Board approves MOU to fund school-based prevention specialist using opioid-settlement dollars

Douglas County School District trustees voted unanimously to approve a memorandum of understanding that will fund a school-based prevention specialist using county opioid-settlement dollars.

Brooke Ady, Douglas County community services director, told the board the county will grant settlement funds to Partnership Douglas County, which will administer the money and oversee the prevention programming. ‘‘The partnership will oversee the funds that will then be given to the school district, and they will provide administrative oversight,’’ Ady said, describing how the arrangement is intended to work.

The specialist will be a district employee paid with Partnership-managed funds and assigned to work inside schools on prevention activities, Ady said. Trustees were told the role is education and prevention only — not therapy — and the worker will not be a licensed…