Illinois high schoolers have to learn about the dangers of fentanyl, thanks to a new law that went into effect this school year.
The lesson talks about how and why fentanyl is laced into drugs, but instructors will also show students how to use test strips and how to administer naloxone or Narcan, the medication used to reverse opioid overdoses.
“We're teaching our students to be engaged citizens and not just, how do you apply this in the school," said the DeKalb School District’s Sarah Montgomery, "but how do you apply that broadly as they're with their family members or community members, so they know how to act and respond and how to make responsible decisions.”
One of DeKalb’s school nurses has been leading fentanyl education lessons not just at the high school, but at the middle school level too. She says they already had drug and opioid lessons on the books, so they could weave in the fentanyl instruction.
In 2022, fentanyl overdoses killed over 70,000 Americans. That number had skyrocketed even from just a few years prior.
This year, though, overdose deaths in the U.S. have plummeted. They’re down nearly 15% nationwide and down 21% in Illinois.
Educators like Montgomery hope continuing to teach students about fentanyl and other drugs will help keep those numbers headed down.
