Orangeburg County School District: More people allowed to administer Narcan

OCSD trustees unanimously gave second and final approval to a Narcan distribution policy during their Oct. 10 meeting.

A new state law allows districts to offer naloxone, or Narcan-brand nasal spray, to students and staff through the school nurses office.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control says school resource officers have access to Narcan, but allowing nurses to also carry the product could save time if an emergency takes place.

Under the district’s new policy, each school will receive doses of Narcan. Nurses and two first responders in the district will be trained on administering the drug.

All nurses and first responders will also be CPR certified, which is also critical in opioid overdose cases.

In other matters, trustees gave unanimous first reading to a districtwide policy involving Gavin’s Law.

Gavin’s Law makes sexual extortion a felony offense and an aggravated felony if the victim is a minor, vulnerable adult, or if the victim suffers bodily injury or death directly related to the crime. Sexual extortion is the act of blackmailing someone using sexually explicit images or videos.

In 2022, 17-year-old Gavin Guffey was a victim of sexual extortion, resulting in him taking his own life.

The district policy will aim to educate and notify students, parents or guardians, the public, and school personnel about the change in the law.

The school district will work with the State Department of Education, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the state Attorney General’s office to implement the policy.

The SCDE sent a memo to districts notifying them of the law and its requirements.

In other business:

• The district’s revenues for the month of September were about $7.1 million. The expenditures for the month were $10.9 million, meaning the district saw about a $3.8 million loss for the month.

Tax collections for the district will pick up in December and those revenues will not be realized until January, according to school finance officials.

The district earlier this year approved a tax anticipation notice of no more than $10 million to help the district operate until taxes come in.

• South Carolina School Boards Association President Gail Hughes presented the SCSBA Champions of Education award to Nissan of Orangeburg owner and Johnson Automotive Group CEO Marcus Johnson.

Johnson was not able to be present to receive the award, but Hughes said she will come back to present the award to Johnson in person at a future date.

The award recognizes Johnson’s contributions to public education in the district.

Johnson has supported the district in the recruitment and retention of teachers, helped secure billboards for the district, founded the Teacher Supply Closet initiative and funded stipends of $5,000 for district’s Teacher of the Year and Support Staff of the Year, as well as $1,500 for the district’s alternative Teacher of the Year and alternative Support Staff of the Year.

The dealership also gave out two cars to the district’s Teacher of the Year and Support Staff of the Year winners in the past.

• Trustees recognized Bethune-Bowman Middle/High School’s Justin McKie as the Rookie Teacher for the month of September.

• Trustees recognized Robert E. Howard Middle School’s Ann-Marie Roberts-Chai as the district’s September Employee of the Month.

• Dr. Lorraine Peeples was sworn in to serve on seat 4 of the OCSD board.

Peeples was appointed by the Orangeburg County Legislative Delegation to serve the remainder of the term previously held by Peggy James-Tyler, who died in August. Peeples’ appointment will last through the end of the current term, which concludes in November 2024.

Over the years, Peeples has held a variety of roles in educational settings across South Carolina.

She currently serves as an achievement specialist for the LIFE2 grant at Midlands Community Development Corporation.

• Trustees attempted to elect a board secretary to fill James-Tyler’s slot. Trustees Betty Pelzer and Idella Carson were nominated, but each election ended in a tie 4-4 vote. Peeples, being new on the board, did not vote.

The board will try again in the future.

• The district publicly recognized the district’s principals as part of Principal Recognition Month.

• Dr. Charlene Stokes was appointed to the Orangeburg County First Steps Board.

• Trustees went into closed session to discuss personnel and contractual matters and to receive legal advice. The topics of the matters were not disclosed.

• The next board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14. The meetings are held at the school district’s headquarters at 102 Founders Court in Orangeburg.