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Resident urges Rockingham schools to pursue youth addiction‑prevention funding amid concerns about concentrated THC pens
Summary
Susan Mathias of Dayton told the school board she’s seeing widespread use of concentrated THC vaping devices among teenagers and urged the board to review opioid‑abatement and youth prevention grants and consider local programs; she provided QR‑coded resources and cited lack of pediatric addiction services in the region.
Susan Mathias, a Dayton resident, told the Rockingham County School Board she has seen THC vape pens and “dab” devices used by middle and high school students and urged the board to pursue prevention funding and community resources.
“My name is Susan. I live in Dayton, Virginia,” Mathias said. “I believe the use of the THC pens are a gateway to other drugs like opioids.” She said she planned to contact elected officials and provided QR codes to websites, including the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority, for board members to review.
Mathias told the board there are limited pediatric addiction services nearby: six private addiction centers that only serve adults, no pediatric units at local hospitals she named, and no support programs for under‑18s within a two‑to‑two‑and‑a‑half hour radius. She recommended the board examine recent state grant awards to learn models the division might adopt for prevention, teacher education and crisis response.
Board members thanked Mathias for raising the issue and noted prior inquiries about opioid‑abatement grants and prevention programming. One board member recalled that staff had previously engaged county contacts about grant routes and said the district would revisit available materials and possible outreach as part of its community‑safety and student‑support discussions.
The board did not take immediate action at the meeting; Mathias asked the board to consider the Virginia Department of Education and other state resources named as possible grant partners.
