Bill > SB228

This bill mandates that the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development create an opioid abuse awareness and prevention curriculum for students in grades six through twelve, requiring at least 60 minutes of instruction annually. This curriculum will cover the dangers and consequences of opioid abuse and addiction, including specific warnings about fentanyl-laced drugs that may be disguised as candy, the science behind opioid use, prevention strategies like safe prescription medication use, and how to recognize early signs of addiction in young people. To develop this curriculum, the department must consult with the Department of Health, state and tribal organizations experienced in overdose prevention, and families affected by opioid overdoses. School districts will be required to teach this curriculum to students in grades six through twelve, ideally during the last week of October. For the purposes of this bill, "curriculum" refers to this specific opioid education program, "drugs" and "opioid" have established legal definitions, "opioid abuse" and "opioid addiction" are defined as dependency or a loss of self-control that significantly harms health or daily functioning, and "school district" is also defined by existing law.

Education

https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Detail/34?Root=SB228