A group of parents in northern Virginia are calling for $2 million to fund after-school programs following the suspected fentanyl overdose deaths of at least two children.
Roughly 200 people gathered at a meeting in Arlington, Virginia, to call on county leaders to find the money for the new budget, according to a report.
“I hope to God they are listening and this is approved, and a lot of good will come of this,” Luz Rodriguez, the parent of a child who died of a suspected fentanyl overdose, said.
Listening sessions with parents like Rodriguez have been a catalyst for community groups to take action, the report noted.
“They want their kids to be in programs and not in the streets or being alone at home,” Janeth Valenzuela, a member of the Arlington Schools Hispanic Parents Association, said.
If the funding is granted, the after-school programs will begin at the middle school and high school levels starting next year, according to the report, and supporters think $2 million is worth it.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“We thought, also, what is a child’s life worth?” Alice Tewell, a PTA president and pastor, said. “In a budget that’s over $1.5 billion for Arlington, surely 200 children are worth more than $2 million.”
“It’s investment of life, investment of the future of our children,” according to Valenzuela.
