§ 22-81 — Drug education and youth overdose prevention

By July 1, 2024, the State Board of Education and the Department of Human Services shall work in consultation with relevant stakeholders, including the Illinois Opioid Crisis Response Advisory Council, to develop and update substance use prevention and recovery resource materials for public elementary and secondary schools. A Substance Use Prevention and Recovery Instruction Resource Guide shall be made available on the State Board of Education's Internet website and shall be sent via electronic mail to all regional offices of education and school districts in this State. The Resource Guide shall provide guidance for school districts and educators regarding student instruction in the topics of substance use prevention and recovery at an age and developmentally appropriate level and shall be reviewed and updated appropriately based on new findings and trends as determined by the State Board of Education or the Department of Human Services. A school district's use of the Resource Guide shall be voluntary. All resources and recommendations within the Resource Guide shall align with the substance use prevention and recovery related topics within the Illinois Learning Standards for Physical Development and Health and the State of Illinois Opioid Action Plan. The Resource Guide shall, at a minimum, include all the following: (1) Age-appropriate, comprehensive, reality-based, safety-focused, medically accurate and evidence-informed information that reduces substance-use risk factors and promotes protective factors. (2) Information about where to locate stories and perspectives of people with lived experiences for incorporation into classroom instruction. (3) Resources regarding how to make substance use prevention and recovery instruction interactive at each grade level. (4) Information on how school districts may involve parents, caregivers, teachers, healthcare providers, and community members in the instructional process. (5) Ways to create instructional programs that are representative of diverse demographic groups and appropriate for each age, grade, and culture represented in classrooms in this State. (6) Resources that reflect the prevention continuum from universal to selected tactics that address young people's substance use, and current and projected substance use and overdose trends. (7) Citations and references the most up-to-date version of the State of Illinois Overdose Action Plan. (8) Resources that reflect the importance of education for youth, their families, and their community about: (A) substance types, the substance use continuum, the impact of substances on the brain and body, and contributing factors that lead to substance use, such as underlying co-occurring health issues and trauma; (B) the history of drugs and health policy in this State and the country, the impact of zero tolerance, and restorative justice practices; (C) risk mitigation and harm reduction, including abstinence and responding to an overdose with the use of naloxone and fentanyl test strips; (D) addressing adverse childhood experiences, such as witnessing and experiencing violence, abuse, caregiver loss, and other trauma, especially among young people of color; (E) the social and health inequities among racial and ethnic minorities; and (F) strategies and resources for coping with stress, trauma, substance use, and other risky behavior in non-punitive ways to help oneself or others. Subject to appropriation, the Department of Human Services shall reimburse a grantee for any costs associated with facilitating a heroin and opioid overdose prevention instructional program for school districts seeking to provide instruction under this type of program. Each school district that seeks to participate in the program shall have the discretion to determine which grade levels the school district will instruct under the program. The program must use effective, research-proven, interactive teaching methods and technologies, and must provide students, parents, and school staff with scientific, social, and emotional learning content to help them understand the risk of drug use. Such learning content must specifically target the dangers of prescription pain medication and heroin abuse. The Department may contract with a health education organization to fulfill the requirements of the program.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 102-894, eff. 5-20-22; 103-399, eff. 7-28-23.)