SEATTLE — Public schools in Washington may soon be required to teach about the dangers of the deadly drug fentanyl, as a bill that passed out of the House unanimously on Friday heads to the Senate.
House Bill 1956 would require schools to provide education about fentanyl and other opioids in health classes to as many seventh and ninth grade students as possible during the remainder of the 2024-25 school year after materials are updated, and annually to seventh and ninth graders every year thereafter.
The bill will be heard in the Senate on Thursday. If it passes and is signed by Gov. Jay Inslee, it would go into effect immediately and materials would need to be updated for use by Dec. 1.
The number of people under the age of 24 in Washington who have died because of an overdose has increased sixfold since 2017, with a total of more than 190 deaths in 2022. More than 90% of those deaths were from fentanyl overdoses, according to Inslee’s office.
In King County last year, 16 people under the age of 20 died from fentanyl overdoses. This year so far, there have been two deaths involving fentanyl among those under 20, according to the King County Department of Health. These counts do not include young people who may have overdosed outside of the county and died in King County.