Flagler School Board considers stocking overdose reverse medication Narcan in schools
All of Flagler County's schools could soon stock Narcan on campus in a move that advocates say could help save lives.
The Flagler County School Board heard a presentation at its Tuesday afternoon workshop on the medication, a spray that can reverse overdoses from opioids like fentanyl and heroin.
"We have a great desire to save lives, and that's what we're there for," Michael Feldbauer, president of the Flagler County Drug Court Foundation, told the board.
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Feldbauer first brought the idea to the board during public comment at a meeting in October. He said Tuesday that the nonprofit could supply the district with Narcan through at least September 2024 through a grant.
"We're ready to start this immediately, as soon as it's needed, and we'll get whatever you folks will need," he told board members.
Open Arms Recovery Services also receives a grant to provide free Narcan in Flagler County, which is otherwise $130-$140 for a pack of two without insurance. Both groups have provided free Narcan in the community, as well as training and education.
"It's something we need to educate our entire community about. We need to reduce the stigmatism of people thinking that we're saving lives of people whose lives don't need saving," Feldbauer said.
Florida allows Narcan in public schools
Narcan is a nasal spray and brand name of the medication naloxone, which is easy to use and small to carry, Flagler Schools Director of Student Services Marquez Jackson told the board during a presentation.
While overdose occurrences have not been widely reported in local schools, the circulation of deadly drugs has increased in Florida and across the country, and officials have encouraged adults to keep Narcan on hand.
According to the Florida Department of Health, Flagler County reported 44 fatal overdoses in 2020 — mostly from opioids — and another 34 in the first half of 2021. Emergency medical responders were called to 447 overdoses in 2021, and naloxone was administered 321 times.
Jackson told the board that naloxone quickly reverses overdoses by blocking the effects of opioids and restoring normal breathing within minutes. The medication won't harm someone if they're overdosing on non-opioid drugs.
Florida Senate Bill 544, which was approved earlier this year, granted public schools permission to purchase naloxone and secure it on campuses in the event of a student opioid overdose.
Jackson told the board that school nurses should be facilitating access to naloxone, according to the National Association of School Nurses, and district employees who administer it will be immune from civil liability. School nurses were open to the conversation and wanted to make sure they had support in training to administer Narcan, he said.
Board member Colleen Conklin favored giving access not only to school nurses, but other employees as well, since some of the schools are large and the medication seems easy to administer.
Feldbauer told the board that Narcan has a long shelf life and that the goal is to administer it within three to five minutes of a person overdosing, and multiple doses can be necessary depending on the severity of the case.
Board members expressed support for stocking Narcan
"Having a nursing background, I think it's a good idea to buy time if this were to happen, if somebody is failing respiratory-wise, to buy some time to get the medics there," board member Christy Chong said.
The board discussed appropriate locations for keeping Narcan on campus, such as in classrooms, bathrooms, locker rooms and nurse's offices.
Moving forward, the board expressed interest in creating a policy and procedures on Narcan in the district, discussing what the rollout would look like, educating parents and meeting with other community health partners to learn more.
"The one thing I don't want us to do is drag this out, and so I think it's great to have the experts at the table, but I would hope that that would be sooner rather than later, like on an immediate agenda down the road, so we're not wasting any time, God forbid something were to happen," Conklin said.
Board Chair Cheryl Massaro added that she was "100% behind it" and didn't see any reason to delay.
"The faster we can make this accessible to our staff, the better," she said.
Contact reporter Danielle Johnson at djohnson@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Narcan in schools: Flagler County could soon stock the overdose spray
