in our school. We need a more directed substance abuse plan to appropriately address students who are suffering. We cannot expect students who are suffering to be fully engaged in the instructional program of the district.”
The dogs will stick to common areas, including hallways and lockers.
“If we find fentanyl, you know, we want to make sure that we’re holding people accountable. Kids are getting real sick off this. Some are dying,” Chapman said.
When the dogs do arrive, the school will be placed in a hold pattern, meaning lessons will continue.
“What we’re trying to do out there is save lives. And we want to try to, want to attack this head-on, do everything we can to keep people safe,” Chapman said.
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Parents will be notified after scans happen.
“There’s not going to be one magic fix that’s going to cure everything. We’ve got to continue to have those conversations. We have to continue to share resources,” Adams said.
Adams said the new partnership will start in March.
It’s unclear how frequent the sweeps may be because they want to keep students and staff unaware of when they could happen.
LCPS has a page of frequently asked questions for families wanting to learn more about how the program will work.
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