At a Jan. 13 meeting, the School Committee voted in favor of teaching 11th and 12th graders how to administer nasal Narcan, or naloxone, spray — commonly known as the antidote for an opioid overdose — adding it to list of “necessary” Health II skills, like CPR and first-aid training.

On Jan. 7, the Fall River Public School Instructional Subcommittee discussed the curriculum addition, citing the rise in illicit fentanyl use and subsequent overdoses to justify teaching high school upperclassmen where to obtain and how to administer nasal Narcan to save friends or family members by reversing an opioid overdose. 

Daniel Fitzgerald, the director of health and physical education for the city’s public schools, said Narcan delivery training helps keep the community safer, with opioids more available, especially to vulnerable populations — by prescription or otherwise.

Read more at heraldnews.com.