Fentanyl has been called “the deadliest drug threat facing this country” by the Drug Enforcement Administration. This cheap, synthetic drug is especially dangerous to young people and is taking a deadly toll not only nationally, but here in Clark County.

To help you learn about this ongoing threat, we are offering a presentation by Sgt. Bill Sofianos of the Clark County Sheriff's Office, whose powerful sessions on fentanyl have become a popular educational tool in school districts in Southwest Washington. Sgt. Sofianos will hold two informational sessions:

• Tuesday, February 7: at Fort Vancouver High School auditorium, 7 p.m. (park in west parking lot and enter through west entrance)
• Thursday, February 9: at Evergreen High School auditorium, 7 p.m.

All members of the Clark County community are invited to attend. An American Sign Language interpreter will be at both sites. We encourage parents and families to attend, but please be warned that some of the material could be too intense for younger children.

In addition, we will hold separate presentations on those dates featuring Russian and Spanish speaking officers:

• Russian: February 7, at Fort Vancouver , Room 279 West Forum, 7 p.m. (park in west parking lot and enter through west entrance)
• Spanish: February 9, at Evergreen High School Student Center, 7 p.m.

If you would prefer to watch from home, the English sessions will be live-streamed on the YouTube channels of Vancouver Public Schools and Evergreen Public Schools, Recordings of all four presentations will be available after the events.

These presentations are co-sponsored by Vancouver Public Schools, Evergreen Public Schools, Education Service District 112, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and the Vancouver Police Department.

We urge you to attend or view one of these presentations. Being informed is vital to protecting our kids from the dangers of fentanyl.