The Board of Education recognizes that many factors, including the use and misuse of prescription painkillers, can lead to the dependence on and addiction to opiates, and that such dependence and addiction can lead to overdose and death among the general public, including district students and staff. The Board wishes to minimize these deaths by the use of opioid overdose prevention measures.
The Board directs the school physician/medical director to issue a non-patient specific order to school nurses to administer intranasal naloxone (also known as Narcan, among other names). The non-patient specific order shall include a written protocol containing the elements required by the regulations of the Commissioner of Education. The Board permits school nurses to administer naloxone to any person at school or a school event displaying symptoms of an opioid overdose. The District shall purchase and provide the naloxone kits to be stored in the nurse’s office. Naloxone shall be accessible during school hours and during on site school-sponsored activities.
The Board also approves the District to participate in a local NYSDOH registered Opioid Overdose Prevention Program as an opioid antagonist recipient. The Board permits any school employee to volunteer to receive training from this program. School nurses may become volunteer trained responders, but may only act as trained responders when not functioning as a nurse. The Program shall issue individual NYSDOH-provided naloxone nasal spray kits to trained responders. Employees wishing to volunteer to become trained responders must contact the school nurse, who shall arrange with the Program Director for training for the administration of intranasal naloxone. Volunteer trained responders may administer naloxone to a student or staff displaying opioid overdose symptoms, along with contacting emergency responders pursuant to the naloxone training. All provided naloxone kits shall be stored as specified by the Program. Naloxone shall be accessible during school hours and during on-site school-sponsored activities. The District shall comply with all recordkeeping, inventory, documentation and notification requirements of the Program.
Ref:
- Education Law §§922 (volunteer naloxone responder); 6527 (emergency treatment of anaphylaxis and opioid overdose); 3023 (liability coverage); 6909 (administration of naloxone by nurses)
- Public Heath Law §3309 (volunteer naloxone responder)
- 8 NYCRR §§ 64.7 (administration of naloxone); Part 136 (school health services program, including naloxone)
- 10 NYCRR §80.138 (volunteer naloxone responder)
- Guidance for Implementing Opioid Overdose Prevention Measures in Schools, New York State Education Department, 8/11/15, www.schoolhealthservicesny.com/files/filesystem/guidance_on_opioid_overdose_prevention_in_the_schools_final.pdf
- Opioid Overdose Prevention: Guidelines for Policies and Procedures, New York State Department of Health, March 2014, www.health.ny.gov/diseases/aids/general/opioid_overdose_prevention/docs/policies_and_procedures.pdf
Adoption date: March 28, 2016
Reviewed: August 28, 2017