Marshwood High School students will be offered training in the administration of Narcan starting in December, according to Superintendent John Caverly. Naloxone hydrochloride, typically known as Narcan, is an over-the-counter nasal inhalant that – if used in time – reverses opioid drug overdoses that could otherwise be fatal.
A law passed by the Maine Legislature earlier this year requires that secondary school students be given the opportunity to learn how to administer Narcan. The half-hour class will be offered as an optional extracurricular activity scheduled for after the regular school day, said Caverly.
The Narcan initiative is being undertaken as part of RSU 35’s emphasis on “creating the safest and most healthy environment possible for all of our students,” said Caverly. Certain district staff such as school nurses are already trained in the application of Narcan, and they will conduct the students’ training.
The exact date for implementation of the training depends on two factors.
“First, we need to complete a collaborative practice agreement with York Hospital,” which will serve as a professional resource for nurses doing the training, said Caverly. The agreement will define the legal protections and respective duties of both York Hospital and RSU 35 in implementation of the program.
Second, the district is awaiting rules from the Maine Department of Education regarding components of the training, as mandated by the law.
As part of the training, students will learn to identify signs of opioid overdose, such as unresponsiveness, slow breathing, and irregular heartbeat. They also will be educated as to Narcan’s effectiveness, including how it blocks nerve receptors where opioids enter the body.
The state is supplying Narcan to all secondary schools but is not funding the training; that cost is the responsibility of individual school districts, said Caverly.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Narcan is effective only for overdoses of opioids such as heroin and prescription painkillers like oxycodone, morphine, methadone, and Vicodin. It does not reverse the effects of an overdose caused by alcohol or non-opioid drugs.
But Narcan won’t harm someone if they’re overdosing on drugs other than opioids “so it’s always best to use it if you think someone is overdosing,” advises the CDC. “It can restore normal breathing within two to three minutes in a person whose breath has slowed, or even stopped, as a result of opioid overdose.”
Looking ahead, said Caverly, the district may offer Narcan training to members of the public, possibly through its adult education program. “But, for now, we first want to focus on getting the program up and running within the high school,” he said.
