HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – A school-based peer recovery program is in the works in the Hot Springs School District.
Last week the school board voted to submit a proposal for funding to the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership Board.
The program would provide a school resource officer and peer recovery specialist, and also make Narcan available, and a TruNarc tool, that can reveal what kind of drug was used.
The peer recovery specialist would provide one-on-one meetings with junior and high school students, hold after-school sessions, and train and educate staff on the best ways to help students.
Dudley Webb, III, District 4 City Director for Hot Springs, has helped lead the efforts to create this program.
“The program is going to address substance abuse problems for students and their families and provide resources and services to help correct those problems,” Webb says.
If funding is received, he says that the program would be the first of its kind in the state.
Webb says they should know sometime in October if funding has been granted.
Students will also receive educational materials that will help them understand those who may struggle with addiction.
