Valley school districts keep Narcan on hand and staff trained for quick response

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Shocking youth overdose numbers from the CDC prompted the American Medical Association to call for Narcan to be placed in every school in the nation.

In an exclusive interview you saw first on Action News, you heard about Clovis Unified's plan to increase access to the life-saving drug.

After we reported on the new developments with Clovis Unified, Action News contacted Fresno Unified to get an update on their Narcan plan.

Several years ago, Fresno Unified decided to keep two doses of Narcan on every campus and to train site leaders and nurses on how to administer it.

Next week, Clovis Unified will get a shipment from Parents and Addicts in Need (PAIN) of more than 2,000 boxes of Narcan, enough for two doses in every classroom in the district.

"This is a proactive step that we are taking to make sure that we can keep our students safe as well as anybody else who comes on our campus," said Shareen Crosby, CUSD Risk and Benefits Manager. "We can't predict when somebody will have an overdose or an exposure to an opioid or fentanyl, but we can be prepared for it."

The Narcan won't be distributed to classrooms just yet.

The district is still working on an implementation and distribution plan, including discussing how staff will be trained and addressing any reservations staff members may have.

FUSD has kept two doses of Narcan on secondary school campuses since August 2022. In the summer of 2023, they expanded to all campuses.

The district received its doses as part of statewide initiatives.

"So August of 23 we rolled it out to every single school site and some of our departments that have the public walking on campus or on their site to do business," said Liz Torres, FUSD Executive Director of Health Services.

Site leaders, nurses, and campus safety assistants are trained to administer the life-saving drug, but the district has opened up the opportunity for training to other staff members.

There are hopes to increase the amount of doses available on campus, but it is more likely to be stored in each wing rather than each classroom to provide easier access.

"It would be great to provide one in every classroom, but will we have people who know how to use it in each of the classrooms who know how to respond," said Torres.

"Usually it will still be 'We need assistance,' and a nurse will attend to that student and/or victim who is having the overdose."

As of this school year, Central Unified high schools have Narcan in every classroom, every student liaison has them, and they're on school buses.

Middle Schools in the district have Narcan available in the office, and all staff have also been trained on how to use it.

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