Henrico School Board likely to join settlement against Kroger for opioid-related claims

This Thursday, Henrico School Board members will vote on a proposal to join a $1.4 billion settlement with Kroger over the grocery chain’s alleged involvement in the U.S. opioid epidemic.

The school board’s government counterpart already signed onto the settlement agreements with Kroger this past March, along with almost 5,000 localities across the nation. Henrico County’s “outside opioid litigation counsel” recommended that both the county and the school board participate in the settlements in order to receive a share of the funds, which would be used for local opioid abatement efforts, according to the school board’s proposal.

In a press release last year, Kroger announced that the corporation would pay $1.4 billion to localities and Native American tribes during a period of 11 years, but that the settlement was “not an admission of wrongdoing.” Henrico County would receive about $480,000 from the settlement, according to documents released in March.

The opioid epidemic has been linked to 80,000 deaths in the U.S. each year in recent years. Henrico County recorded 78 fatal overdoses from opioids and other drugs in 2022 – which was more than double the number of motor vehicle deaths in the county.

In 2021, Henrico County spent more than $274 million to address the impact of opioids – including health care and crime-related costs.

“Henrico County has been, and will continue to be, required to allocate substantial taxpayer dollars, resources, staff energy, and time to address the damage the opioid epidemic has caused and continues to cause its citizens,” the school board’s proposal reads.

School board members also will review updates on school staffing, bus routes, weapons scanners, and cell phone policies for the 2024-2025 school year at Thursday’s work session, which will begin at 3 p.m. Members of the public will have the opportunity to speak to the school board at the meeting’s public forum.

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Liana Hardy is the Citizen’s Report for America Corps member and education reporter. Her position is dependent upon reader support; make a tax-deductible contribution to the Citizen through RFA here.