Arlington County schools to meet to address students bringing Narcan to classrooms
Arlington County schools to meet to address students bringing Narcan to schools
Parents with children in Arlington County Public Schools are meeting to demand more action from the school system following a rise in student drug use and overdoses, and a proposed idea that would allow pupils to carry their own Narcan.
ARLINGTON, Va. - Parents with children in Arlington County Public Schools are meeting to demand more action from the school system following a rise in student drug use and overdoses, and a proposed idea that would allow pupils to carry their own Narcan.
FOX 5's Melanie Alnwick says parents will discuss the controversial idea during a meeting Monday that will also include panelists from Arlington's court system and police department, as well as mental and behavioral health support resources.
Earlier this month, a spokesperson for the school district told FOX 5 they are looking into the idea of allowing students to bring Narcan to school, but believe it would have to be done legislatively through the General Assembly or regulatory through the FDA or VDH.
Narcan contains naloxone which can be a life-saving medication for someone who has overdosed on opioids including Fentanyl. One study reported Narcan prevented fatal overdoses more than 90 percent of the time.
In order for naloxone, the opioid antagonist medication in Narcan, to be most effective, it should ideally be administered within two to three minutes of an overdose.
Following a fatal overdose in February at Wakefield High School, some Arlington County School Board members questioned if students should be able to have it on them to use right away if necessary.
The Parent–teacher association at Wakefield, Yorktown, and Washington-Liberty High Schools want the community to get the facts about how serious the problem is.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at Thomas Jefferson Middle School.