Naloxone in Schools

We can’t ignore the escalating use of harder drugs at younger ages. Naloxone policies in our public schools should be comprehensive and publicly posted. No designated school personnel should be called to determine if someone is overdosing before the person overdosing receives help — especially if the school employee is assigned to multiple schools and only on-site at a particular school a few times a week. Naloxone training should be available to all staff. Stigma shouldn’t deter school administrators from passing policies that can save lives.

Attendees in community meetings overwhelmingly agreed that overdoses were happening in both middle and high schools, yet went unreported. They believed school administrators were more likely to call parents instead of 911 if an overdose was suspected, making it impossible to track the actual number of possible overdoses in schools.

Attendees acknowledged that there are individuals in government systems (WVDHHR, WVDE) who have worked on model policies, and there are organizations that have advocated making naloxone available in schools. This is great news and steps in the right direction.

However, each county school system is responsible for passing and posting its policies on naloxone. And so, none of us should take for granted that policies have been passed or are being enforced, and none of us should deter others from advocating for comprehensive policies or better access and staff training to administer naloxone.

As one community member shared, “Having life-saving medication on hand in every school won’t encourage students to use drugs.” Naloxone is safe and effective, and it will take a village to encourage all schools to pass sound policies and train their staff to administer it.

Stigma remains a big concern and challenge to implementing better policies. Due to community outreach efforts in places across the state, school staff are increasingly already trained to administer Narcan. If these staffers respond to an overdose on school grounds, even if it is against school policy, wouldn’t they be covered by good samaritan laws?

And final food for thought: While some attendees agreed that county school systems should have local control over programs and policies, others challenged this idea, arguing that a state school naloxone policy would negate stigma and job loss concerns.

IDEAS

• Identify “champion schools” that have passed comprehensive strategies and are taking a proactive approach. Attendees cited Mingo County Schools' policy as a great example.

• An attendee at one of our community meetings questioned why high school students aren’t trained in administering naloxone. After all, her child had been trained during a community event, and there are no federal recommendations for the age at which one can be trained. We mandate CPR training in West Virginia high schools; why shouldn’t we make naloxone training available as an elective? So, Think Kids worked with students from WVU’s School of Public Health 521- Public Health Prevention and Intervention Course, instructed by Dr. Elizabeth Claydon on piloting a curriculum. Check out this presentation that details the evaluation of this project and contact Dr. Seth Lilly if you have any questions or would like to learn more.

• If students are witnessing overdoses in school or participating in administering naloxone, schools should have wrap-around services available to help cope with potential trauma.

STIGMA SHOULDN’T DETER SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS FROM PASSING POLICIES THAT CAN SAVE LIVES.

Resources and How to Get Involved

• We’ve compiled school naloxone policies in this project’s service area: Boone, Clay, Fayetteville, Kanawha, Lincoln, and Putnam Counties.

• Read the 2017 bill that permitted the administering of naloxone in our public schools, SB 36: Permitting school nurses to possess and administer opioid antagonists.

• Read the law in state code, West Virginia Code: §18-5-22d. Providing for the maintenance and use of opioid antagonists; administration; notice; indemnity from liability; rules.

• Download the guide prepared jointly by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR), Bureau for Behavioral Health (BBH), Office of Drug Control Policy (ODCP), and the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE), Naloxone Guide for School Nurses

• The Drug Intervention Institute works to reduce opioid and drug-related deaths by preventing substance use through education, reducing overdose through training and distribution related to naloxone and other opioid reversal agents, and supporting harm reduction and other drug-response efforts. If you’d like to learn more about recent efforts to improve, expand, or implement naloxone policies in schools, contact them.