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Last updated on Monday, November 20, 2017
(COLUMBUS) - School districts across Indiana are considering stocking up on a drug antidote amid the state’s opioid epidemic.
The Indianapolis Star reports that while overdoses on public school property aren't common, districts are still weighing having naloxone because of protections from a new law.
Student assistance coordinator for Bartholomew Schools, Larry Perkins, says districts began discussing carrying naloxone in 2015 after the district recognized there was a heroin epidemic in the state.
Under the law, which took effect in July, school districts are allowed to stock naloxone as an "emergency medication," the same category as medications for severe asthma and allergies.
The law requires additional training for school nurses and protects schools from some potential liabilities. Districts are also required to report to the Indiana Department of Education when the drug is used on school property.
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