New York City public school nurses now receiving Narcan training, Department of Education officials say
NEW YORK -- In February, CBS New York first brought you an investigation on Narcan in schools.
In CBS New York's investigation earlier this year, we found school districts across our area, including on Long Island, had Narcan in their schools and nurses trained to use it, but New York City public schools, the largest school district in the country, was not prepared with it.
We were told in case of a suspected overdose, 911 would be called.
After months of reaching out to the Department of Education, we learned Narcan training began in June for school nurses.
"As school nurses, school staff, we are the parents' eyes and ears for the kids. They're the most vulnerable of our population," said school nurse Lynnette Daniel.
Daniel has been a registered nurse for 18 years. She now works with New York City public school students.
"Narcan is very important because if there is an opioid overdose, then anyone can administer it," Daniel said.
She tells CBS New York she took a mandatory Narcan training class earlier in June.
"It's important to have it in the schools just in case," she said.
A spokesperson for New York City public schools told CBS New York: "We are working closely with [the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene] to ensure that every high school has Narcan stocked in the building and a staff member trained on administering the drug by fall of 2023."
Narcan in schools is something the United Federation of Teachers, which also represents school nurses, has been pushing for.
It's also an issue CBS New York shed a light on in February after Narcan was used to save a student's life at New Rochelle High School after a suspected fentanyl overdose.
"We had really no other choice but to decide to give them the Narcan," New Rochelle High School nurse Diane Vetrano said at the time.
Trained nurses even showed us how to use the life-saving tool.
Jo Venturelli trains and educates New Yorkers on opioid overdose and the importance of Narcan, in addition to running the Seafield Center on Long Island, a center that helps families recover from addiction.
"We're seeing most overdose now contain fentanyl in them," Venturelli said.
The fentanyl fight in New York continues to be priority for law enforcement as drug overdose continues to rise, especially among some of the city's youngest.
Data obtained by CBS New York shows fentanyl was involved in the majority of overdose deaths in New York City in 2021; 72 people aged 15-24 died from opioids. The data from 2022 and 2023 hasn't been released yet.
That's why the teachers' union says all staff in schools should be trained on how to use Narcan.
"You can't just say the school nurse is responsible because if there is a crisis, you have to have multiple people because you can't wait to find the school nurse," UFT President Michael Mulgrew said.
We learned New York City public school nurses started to receive Narcan training on June 14. The DOE says all high schools will have it by fall.
It's still unclear if that will happen. We will check in again in September.