Schools Increasingly Stock Naloxone as Youth Fentanyl Crisis Escalates
WASHINGTONโ D.C. – As โfentanyl-relatedโ overdoses among young people continue โคtoโ rise nationwide, schools are increasingly taking stepsโค to โprepare for andโฃ respond to potential emergencies byโข stockingโ naloxone,โ aโ life-saving medication thatโฃ canโ reverse opioid overdoses.โ While mandates vary by state, a new analysis of data from the National Centre forโข Education โStatistics (NCES) revealsโ a growingโฃ trend in naloxone availability within schools, alongside disparities in access โฃand training.
The issue has gained urgent attentionโ in recent years due to the dramatic increase in adolescent fentanylโ poisonings. According to the โCenters forโ Disease Control and โคPrevention, overdose deaths involving synthetic โopioids like fentanyl nearly doubled among adolescents aged 14-18 between 2019 and 2021. This has prompted aโ wave of legislative action and policy changes aimed at protecting โstudents.โ Currently, Rhode Island, Washington, and Arkansasโ haveโค state mandates requiring schools to stock naloxone.California’s Department of Healthโฃ Care Services also provides free naloxone to schools through an request process, and many other states recommend or permit schools to โฃmaintain the medicationโ on campus.
Data from the 2024-2025 schoolโข year shows that 75%โข of public schools now store naloxone, a significant increase from previous โคyears. However, access isn’t uniform. Schools with fewer students of color areโข more likely toโฃ stock naloxone (79%) compared to schoolsโข with a higher population of students of color (71%).Thisโฃ disparity aligns with existing โขresearch indicatingโ thatโ Black individuals may face limitedโข access to naloxone compared to White individuals. Similar trends wereโ observedโค based onโ socioeconomic status, with schools in lower poverty neighborhoods (78%) more likely โto store naloxoneโ thanโ those in higher poverty areasโฃ (72%). Middle and high schools (82% and 89% respectively) โขalso demonstrate higher rates of naloxone storage compared to elementary schools โ(69%), as do larger schools โคwith โ1,000 or more students โฃcompared to smaller schools.
Training for naloxone โคadministration โis primarily focused on keyโข staff members. Nurses, security personnel, and administrativeโค staff are the mostโ frequently trained โคto respond toโข opioidโ emergencies. In โขthe 2024-2025 school year, only โฃ1% of publicโ schools reported โขadministering naloxone at school or during a school event, suggesting thatโค while preparedness is increasing, actual โincidents remainโค relativelyโ rare – though experts caution that thisโ could change.
The growing presence of naloxone โin schools represents โa critical stepโค in addressing โthe youth fentanyl crisis, butโ the data highlights the โคneed forโค equitableโข accessโค and comprehensiveโฃ training to ensure all students are protected.
