A student from Belmont Secondary School has died of an apparent illicit drug overdose. A letter sent to parents of the school identified the victim as grade 10 student Dorrian Wright.
“Our thoughts and condolences are with the family at this time,” reads the letter from Belmont principle Jim Lamond. “Staff at our school have spoken to students about this loss, and additional support from the School District will be available over the next few days.”
The BC Coroners Service is investigating the death and have confirmed the victim is from Metchosin and that the death happened on Sunday. But the Coroner would not confirm the identity of the victim, the age of the victim or whether the death was drug related.
The Sooke School District has made counselling available to students who need it.
“June is usually a time of celebration in our school community and this has hit particularly hard,” said Sooke School District superintendent Jim Cambridge. “We are sending out information today to hopefully give parents the help that they need to advise their kids to prevent this from happening in the future.”
WATCH HERE: Girls who were with teen who died of an overdose speak to Global
“We see our roles of supporting the parents of the kids in our schools now.”
The information is being sent out to parents of students at the district’s middle and secondary schools. Cambridge said the information will also be made available on the district’s website.
“We know that the risk now is significantly higher than it has been in the past,” said Cambridge. “We know that this problem is not school oriented it has come down from adults and is trickling into schools and that is concerning us.”
This is the second known death of a high school student in the Victoria area this year.
- Canfor to shutter B.C. sawmill, curtail Prince George pulp mill
- A look inside the now-sidelined ‘floatel’ meant to house LNG workers near Squamish
- B.C. Conservative leader pledges not to ‘reopen the abortion debate’
- South Surrey restaurant forced to close after suspicious fire, more criminal acts reported
Elliot Eurchuk, a 16-year-old Oak Bay High School student, died on April 20 after taking street drugs his parents believe he was using to help him sleep. Eurchuk’s mother, Rachel Staples, says she believes her son started taking street drugs to feed his addiction which started with prescription drugs.
At the time of Eurchuk’s death, Staples said her family felt trapped by the medical system that didn’t give them a say in their son’s painkiller prescriptions.
“In 2017 Elliot had four surgical procedures,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “Two for a fractured jaw that occurred in a soccer match and two shoulder reconstructions within four months of the jaw surgeries.
“Elliot was prescribed opioids around every surgery even though, as parents, we requested alternatives.”
Eurchuk’s family is meeting with Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver on Friday. They are asking the provincial government to amend the law that would allow parents to have access to their children’s medical records.
Comments