Lawmakers deciding if drug antidote Narcan should be available on school campuses

Published: Updated:

To protect your students from an overdose in the classroom, Florida lawmakers are working today to give school districts a powerful antidote that can save lives.

Twenty-five children died from overdoses statewide in 2017, but here in Southwest Florida, there is no epidemic of these drugs in our schools.

Lee County reported just four incidents involving opioids this school year. There were none in Collier and Charlotte County.

In those counties, school resource officers already carry the antidote known as Narcan.

If this bill is passed, districts would get it for free or cheap and staff would be trained on how to use it.

A former teacher told WINK News if the resources are there, they need to be taken advantage of.

But not all parents are on board with the idea.

“Just like in CPR or the AD machine, Narcan is right up there with the way they should be certified because you never know, you never know. They should have it,” said Fort Myers resident, Ann Healy.

Another resident couldn’t understand how kids that young are able to get their hands on drugs like that to make it necessary to need the Narcan.

“I mean it’s getting younger and younger. Why do these kids have access to any of this stuff and why are we looking at it like we need to handle it in school? It’s crazy to me, it’s crazy,” said Chris Bostic.

If passed, each district would work with a licensed physician. They would lay out the protocol for what to do if a student overdoses and it would take effect in July.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.