Hochul: no to armed school staff, yes to Narcan on campus

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul doesn’t like the idea of armed and trained school staff carrying firearms to serve as a first line of defense in case of a targeted attack on a school campus, but the Democrat is much more amenable to the idea of college administrators and residential advisors being armed with Narcan in case of an opioid overdose at school.

Hochul signed legislation on Monday that not only requires all public colleges and universities in the state to have a ready supply of Narcan available in case of an on-campus overdose, but mandates that some employees and RAs be trained on how to administer the drug as well.

“By signing this legislation, lifesaving overdose prevention medicine will be required in SUNY and CUNY campus housing, as well as trained staff on-site – leading to faster response times and helping prevent needless tragedies,” Governor Hochul said.