Some Winnipeg school divisions stock naloxone kits

WINNIPEG — Some city school divisions are stocking up on naloxone kits and training teachers to administer the antidote to opioids.

The River East Transcona School Division recently equipped all of its Grade 9-12 campuses with naloxone — a life-saving medication that temporarily reverses an opioid overdose — in its nasal spray form.

Its neighbour to the south, St. Vital-based Louis Riel School Division is following suit in 2025-26. Superintendents elsewhere in Winnipeg are looking into doing the same.

The Manitoba government recorded 570 drug-related deaths in 2024. Ten of them involved a child or a person aged 19 or younger, provincial data show.

RETSD spokesman Adrian Alleyne said all students and staff in its seven high schools in northeast Winnipeg were taught to recognize signs of drug poisoning this spring.

Alleyne touted his employer’s approach to student wellness as both “compassionate” and “evidence-based” in an email Friday.

“(We set) a strong example in addressing substance use in schools,” he said, noting the division is the only one in Winnipeg that has, in partnership with Shared Health, two full-time substance use counsellors working in its seven high schools.

A third professional is slated to join that team to do prevention work in younger grades.

Also this fall, LRSD will begin handing out naloxone kits to high school teams in St. Boniface, Sage Creek and surrounding areas.

“Much like the presence of EpiPens and AEDs (automated external defibrillators) in our schools, naloxone adds another layer of preparedness to protect the health and safety of our students and staff,” said Christian Michalik, superintendent of LRSD.

Michalik said in a statement that the initiative, to be expanded to elementary schools at a later date, reflects his team’s commitment to community safety. It also responds to “a growing need” to be prepared for medical emergencies related to opioid use, he said.

The Louis Riel Teachers’ Association was unaware Friday of any specific situations during which naloxone has been administered or required on an LRSD campus, its president said.

Teacher Jay McGurran said the union local is supportive of what he called a“proactive step,” as long as his members — of which there are approximately 1,200 — receive appropriate training so they are prepared in the event of an emergency.

(RETSD has ensured at least a half-dozen staff members at each high school know how to administer naloxone, Alleyne said.)

Divisions should use naloxone rollouts as a learning opportunity for students and staff alike, said Arlene Last-Kolb, a mother whose 24-year-old son died of fentanyl poisoning in 2014 and has since dedicated herself to harm reduction advocacy.

“If you don’t educate the kids, what’s the point in having it?” said Last-Kolb, of Moms Stop the Harm. “You’ve got to actually go to each class and teach the kids what it’s all about. They need to know they can go to the staff and ask for that kit.”

There will all but certainly be criticism about schools, especially elementary schools, keeping naloxone on hand, but the reality is these buildings are part of wider communities and preparation is better than the alternative, she said.

Last-Kolb noted that children and youth may live with parents or grandparents who use substances.

She suggested that learning about naloxone is no different than being taught about 911 or the Heimlich manoeuvre.

Health Canada has deemed naloxone safe for all ages.

The medication, which does not require a prescription, comes in both nasal spray and injectable forms. It has an expiration date.

“It works only if you have opioids in your system. It is safe to keep on hand because it cannot be improperly used and does not create dependence,” says a fact sheet on the federal agency’s website.

School trustees and senior administrators are engaged in discussions about stocking naloxone in the Pembina Trails School Division.

“Our school staff have advocated for this addition to their ability to provide first aid,” said Shelley Amos, the superintendent responsible for educating 17,500 students in south Winnipeg.

Her counterparts at Seven Oaks and Winnipeg school divisions indicated they, too, are looking into securing naloxone for their respective campuses.

The St. James-Assiniboia School Division has decided not to purchase kits for the coming year, although a senior employee said the administration is “committed to evaluating community needs.”

» Winnipeg Free Press