6 Questions Every Parent Should Ask Before School Starts (That Aren't About School Supplies)

Back-to-school preparation usually means shopping for supplies, crafting schedules, medical forms, and emergency contacts. 

Schools prepare for medical emergencies every day, including allergic reactions and cardiac events. As overdoses increasingly affect young people, that preparation should include naloxone too. This isn’t about assuming a particular student uses drugs. It’s about making sure potentially lifesaving help is available when it is needed. 

Naloxone is a safe, FDA approved, easy-to-use medication that can reverse an opioid overdose. The CDC notes that it won’t harm someone if opioids aren’t involved, and it can restore breathing within minutes when an opioid overdose has slowed or stopped it. But it only works if it is nearby and someone is ready and knows how to use it. 

As the school year begins, parents and caregivers can help make overdose preparedness part of the same safety conversation as EpiPens, fire drills, and emergency response plans.  

Start with these six questions:

1. Does our school keep naloxone on campus, and can it be reached quickly? 

Having naloxone somewhere in the building is not enough. In an overdose emergency, every minute matters. Ask where it’s stored, whether it can be reached immediately, and whether more than one dose is available. A kit locked in an office that’s closed after school hours may not help at an evening event, athletic practice, or weekend program. 

Useful follow-up questions include: 

• Is naloxone available in more than one part of the building? 

• Who checks expiration dates and replaces used or expired doses? 

• Is it accessible during sports, field trips, dances, and other after-school activities? 

• Can all staff access it without waiting for one specific person? 

The goal is simple: naloxone should be accessible where an emergency could happen and available to the people prepared to respond. 

2. Who is trained to recognize an overdose and administer naloxone? 

School nurses are essential, but a nurse can’t be present in every building or at every activity. Teachers, athletic coaches, counselors, security staff, administrators, and other adults may be the first people to notice if something goes wrong. 

Training should cover both how to use naloxone and how to recognize common signs of an opioid overdose. It should also be refreshed regularly so staff can respond with confidence rather than losing time to uncertainty. 

Ask the school: 

• Which staff members are trained? 

• How often is training renewed or practiced? 

• Do substitute teachers, coaches, and security personnel receive guidance? 

• Are students taught when to get an adult and call for emergency help? 

Preparedness should not depend on one person being in the right place at the right time. 

3. What is the school’s plan for responding to a suspected overdose? 

A strong response plan should be clear enough to follow in a high-stress moment. Federal school-safety guidance recommends developing a protocol for overdose and other substance-related emergencies. At a minimum, staff should know who calls 911, who retrieves and administers naloxone, who stays with the student, and how first responders are directed to the scene. 

The plan should treat a suspected overdose as a medical emergency. According to the CDC, the response includes giving naloxone when available, calling 911, supporting the person’s breathing, placing them on their side to help prevent choking, and staying with them until emergency help arrives. A second dose may be needed if the person doesn’t respond after two to three minutes. 

Parents can also ask: 

• Is the protocol written down and shared with staff? 

• How are families notified after an emergency? 

• How does the school protect a student’s privacy? 

• What medical, counseling, or recovery supports are offered after a crisis situation? 

4. How does the school educate students about fentanyl, counterfeit pills, and overdose? 

Young people need honest, age-appropriate information before they’re faced with a risky situation. From 2020 to 2024, 75% of overdose deaths among young people ages 10–19 involved fentanyl. Illegally made fentanyl can be pressed into counterfeit pills that look like legitimate prescription medication, which means many young people may not know what they’re taking. 

Effective education goes beyond warnings. Students should learn how to recognize an overdose, call for help, use naloxone when permitted and trained, and stay with the person until help arrives. The message should be direct without being shame-based: asking for help can potentially save a life. 

Ask whether the school’s approach: 

• Teaches students how to recognize and respond to an overdose 

• Uses current, evidence-based information rather than fear-based tactics 

• Explains the risks of fentanyl and counterfeit pills clearly 

• Includes information for parents and caregivers 

• Avoids stigmatizing students who use substances or live with a substance use disorder 

Prevention is strongest when students know the facts, trust the adults around them, and believe they can ask for help without being shamed or isolated. 

5. Can students carry naloxone, and how can families find it? 

While the American Academy of Pediatrics notes there is no age limit on who can carry or administer naloxone, policies on students carrying naloxone may differ by state, district, school, and age. Ask for the school’s written policy. Find out whether students may carry naloxone themselves and whether parent permission or training is required.  

Families can also choose to keep naloxone at home or carry it themselves. Naloxone is available over the counter at many pharmacies. Local health departments, harm reduction organizations, community health centers, and other public programs may offer it at low or no cost. Shatterproof’s guide explains where to get naloxone and how to use it. 

If your family carries naloxone, check the expiration date, store it according to the package instructions, and make sure everyone who may need to use it knows where it is. A trainer can help someone practice the steps, but it contains no medication and cannot reverse an overdose. 

6. How can families help strengthen the school’s overdose preparedness? 

Parents and caregivers can support staff training, share reliable information with other families, and encourage school administrators to review their naloxone policies regularly. If there are gaps, ask the school nurse, parent-teacher organization, or district leaders how families can help improve access, training, and communication. 

Preparedness starts with a conversation 

Parents shouldn’t wait for an emergency or for a school to raise the subject first. Ask these questions at orientation, send them to the principal or school nurse, or bring them to a parent-teacher organization meeting.  

A school may not have every answer yet. The important thing is to begin the conversation and keep it focused on what protects students: access, training, a clear response plan, honest education, and support without stigma. 

No school should be unprepared for an overdose emergency. Preparedness is not permission. It's protection. 

Being prepared can help save a life.  

A gift to Shatterproof helps advance the education, advocacy, and policy work needed to make naloxone easier to understand, access, and use in an emergency. Give $35 or start a $15 monthly gift and receive a naloxone trainer to help build confidence through practice. 

Donate today to help more families, schools, and communities be prepared.