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SD 1078

An Act relative to Narcan availability in schools

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by John Velis

The bill requires every Massachusetts school to implement a naloxone program, train nurses, stock naloxone, and offer extracurricular student training to administer nasal spray nal

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Bill Summary · SD 1078

Summary: An Act relative to Narcan availability in schools (Senate Bill SD 1078)

Purpose and intent

  • Create a formal framework to increase naloxone (Narcan) availability and overdose-response capacity in public, charter, and regional schools in Massachusetts.
  • Establish a standardized program to ensure trained school personnel and student awareness to respond to opioid overdoses.

Key provisions

  • Insertion of new Section 1C into Chapter 76 (General Laws):

    • Each school committee for a city, town, or regional school district must establish a naloxone overdose prevention program.
    • The program requires every school nurse to be trained in naloxone administration and to have naloxone available in the nurse’s office.
    • The program may be developed with assistance from the Department of Education (DESE) and the Department of Public Health (DPH).

  • Student training requirements:

    • Public schools must offer training for secondary students on how to administer naloxone hydrochloride, in nasal spray form.
    • Training rules are to be adopted by DESE and DPH and must ensure:
    • Training is extracurricular (not part of the regular instructional day).
    • Instruction is delivered by a qualified individual.
    • Instruction standards align with those of a nationally recognized program, organization, or agency.

What would be affected

  • Entities:

    • Local school committees (city, town, regional) responsible for establishing the naloxone program.
    • School nurses, who would be trained and equipped with naloxone in the nurse’s office.
    • Secondary students, who would have access to extracurricular naloxone administration training.

  • State agencies:

    • Department of Education (DESE)
    • Department of Public Health (DPH)
    • Potential development and guidance of program standards through these agencies.

Implementation and timeline

  • The bill would create a new statutory requirement (Section 1C) by amending Chapter 76.
  • Implementation would be guided by rules to be adopted jointly by DESE and DPH.
  • The text does not specify a concrete effective date or funding; implementation depends on the rulemaking process and local adoption.

Additional notes

  • The measure references a previously filed but separate version/file in a prior session (linked to S. 1274 in 2023-2024).
  • The bill focuses on secondary-level training and requires nasal spray naloxone administration training to be conducted by a qualified trainer under standardized national program standards.

This summary reflects the bill text as introduced, focusing on its substantive provisions and potential impact on schools, students, and governing authorities.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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