With the opioid crisis currently going on, some school boards are hosting information sessions for parents to learn ways to protect themselves from the deadly drug, and now they are talking about if there is a need for naloxone kits in schools.

The Chinooks Edge School Division (CESD) is thinking safety first, when they started talking about the possibility of having the kits in school at this week’s board meeting.

Superintendent of the CESD Kurt Sacher says even though they have not had any incidences of the drug within their schools, it never hurts to start making plans for the future.

“Staff require training, and we don’t want to put them in a position where they are not feeling really confident or capable, and so we need to look at that and just assess any risk for staff and certainly for students. The overall goal just to support our continued emphasize on safety and continuing to create that safe and caring culture.”

Sacher says it's a similar process to when Epipens were first introduced in schools, with the school division working to determine if they have a place in the school, and where they could do the most good.

Sacher says this doesn't mean their schools have a fentanyl issue; they simply want to be prepared.

“We have not any incidents of exposure when it comes to fentanyl. That being said, we are trying to anticipate and be proactive that in the worst case scenario that we are prepared for that down the road, so we are definitely looking at this very closely.”  

He says it's a lengthy process with the training in the use of the kits depending on what kind of naloxone kits are purchased, as it can be injected or used as a nasal spray.

For now, it's simply an information gathering process.

Red Deer Catholic meantime has trained staff and now have injectable naloxone kits on hand.