Gov. Inslee signs bill into law requiring schools to teach about drugs amid fentanyl crisis

Washington State Governor Jay Inslee signed a house bill, led by a Pierce County mother who lost her son to fentanyl, into law, which will require schools to teach about the latest deadly drugs and prevention amid the fentanyl crisis.

PIERCE COUNTY MOTHER LEADS HOUSE BILL 1956:

KIRO 7 News first spoke with Maria Petty of Steilacoom last month when she had been raising awareness about the fentanyl crisis following her son’s death.

Petty said her son, Lucas Petty, who attended Steilacoom High School, had purchased weed from an alumnus, but he did not know it was laced with fentanyl.

She found her son Monday morning as he was lying on his bed unresponsive.

“When I grabbed his foot, it was cold,” she said. “It was a sense of panic and fear that ran through my body.”

Paramedics tried to save her son.

Her children saw his body as first responders carried her son outside.

“I think it was their screams that made it real for me,” she said. “I wasn’t dreaming and I knew I wasn’t going to wake up. But this nightmare was going to be my reality.”

Following her son’s death, Petty has been fighting to raise awareness about the deadly drug at different schools across Pierce County.

A key part of her effort was leading House Bill 1956, which is also named after her son, the Lucas Petty Act.

“He’s gone and he’s never coming back, but my hope and wish is that he’ll be able to save others,” said Petty.

Governor Jay Inslee signed the bill into law at the Tulalip Resort Casino Tuesday afternoon.

“Fentanyl is a scourge in the state of Washington. It is the nuclear weapon of opioids that are attacking our young and not so young people, and it is our intent with the bills we’re going to sign today to wrap all of Washingtonians’ arms around these young people and say, ‘we will not let fentanyl get to the lives of these young people.’ That’s why we’re here today,” said Inslee.

He had acknowledged Petty’s efforts to fight against the deadly drug at the podium right before he signed his name on the bill.

“We know that her work she has done to alert the state of Washington has really helped eight million Washingtonians in the name of her son Luke,” he said.

LAW’S REQUIREMENTS:

According to the bill’s document that KIRO 7 News received, the new law will now require school districts to teach students about substance abuse, the latest drugs and drug prevention.

By September 1, 2024, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), along with educational service districts, the Health Care Authority, the Department of Health, and the Department of Children, Youth and Families will review education prevention materials to provide to students in 7th through 12th grade along with their families.

The materials will cover information on fentanyl, other opioids, and deadly drugs.

The OSPI will also update its website with substance-use prevention materials so school districts and community organizations focused on supporting the youth can leverage its resources.

Several agencies, including the OSPI, will also work with Native American tribes to develop materials and resources for state-tribal schools.

The agencies will also be required to review materials and resources at least once every year to ensure they include the latest information and evidence-based strategies to prevent drug use.

All school districts that serve middle and high school students will also be encouraged to work with their educational service districts and substance-use intervention specialists to provide drug-prevention materials, events, and resources to students and their families.

Education materials to prevent drug use within health classes must be provided once a year to all students in 7th and 9th grade.

The law will immediately go into effect, a lawmaker told KIRO 7 News, however, schools will not be required to make changes until the beginning of next school year, but they are encouraged to implement changes as soon as they can.

KIRO 7 News reached out to a number of school districts to understand what parents can expect going forward following the new law.

BELLEVUE SCHOOL DISTRICT:

“Bellevue School District Counselors are advocates for students and staff, spending over 80 percent of their time in direct service to our families. They also provide resources and advocacy for academic, career, social-emotional, mental health and substance abuse prevention and intervention. Our school community can expect continued support in these areas, in compliance with school policy and state law,” a spokesperson wrote in a statement.

SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

“Seattle Public Schools (SPS) is committed to keeping families informed and students safe. Our district’s current practice already goes above and beyond the scope of House Bill 1956. We have prevention and intervention specialists at all 12 comprehensive middle schools and two (2) high schools. These staff provide multiple student services including fentanyl/overdose awareness campaigns and supporting classroom drug education. All 7th grade students receive a fentanyl/overdose prevention lesson as part of the mandatory substance use prevention unit, Project ALERT. All high school students receive lessons on substance use and overdose prevention in their required health class. Our Prevention and Intervention team provides school-based supports for fentanyl/overdose prevention by providing school-based staff training, family engagement, classroom education, and awareness campaigns. Additionally, we collaborate with substance use disorder agencies regionally to provide on-campus assessments/treatment for students as needed,” a spokesperson wrote in a statement.

KIRO 7 News also reached out to Tacoma Public Schools, Renton School District, Kent School District and Snohomish School District.

We’re still waiting to hear back.