School nurses may administer an opioid antidote to a student, school personnel or others believed to be experiencing an opioid overdose.
At the Sept. 27 regular meeting of the Lenape Regional High School District Board of Education, the board approved a new policy that enables school nurses to receive the appropriate training to administer an opioid overdose antidote during school hours or during school-sponsored activities.
In approving the policy, “Administering an Opioid Antidote”, district officials say the board acknowledged a national opioid epidemic, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which noted that total fatal opioid overdoses increased from approximately 28,600 in 2014, to more than 33,000 in 2015 — a 15 percent increase. In 2016 there were more than 64,000 drug overdose deaths.
LRHSD BOE President Linda Eckenhoff said the board recognizes that opioid use is at epidemic levels in Burlington County.
“In 2016, the last year data is available, some 2,000 people died as a result of drug overdoses in New Jersey,” Eckenhoff said. “Heroin-related deaths have doubled in New Jersey since 2011 and, significantly, 18 LRHSD graduates between the ages of 18 and 25, lost their lives to a drug overdose during the 2016–2017 school year.”
District School Resource Officers already are trained to administer the opioid overdose antidote.
According to LRHSD Superintendent Carol Birnbohm, to date, there have not been any reported opioid overdoses at any of the district schools.
“The new policy is a proactive step by the board and administration to be sure that others are trained, specifically our school nurses, in administering the opioid antidote,” Birnbohm said.
The policy states, in part, that a school nurse “may administer the opioid antidote to a student, school personnel, or other person in an emergency if the school nurse believes, in good faith, that the person is experiencing an opioid overdose.”
“Unfortunately, we likely are dealing with a ‘when’ and not an ‘if’ with regard to having a student, parent, or community member overdose during the school day — or an even greater likelihood — during an afterschool activity,” Birnbohm said. “Our school nurses will receive training to administer an opioid antidote. Of course, we fervently hope that the administration of such an antidote never is necessary, but now we will be at the forefront of this epidemic and be in a position to respond with compassion. We will be better prepared to save someone’s life.”
Birnbohm emphasized that the policy is the newest component of Lenape Regional’s ubiquitous “Defy the Issue” campaign, launched by students, staff and the community in 2010. This year, as part of Defy the Issue, former NBA basketball player, motivational speaker, author, and sobriety expert Chris Herren will return to the LRHSD to share his harrowing story of abuse and recovery with parents, guardians and students.
Free of drugs and alcohol since August 2008, district officials say Herren has refocused his life to make sobriety and family paramount. Since 2009, Herren has shared his story with professional athletic teams and leagues — including the NBA, NFL, and MLB — as well as with students and faculty at colleges and universities, and high schools, including the LRHSD in 2013. District officials say more than one million people nationwide have heard Herren’s message of hope and determination that says it is never too late to start a new chapter in your life.
Herren will speak at school assemblies for ninth through 12th grade students at Lenape, Shawnee, Cherokee, and Seneca High Schools from Tuesday, Oct. 17 through Friday, Oct. 20. Herren will hold a special presentation for parents and guardians on Thursday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. at Lenape Regional Performing Arts Center, 130 Tomlinson Mill Road in Marlton. This presentation, as well as a substance abuse awareness expo, will be open to the public. The expo, provided by the LRHSD’s Defy the Issue, will begin at 6 p.m. It will include various supports and organizations such as Princeton House, High Focus, Prevention Plus, Burlington County Addiction Services, and King’s Crusade. City of Angels will have their “Hidden in Plain Sight” exhibit available as well.
In the evening presentation for adults, Herren will share his story. The evening begins with a five-minute DVD that introduces Herren and how his dream to play in the NBA began to unravel when he made a “few bad decisions.” Herren relates his story by addressing themes of gateway drugs, prescription drug abuse, drinking and driving, as well as self-harm. The presentation will conclude with questions from the audience.
