Friday, April 19, 2024
The Gatesville Independent School District Board of Trustees received updates during the Jan. 17 meeting on several items that are expected to help make campuses safer.
The board approved an opioid antagonist policy that ensures Narcan is available on each campus in case of a dangerous exposure to a potentially lethal drug.
"We've probably all heard how deadly fentanyl can be — in some instances it can kill you if you touch it," said GISD Superintendent Barrett Pollard. "We want to be proactive and have Narcan on hand, and only police, athletic trainers and nurses will be authorized to administer it."
The board and administration had previously discussed the presence of dangerous fentanyl pills becoming more of a common threat, including in areas such as schools.
Pollard noted that according to data provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety, 883 people in Texas died from fentanyl-related overdoses in 2020, and the number of fatalities from the drug rose to 1,672 in 2021 — an 89% increase.
"GISD wanted to have the opioid antagonist known as Narcan on hand to administer if someone were to overdose on this deadly drug," Pollard said. "Thanks to a grant, our district nurses were able to secure Narcan for each campus free of cost.
If a student is given Narcan during a medical emergency, he or she would be transported to the nearest emergency room.
Another concern campuses might face would be an extreme allergic reaction, and epinephrine devices — also known as epi-pens — can also provide a lifesaving counter action.
"Thanks to a grant, our district nurses were also able to secure unassigned epi-pens for each campus free of cost," Pollard said. "These items could save a child's life in the event of anaphylaxis (a severe life-threatening allergic reaction). It is important to note that these epi-pens do not take the place of a student's doctor prescribed epi-pen. However, having a couple of extras on hand will be extremely helpful in the event of an emergency.
If a student is treated with an epi-pen during an emergency, he or she would then be transported to the nearest emergency room.
Following up on policies adopted by the board in July 2022 related to the Gatesville ISD police department, the board approved a policy on the use of tasers.
A memorandum to the Council noted that policies have been approved addressing topics that include the use of force, vehicle pursuit, professional conduct of officers, domestic abuse protocols, response to missing persons, supervision of part-time officers, impartial policing, evidence collection, and eyewitness identification.
"Since that time, we have purchased tasers for each of our officers and we needed to add a more specific taser policy that falls under the broader umbrella of use of force," the memorandum states. "Our lawyer reviewed and approved the wording of this policy. Hopefully, our officers will never have to use their taser, but it is good to have a non-lethal use of force option."
Pollard said, "the main thing we want to get across is that this is a last resort, and never for punishment."
