All secondary schools in British Columbia will need to have Naloxone kits and defibrillators by the year’s end, according to a new health emergencies policy update from the province. As part of the policy, Grade 10 students will receive first aid training during gym class starting in September. The students will learn CPR and how to use automated external defibrillators (AEDs). However, naloxone training will not be mandatory in schools, as stated by the Ministry of Education and Childcare.
The Ministry expressed gratitude to the family of Sidney McIntyre-Starko, an 18-year-old UVic student who passed away from opioid poisoning last year, along with all the students and parents who advocated for these changes. Tobias Zhang, a Grade 12 student at Point Grey Secondary in Vancouver, welcomed the update. Zhang has been a proponent for AEDs in schools since losing a friend to cardiac arrest at school three years ago.
Following the tragic incident, Zhang founded a group to raise funds for installing an AED at his school. After a year of meetings with school board chairs, the Vancouver School Board accepted the group’s donation of approximately $14,000. The board has allocated $250,000 from its budget to purchase and install AEDs in all district facilities by September.
Leslie McBain, co-founder of Moms Stop the Harm, praised the decision to equip schools with naloxone kits, emphasizing the importance of quick response in overdose situations. However, McBain expressed disappointment that students will not be required to undergo training on how to use these life-saving kits. She stressed the significance of training due to the time-sensitive nature of administering naloxone during an overdose.
In a proactive step, the Abbotsford School District will provide additional education to students by training them on administering naloxone, performing CPR, and using an AED. Superintendent Nathan Ngieng highlighted the importance of equipping young individuals to respond to emergency situations, citing previous incidents of overdose deaths in the Abbotsford area. Ngieng emphasized the real-life impact of having AEDs in schools, noting that one AED had already saved a student’s life.
By 2026, all elementary and middle schools in British Columbia will also be mandated to have AEDs and naloxone kits as part of their safety measures.