Wake County Schools will join other North Carolina districts like Charlotte-Mecklenburg that have adopted a new policy on the emergency use of Naloxone.
The nasal spray, also known as Narcan, can help reverse opioid overdoses. The school board approved the policy on Tuesday.
Opioid Crisis in Wake County
It will require up to at least three staff members in every school to learn how to use Narcan. The latest data from the Opioid Settlement chart shows 240 people died in 2021 due to opioid overdoses.
“All 200 Wake County Schools deserve to have naloxone,” said Barb Walsh, the executive director of the Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina. “It is no different than an EpiPen or an AED system or a fire extinguisher. It's all life saving equipment.”
The new policy does not guarantee Naloxone at every school and it is also not required at activities held off school grounds. The Wake schools policy was also adopted ahead of a June 5 deadline to apply for county funding.
Meal prices to rise
Meal prices for Wake County Schools will increase by 25 cents for the 2024-2025 school year. The Wake County School Board also voted 5-3 on Tuesday to approve the increase. School board member Cheryl Caulfield was one of the three who opposed the change.
“My struggle is to put a burden on the families with raising the prices on them because of all the outside sources that are coming to us and making us raise the prices,” said Caulfield, during Tuesday’s school board meeting.
School board officials say those outside sources include one of their main vendors charging more than $400,000 just for the delivery fees. Paula DeLuca, the school nutrition director for Wake County Public Schools, said they also don't have a full understanding of how much the cost of food and supplies will climb.
Breakfast will go from $1.50 to $1.75 and lunch will go from $3.25 to $3.50 for elementary school students. Middle and high school breakfast went from $1.75 to $2 and lunch went from $3.50 to $3.75.
The revenue from the 25-cent increase is expected to bring in over $1 million for the 2024-2025 school year.
