States are requiring schools to implement fentanyl safety programs as more children die of overdoses.
In the coming months, public schools in Illinois, Oregon, and Washington state will likely be required to educate students about the dangers of fentanyl.
The state law for Illinois, pending the governor’s signature, and Oregon, would take effect in September, while public schools in Washington must comply by the start of the 2025–26 academic year.
The Illinois bill covers high schools, requiring all state health courses for ninth through 12th grades to provide instruction, study, discussion, and assessment on the dangers of fentanyl, according to the Illinois General Assembly. The legislation follows research from the state’s Department of Public Health that determined that overdose deaths from synthetic opioids increased by more than 3,300 percent between 2013 and 2022.
Illinois State Board of Education spokesperson Lindsay…
