Would it be wise, or even legal, for Arlington Public Schools students be able to carry medication with them that helps blunt the impact of opioid overdoses in schools?
Getting a final answer appears to be a work in progress.
“We are continuing to explore the question,” Superintendent Francisco Durán said at the March 2 School Board meeting, citing legal and administrative issues that have to be clarified.
At issue is allowing individuals to carry naxolone, a medication that can provide a lifeline to someone who has overdosed on opioids such as Fentanyl. Arlington secondary schools already had the drug, most commonly marketed as Narcan, in clinics, but have begun rolling it own throughout middle and high schools since the a Wakefield High School student earlier this year overdosed in a school bathroom and later died.
Use of naxolone is not foolproof, but it buys time for medical personnel to begin life-saving efforts. One study concluded that it prevented a fatal overdose about 94 percent of the time it was used.
Arlington school officials apparently do not yet have clarity on whether state law would permit them to allow students to carry naxolone on their persons. Beyond that, there are questions of parental consent and other considerations that would need to be worked through.
“We will let you know, hopefully in the next month, if we are able to proceed,” Durán said.
The death of the Wakefield High School student appeared to send school-system leaders into hyperdrive in addressing the issue of opioids, whose misuse appears to be raging out of control across the country, with record amounts flowing in through an unsecured U.S.-Mexico border.
There have been a variety of community meetings and training of school staff over the past month to address the issue.
In his remarks, Durán said overdoses are symptoms of a broader issue. “The root cause is what we really need to address,” he said.
