Creates substance use prevention and recovery resource materials which include age-appropriate information on the risks of drug use, overdoses, and how to include resources from outside of the school district to improve instruction.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5745
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 20, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SOLAGES, K. BROWN -- read once and referred to
the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to creating substance use
prevention and recovery resource materials for schools
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 4 of section 804 of the education law, as
2 amended by chapter 390 of the laws of 2016, is amended to read as
3 follows:
4 4. (a) Instruction regarding alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, in
5 addition to continued health guidance in the junior high school grades
6 and the senior high schools, shall be an integral part of a required
7 health education course at each of these levels in the secondary schools
8 curriculum. Students shall be required to demonstrate knowledge in the
9 subject area through the use of a test, graded project or report, or any
10 other means prescribed by the school authorities regarding alcohol,
11 drugs, and tobacco. Any such course shall be taught by teachers holding
12 a certificate to teach health. Related courses in the secondary school
13 curriculum shall be taught in a manner supportive of health education
14 regarding alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. In addition, instruction
15 regarding the dangers of driving while under the influence of alcohol or
16 drugs shall be an integral part of a required health education course in
17 the senior high schools. Such instruction shall be provided in all
18 senior high schools whether or not these schools also provide driver
19 education courses.
20 (b) Instruction regarding alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs may also
21 include substance use prevention and recovery resource materials devel-
22 oped and updated annually by the commissioner in consultation with the
23 office of addiction services and supports. The commissioner shall, in
24 developing the substance use prevention and recovery resource materials,
25 use effective, research-proven, interactive teaching methods and tech-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09926-01-5
A. 5745 2
1 nologies. Such resource materials shall be distributed to each school
2 district within the state and shall be made available on the depart-
3 ment's website. The resource materials shall provide:
4 (i) students, parents, and school staff with scientific, social, and
5 emotional learning content to help them understand the risk of drug use.
6 (ii) information specifically targeting the dangers of prescription
7 pain medication and heroin abuse.
8 (iii) guidance for school districts and educators regarding student
9 instruction in the topics of substance use prevention and recovery at an
10 age and developmentally appropriate level.
11 (iv) age-appropriate, comprehensive, reality-based, safety-focused,
12 medically accurate and evidence-informed information that reduces
13 substance use risk factors and promotes protective factors.
14 (v) information about where to locate stories and perspectives of
15 people with lived experiences for incorporation into classroom instruc-
16 tion.
17 (vi) resources regarding how to make substance use prevention and
18 recovery instruction interactive at each grade level.
19 (vii) information on how school districts may involve parents, care-
20 givers, teachers, healthcare providers, and community members in the
21 instructional process.
22 (viii) ways to create instructional programs that are representative
23 of diverse demographic groups and appropriate for each age, grade, and
24 culture represented in classrooms in this state.
25 (ix) resources that reflect the prevention continuum from universal to
26 selected tactics that address young people's substance use, and current
27 and projected substance use and overdose trends.
28 (x) resources that reflect the importance of education for youth,
29 their families, and their community about:
30 (A) substance types, the substance use continuum, the impact of
31 substances on the brain and body, and contributing factors that lead to
32 substance use, such as underlying co-occurring health issues and trauma.
33 (B) the history of drugs and health policy in this state and the coun-
34 try, the impact of zero tolerance, and restorative justice practices.
35 (C) risk mitigation and harm reduction, including abstinence and
36 responding to an overdose with the use of opioid antagonists and fenta-
37 nyl test strips.
38 (D) addressing adverse childhood experiences, such as witnessing and
39 experiencing violence, abuse, caregiver loss, and other trauma, espe-
40 cially among young people of color.
41 (E) the social and health inequities among racial and ethnic minori-
42 ties.
43 (F) strategies and resources for coping with stress, trauma, substance
44 use, and other risky behavior in non-punitive ways to help oneself or
45 others.
46 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
47 the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the
48 addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary
49 for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized
50 to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
