BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) \u2014 The Bakersfield City School District Board of Trustees is set to consider a policy change on Tuesday allowing middle and high school students to carry opioid overdose medication for emergency situations, according to the board agenda.<\/p>\n
A board policy titled \u201cAlcohol and Other Drugs\u201d features several proposed changes, including allowing students to carry tools for opioid overdose.<\/p>\n
A proposed addition to the policy would allow students in BCSD middle schools, junior highs, high schools or adult schools to carry fentanyl test strips or a \u201cfederally approved opioid antagonist\u201d for emergency treatment of opioid overdose on campus or during school activities.<\/p>\n
Semi-truck driver killed in rollover crash along Hwy 58: CHP <\/a><\/p>\n Students 12 years or older could also carry and administer a naloxone nasal spray or other medication for federally approved over-the-counter, non-prescription uses, the proposal said.<\/p>\n Naloxone<\/a> is an opioid antagonist that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose. It can restore normal breathing to someone whose breathing slows or stops due to an overdose.<\/p>\n This revision is to reflect California Assembly Bill 2998, which requires public schools to allow students over the age of 12 to carry and use opioid overdose medication like naloxone.<\/p>\n In 2022<\/a>, the school district approved Narcan in its middle and high schools. It also approved training for school employees in coordination with Drug Free Kern, a group that works to reduce the impact of alcohol and drug misuse in Kern County.<\/p>\n While the Bakersfield City School District already has information about Narcan availability on its website<\/a>, it doesn\u2019t mention students being able to use such medication.<\/p>\n