In response to the increased risk of opioid overdoses on school campuses, the San Mateo County Coalition for Safe Schools and Communities developed the Naloxone for Schools Program and Toolkit. Naloxone hydrochloride (naloxone) is a safe and effective way to reverse and opioid overdose. The Food and Drug Administration approved naloxone to treat overdoses in 1971, and paramedics and hospitals have been using it to successfully reverse opioid overdoses for decades.
The Naloxone for Schools Program, along with its accompanying toolkit, provides schools with the information they need to identify and respond to an opioid overdose on campus, training on how to use naloxone (also known by the product name Narcan), access to naloxone, and supporting documents and communication tools. The Naloxone for Schools Program is intended to supplement district and school drug awareness and education programs. The Coalition’s program is unique in the state because it facilitates schools’ access to naloxone and related support as a countywide protocol. While the State’s Naloxone Distribution Project requires districts and charter and private schools to complete training and apply individually for naloxone from the State, the San Mateo County program streamlines the application, training, and reporting process for districts and schools through the County Office of Education and provides support and coordination. Naloxone currently requires a prescription, which the San Mateo County Office of Education has obtained through a Statewide Standing Order for schools and districts participating in the program. The San Mateo County Office of Education, which administers the program for the Coalition for Safe Schools and Communities, is able to get product out quickly to districts, answer questions, and provide staff training. All of San Mateo County’s school districts, including the County Office of Education, are participating in the Naloxone for Schools Program. Approximately, two-thirds have already completed the training and onboarding and have received a distribution of naloxone from the County Office of Education. The San Mateo County Board of Education updated its Board Policy 5141, Administering Medication and Monitoring Health Conditions, to enable the use of naloxone on SMCOE school sites: The Superintendent or designee shall make naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid antagonist available for emergency medical aid to any person suffering, or reasonably believed to be suffering, from an opioid overdose. The Naloxone for Schools Toolkit recommends that school districts adopt a board policy addressing the administration of naloxone and includes a sample template. Legislators are currently looking at requiring schools to maintain doses of naloxone on campus (e.g. SB 234). The San Mateo County Office of Education will continue to support districts through training, oversight and reporting, and reordering and restocking.
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