The Dartmouth Public Schools have been proactive about discouraging drug use with its students, but a policy change could give school officials a resource in the event that they must react to an overdose.

Proposed changes to School Committee policies include equipping Dartmouth schools with Narcan—an opioid overdose reversal drug—and allowing staff to administer it when needed.

"The desire to house Narcan in the schools and train folks to be able to administer [it] was sparked by the substance abuse crisis evident across the country," Superintendent Bonny Gifford said via email.

School nurses and staff trained in Narcan delivery would be allowed to administer the medicine in the event that a student or member of the public requires it, said Assistant Superintendent Michelle Roy at the August 22 School Committee meeting.

The current plan is to provide each of Dartmouth’s six schools with two kits of Narcan. Nurses would receive training on how to administer the drug, and carry one kit in their emergency bag. Another kit would be located in the building for properly trained staff to use in the event that the school nurse is unavailable, such as after-school games and other gatherings outside regular school hours.

Gifford said the district plans to equip schools in September. Discussions are currently ongoing between a number of departments and officials helping to implement the policy, including the Dartmouth Police Department, the district's lead nurse and doctor, and the Dartmouth Health Department.

Initially, school nurses and administrative staff would receive training on how to administer the drug. Gifford said the district will consider training other staff members at a later date.

The proposed changes to the alcohol and drug use section would also ban the use of vaporizers and e-cigarettes at all Dartmouth schools.