ALLEN COUNTY, Ind. (WOWO) – Medication for opioid overdoses is a hot topic for public schools in the Allen County area.

In Ohio, the Akron Board of Education voted 5-1 to stock all Akron school district’s resource officers with the overdose-reducing drug naloxone, also called Narcan, according to The Journal Gazette.

The Akron school district is just part of a growing list of schools throughout the country saying yes to stocking this drug.

But, officials with Fort Wayne Community Schools (FWCS) and Northwest Allen County Schools (NACS) said their districts aren’t among those that will be equipped with the drug.

There are beliefs among school systems that if Narcan is readily available, students will be more likely to abuse opioids knowing their life is safe.

Others argue that equipping schools with Narcan is no different than having defibrillators for heart attacks, and other medications for allergic reactions, breathing problems or sickness.

In a 2015 survey by the Indiana Prevention Resource Center at Indiana University Bloomington, 1.4 percent of high school seniors in Allen County had tried heroin at least once. Of those, 0.7 percent use it at least monthly.

Krista Stockman, FWCS spokeswoman, said school officials believe that most urban district schools are close enough to medical personnel with training and access to Narcan, thus it’s not necessary within the schools.

NACS plans to explore the issue further with other members of the Allen County Safety Commission.