Okaloosa schools propose opioid settlement spending on prevention, counselor training

The Okaloosa County School District presented a plan to use opioid settlement funds for prevention and student supports, district staff said.

Rebecca Held, student services, presented an expenditure plan developed with the county commissioners office. She said the county asked whether the district could use a portion of its opioid allocation for school-based prevention. Held told the board the plan focuses on prevention for students impacted by opioid use at home or prenatal exposure that can increase risk behaviors.

The plan is phased. Held said the Florida Center will provide training for school mental-health counselors, school counselors and school psychologists. The district also plans to hire or contract behavior experts to work with teachers who serve students with high adverse childhood experience (ACE) scores, and to fund mental-health counselors who will work directly with student groups.

Held said the district will partner with community organizations that have presented fentanyl-education programming (she referenced a "not even once" presentation) and will contract with outside experts to support teachers and students. The presenter described the funding as preventative rather than an enforcement response.

Board members asked whether the plan is an extension of prior county work and whether the mayors initiative contributed; Held said the county commissioners approached the district after receiving their allocation and requested the districts input. Held said the program is new but that phases and contracts are attached to the plan before the board for approval.

The plan was presented as an item recommended by the superintendent; no final vote was recorded in the workshop transcript.