Central Unified School District adds Narcan to middle school and high school campuses

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Central Unified School District is adding another safety measure on middle and high school campuses.

Narcan, a drug that reverses the effect of an opioid overdose, will now be more readily available.

Earlier this year, Central East High School students made a presentation at a board meeting to push to make Narcan more accessible on high school campuses within the Central Unified School District.

They also asked for staff to be trained on how to use it.

"We wanted to bring to your attention the statistics of fentanyl deaths," said former Central East High School student Amari Thomas.

The ten-minute presentation was given by students in the KHAIR internship through the Jakara Movement.

It's described as an education-based program that aims to foster regular dialogue surrounding substance use within our youth and local community.

While nurses and the Student Resource Officer at Central East High had Narcan, the students hoped to expand who had access.

"Our proposal to the board is this: please give staff the adequate resources to become Narcan-trained and provide Narcan in each and every classroom on our high school campuses," one of the students said during the presentation.

Those efforts paid off.

This school year, all Central Unified high schools have Narcan in every classroom, every student liaison has them, and they're now on school buses.

On middle school campuses, Narcan is available in the office.

All staff have also been trained on how to use it.

Superintendent Ketti Davis says she's grateful for the students who spoke up.

"They're doing a really good job of reminding us that school is different than when we went to school, and the things that students are talking about and the needs that they have are different, and it keeps us in line for what really matters," Davis said.

Davis says she encourages parents to pay attention to what their students are doing, who they're hanging out with and any potential changes in mood or behavior.

She says adding Narcan to all high school classrooms is just another way to keep students safe.

"If this is something that we may need, we hope we never do, but that at least we're ready and we're trained for it," Davis said.

The district has provided a video on how to administer Narcan and the dangers of fentanyl on the district website.

You can find a link to it by clicking here.

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