Students and staff at Belmont Secondary School are dealing with the heart wrenching news that a student died of a drug overdose last weekend.
The principal has sent an email to parents expressing condolences to the family, and staff have spoken with students.
Sooke school district superintendent Jim Cambridge says the young man was in grade 10.
Cambridge says the district is providing support and resources to help deal with the tragedy:
" The first thing we did when we found out, or were given notice that one of our students had passed away is we deployed our Critical Incident Response team. They went to the school, and those would be councillors and our safe school coordinator , and started connecting with anybody who would have any connection with that student."
Cambridge says it's a difficult time for everyone involved:
"In this case though we're in June when usually high schools are in high celebration mode, graduations coming, awards nights, concerts, all of the celebration of a good year. And it certainly makes people think twice about what we're celebrating and why."
Cambridge says the district is actively ensuring parents of middle and secondary aged kids have information about how to have conversations with their children about the heightened dangers of drug use these days.