Easton Schools to Carry Narcan

In a best case scenario, no one in an Easton public school will never have to use Narcan, but they’ll have it just in case it’s needed.

On July 9, the Easton School Committee voted to allow school nurses to purchase Narcan after hearing a presentation from school nurses Sue Male, Eileen Gardner, and Lynne LeBlanc.

The drug, administered to those suffering from a heroin overdose, will now be carried in every public school in Easton and kept in an emergency medicine bag.

Gardner and LeClanc, who are already trained to administer Narcan, will teach other staff members how to use the life-saving drug.

“We want everyone to know how to use Narcan, that’s our message. This is not just for the nurses to do, this is for the whole crisis team,” Male said.

While there hasn’t been a major problem in the Easton schools, Male said it is a situation where they want to be ready and prepared, comparing keeping Narcan to holding on to an EpiPen in case a student has an allergic reaction. 

According to Gardner, access to Narcan is critical in the event of an overdose. After four minutes, the victim can have permanent brain damage, with death a possibility after six minutes.

Due to the rising costs of Narcan, the nurses will look into buying it in bulk with the fire department. The shelf-life for Narcan is two years.