Colonial SD moves to adopt PSBA-format naloxone policy; board to review for first reading in April

District administrators told the Curriculum Committee on April 7 that they will present a revised district policy adopting Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) recommended language for naloxone (Narcan) use in schools, with a first reading scheduled in April and a second reading and adoption planned for May 2025.

Administrators said the district first adopted a naloxone policy in 2017 in response to concerns about opioid overdoses and that the policy has been updated periodically. The recommended revision updates the policy number to PSBA’s numbering scheme, incorporates PSBA language for definitions and guidelines, and clarifies that naloxone is present in district buildings for emergency response. Staff told the committee that naloxone is currently available in middle and high schools and that school nurses receive annual training for administration; they also said the medication is provided as a nasal spray and is safe for use if an individual has ingested an opioid—administrators emphasized that naloxone will not harm a person who has not ingested opioids.

Administrators asked whether naloxone should be supplied in all district buildings and said they will study extending the supply beyond the middle and high schools. The committee discussed training, legal liability language and plan timing; the district’s administrative staff confirmed that the proposed policy change is substantive and requires the two readings and that the revised PSBA-format policy will replace the existing district policy number once adopted.

Provenance: The naloxone policy item was discussed during the committee’s policy-review agenda item (transcript excerpt: "We had to change we originally had this policy under... PSBA has this number as 08/23 for this particular topic... We put that policy into place originally in 2017...").