King William school board adopts policy to keep naloxone in schools
May 01, 2024 | KING WILLIAM CO PBLC SCHS, School Districts, Virginia
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The King William County School Board voted to adopt a naloxone (Narcan) policy after hearing from school health staff and administrators about training and safety protocols.
Dr. Wagner introduced the proposal and said the division had begun preparing in anticipation of state legislation. Mrs. Kim Lewis, a school nurse at King William High School, told the board that roughly 22 administrators and all school nurses completed the state-approved REVIVE training provided by the Virginia Department of Health and Behavioral Health. Lewis said the division obtained free naloxone packets from the department and described standing statewide orders that permit trained staff to administer naloxone in an emergency.
Lewis described the clinical signs staff are trained to recognize — slow, shallow or absent breathing, pinpoint pupils, loss of consciousness and choking/gurgling sounds — and explained that a standard naloxone packet the division obtained contains two four‑milligram doses. She said naloxone is safe to use in suspected opioid overdoses and that trained staff and school nurses would administer it from clinic storage; the division plans to document staff training annually under the standing orders.
Board members raised questions about differentiating opioid overdose from allergic reactions or asthma attacks and about EMS response times in rural areas. Lewis and Dr. Wagner said training emphasizes recognition of overdose signs and that naloxone can be life‑saving when EMS response is delayed. The board discussed parental opt‑out concerns and agreed the policy should be described in the student code of conduct and accompanied by education for staff and families.
A board member moved to adopt the policy; the motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote. Members discussed whether implementation should be immediate and confirmed that training records, storage protocols and communication to families would be developed before broad deployment. The board did not identify any immediate changes to clinic stock of other emergency medications.
Dr. Wagner introduced the proposal and said the division had begun preparing in anticipation of state legislation. Mrs. Kim Lewis, a school nurse at King William High School, told the board that roughly 22 administrators and all school nurses completed the state-approved REVIVE training provided by the Virginia Department of Health and Behavioral Health. Lewis said the division obtained free naloxone packets from the department and described standing statewide orders that permit trained staff to administer naloxone in an emergency.
Lewis described the clinical signs staff are trained to recognize — slow, shallow or absent breathing, pinpoint pupils, loss of consciousness and choking/gurgling sounds — and explained that a standard naloxone packet the division obtained contains two four‑milligram doses. She said naloxone is safe to use in suspected opioid overdoses and that trained staff and school nurses would administer it from clinic storage; the division plans to document staff training annually under the standing orders.
Board members raised questions about differentiating opioid overdose from allergic reactions or asthma attacks and about EMS response times in rural areas. Lewis and Dr. Wagner said training emphasizes recognition of overdose signs and that naloxone can be life‑saving when EMS response is delayed. The board discussed parental opt‑out concerns and agreed the policy should be described in the student code of conduct and accompanied by education for staff and families.
A board member moved to adopt the policy; the motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote. Members discussed whether implementation should be immediate and confirmed that training records, storage protocols and communication to families would be developed before broad deployment. The board did not identify any immediate changes to clinic stock of other emergency medications.
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