- October 11, 2024
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School resource officers and deputies at all Volusia County middle and high schools carry Narcan today. But should other key staff members — and school resource officers at elementary schools — also have access to the emergency opioid overdose medication?
The Volusia County Opioid Abatement Funding Advisory Board thinks so.
The board, made up of 13 representatives from Volusia County’s municipalities and the County Council, aims to help the county determine how to best use the money received in the settlement from a nationwide class-action suit against major opioid pharmaceutical distributors.
In a letter sent to the Volusia County School Board on April 21, the advisory board expressed its support for the development and implementation of a Narcan policy in public schools that would make the medication accessible to school guardians and nurses.
“We understand that liability factors have been a concern for the School Board,” the letter states. “However, opioids including heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioid medications continue to invade communities and pose a grave danger to people of all ages, rapidly increasing in school-age youth.”
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood, who represents the city of Deltona on the advisory board, said that it’s only a matter of time before fentanyl impacts public schools.
When serving warrants in some Volusia County homes, deputies sometimes find fentanyl and related drug paraphernalia on the kitchen table, in proximity to children’s backpacks and school books, he said.
“I just don’t understand the pushback,” Chitwood said. “Narcan is being sold over the counter in Walmart and CVS. Narcan is being given away. Why would we risk an accident of a young person coming into contact with this and losing their life when we can just have it? Our plan is really simple.”
VSO has offered to prepare a policy and train school guardians and key staff members on how to administer Narcan for free.
In a statement, Volusia County Schools said that the School Board doesn’t have any plans to require school nurses or other staff to take on the responsibility for administering Narcan.
“Thus far, only one school district in Florida has chosen to equip its school nurses with Narcan, which must be kept under lock and key in the nurses’ offices,” the statement reads.
That school district is Flagler.
On April 18, the Flagler County School Board adopted a policy — becoming the first in the state — directing the superintendent to administer guidelines on where Narcan can be stored, which staff members can administer it and what training must be completed.
Last year, the governor signed a bill that allowed public schools to store Narcan in secure locations.
When you have an overdose with fentanyl, seconds matter. Not minutes. Seconds. If you have to wait for a seven minute response or an eight minute response from EVAC, that person is probably not going to make it." — Mike Chitwood, Volusia County Sheriff
School guardians are already trained to use Narcan, the district said.
However, they are not equipped with it, “as the job description for guardians does not include the level of responsibility for administering Narcan,” according to its statement.
“At this time, district administration does not perceive that there is the degree of need in our elementary schools to justify the risk exposure to add responsibility on our elementary school employees for Narcan,” the statement continued. “All of our elementary schools are within close proximity to emergency services to address any medical emergencies on campuses.”
A recent incident at Ormond Beach Middle School has highlighted the need for increased access to Narcan at Volusia County Schools, said Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington, who serves as the vice chair on the advisory board.
A parent, while inside the school lobby, allegedly dropped a packet of fentanyl on the ground. It was quickly spotted by a school staff member, but Partington said there was a chance a child could have easily grabbed it themselves and become exposed to the opioid.
“I think that it really falls into the no-brainer category,” Partington said. “If you had the opportunity to save a child’s life before something terrible happened, wouldn’t you take every opportunity to do so?”
He added that there shouldn’t be concerns regarding liability for administering Narcan, also known as Naloxone, since state law protects “a person acting in good faith” who assists someone believed to be going through a drug overdose.
“Honestly, even beyond that, a child’s life should be more important than a liability concern, and that’s the whole point here — is trying to prevent overdose deaths, intentional or unintentional,” Partington said.
The Florida Department of Education is also willing to purchase the medication for any school district that wants to store Narcan in its schools, Chitwood said. This, he added, should not be a political issue.
“You may never use it — that’s great,” he said. “You may use it once and save a life. That’s great. ... When you have an overdose with fentanyl, seconds matter. Not minutes. Seconds. If you have to wait for a seven-minute response or an eight-minute response from EVAC, that person is probably not going to make it.”
