Students are now allowed to carry Narcan in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS).
MCPS, health and safety officials announced Monday that students can carry Narcan in schools under new guidance, and “they are not going to get in trouble for that,” according to MCPS Medical Officer Dr. Patricia Kapunan.
Narcan is a medicine that counteracts an opioid overdose. This school year, there were 15 instances in which it was administered in schools as a response to a possible overdose.
Kapunan said the requirement was handed down by the state, but new guidance really codifies procedures that were already in place regarding Narcan and possible opioid overdoses. Every school in MCPS has carried Narcan since the 2018-2019 school year.
The regulation has guidance about Narcan and its use/access in schools, according to MCPS. There is a new piece in the guidelines about personally-obtained Narcan, Kapunan said. Most overdoses do not happen on school grounds.
According to the regulation, under a section about personally-obtained Narcan, “Students who carry naloxone on MCPS property and during school-sponsored activities are not subject to disciplinary action solely for carrying naloxone.”
The announcement was made at Seneca Valley High School, where MCPS will hold a Health and Wellness Fair on Saturday.
