ELK GROVE, Calif. — Michelle Chunn was stunned when her son Colton came home from school with Narcan, the nasal spray designed to reverse drug overdoses - the same type that police officers and medics routinely carry to save lives.
“It scared me. He’s my baby, “Chunn said. “He’s holding it there and said ‘I can’t believe the school gave this to me” and I snatched it from him like he’s a 2-year-old. Cole’s a cancer survivor. I spent two years fighting for his life.”
The 16-year-old attended a school-wide assembly Monday on the dangers of fentanyl at Pleasant Grove High School, put on by Sacramento County Health Services, the District Attorney's Office, and the “Arrive Alive” non-profit. Parents were notified about the presentation but not the Narcan that would be given out to interested students and staff after the fact.
“When you’re talking about a child still in school, still under age, bring the parents in, let them know what’s going on and let them make the decision for themselves,” Chunn said.
Lori Miller, Sacramento County Behavioral Health Director, was among the people teaching students about Narcan and how it is administered.
“It was not given to every student,” Miller said. “We had a resource table that was available to students and school officials and so those students who approached our table and were interested and asked questions were the ones that received the Narcan.”
Pleasant Grove High School sent a memo to parents saying the distribution of Narcan at school was not pre-approved.
“In response to this, we are letting parents know that we are aware that Narcan was distributed to students and staff, however, we would like to make it clear that this was not an approved activity and we will work closely with all future presenters to ensure they understand our policies and procedures for such activities” Taigan Keplinger, the principal, told families in a letter.
Miller said with fentanyl overdoses on the rise in the community, this medication should be more readily available.
“It takes seven minutes for EMS to get to a, potentially, overdose situation and in that time, people can die, so having Narcan is so valuable and beneficial,” Miller said.
She also said studies have shown 93% of people experiencing an overdose are saved with Narcan and taking it without drugs in your system is not harmful.
“There are no ill effects,” Miller said. “It’s not going to harm a person who do not have opioids or fentanyl in their system.”
Chunn said after getting the chance to research the medicine and speak with her son, she supports the idea of having it in schools, as long as it is communicated properly to families.
“I think the kids should have this, and I think they should be trained on using it, and I think the program they put out was great. I think where it failed was not notifying the parents,” Chunn said.
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