Bill
S 382
Requires opioid use disorder education in K-12 health curricula, covering overdose identification, naloxone use, destigmatization, and medical amnesty protections.
Status snapshot
- Bill number: S.382 (Senate docket no. 869)
- Introduced: February 4, 2025 (sponsor: Sen. John F. Keenan, with multiple co‑petitioners)
- Currently referred to committee(s): Education and Disabilities (record shows referrals to Education and to Disabilities; a public hearing was scheduled for 07/21/2025)
- Subject: Adds specific opioid use disorder education requirements to school drug/alcohol/tobacco education standards (Chapter 69).
Note on record inconsistencies
- The header in your provided metadata mentions fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and other sponsor lists appear inconsistent with the bill text. This summary is based on the bill text titled “An Act requiring opioid use disorder education” filed as S.382 (Senate Docket No. 869).
Purpose and intent
- To require that statewide drug, alcohol and tobacco education standards explicitly include instruction about opioid use disorder (OUD), overdose recognition, naloxone (how to find and use it), destigmatization of naloxone possession, and information about medical amnesty for lay people who administer naloxone or call for emergency help.
Key provisions
- Amend Chapter 69 by inserting new Section 1U that requires OUD-related content be promoted within education standards established under section 1D, specifically including:
1. Basic information on opioids, opiates, and how substance use disorder develops;
2. Procedures to identify an opioid overdose;
3. Information on naloxone — where to find it and how to use it to reverse an opioid overdose;
4. Content aimed at destigmatizing naloxone possession;
5. Information on existing statewide medical amnesty protections for laypeople who administer naloxone or contact emergency services in suspected overdoses.
- Schools required to incorporate these standards into existing curricula, including health education. Applies to: public school districts, charter schools, approved private day or residential schools, and collaborative schools.
- The Department (presumably the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) may apply for federal, state, or other funds to implement the section.
Who would be affected
- Primary: students (K–12), school staff (teachers, school nurses, administrators), and school districts/charter/approved private/residential/collaborative schools across the Commonwealth.
- Secondary: parents/guardians, local public health entities, and organizations that provide training or curricular materials.
- The bill does not itself mandate training certification, purchase/distribution of naloxone by schools, or create new immunity beyond requiring instruction about existing medical amnesty laws.
Implementation and costs
- Implementation requires curriculum updates and teacher/staff training time. The bill allows the Department to seek external funding (federal/state/grants) to support implementation; it does not appropriate specific state dollars.
- Potential costs would include curriculum development, staff training, and possibly informational materials. Those costs are not itemized in the bill.
Procedural/timeline notes
- Introduced Feb 4, 2025. Referred to committee(s); hearing scheduled for July 21, 2025 (Gardner Auditorium). Further committee action, amendments, or enactment dates would follow committee review and floor votes.
Potential impacts
- Increased student and staff knowledge of opioid risks and overdose response, potentially improving early recognition and lifesaving responses (use of naloxone).
- May reduce stigma around naloxone and encourage timely emergency calls through education about medical amnesty.
- Schools will need to integrate new content into existing courses; local districts may seek resources or training partners.
For further tracking
- Watch committee reports from Education and Disabilities, any amendments to the text (e.g., expansion to include distribution/training mandates), and appropriation actions for implementation funding.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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