Illinois Develops Plan for K-12 Schools to Educate on Overdose Risks

Illinois schools seeking to educate students on the risks of overdoses and substance use disorder now have guidance from the state.

Issued by the Illinois State Board of Education in compliance with a 2023 law, the resource guides offer options for educators and administrators. While the use of these guides is voluntary, they are seen as a positive step by some public health advocates. The guides provide downloadable age-appropriate materials such as presentations, lesson plans, and fact sheets.

Diverse curricula from universities, non-profits, and federal agencies cover topics including prescription drugs, drug interactions, harm reduction, and managing medications during mental health challenges. The complexity of the content increases with age, with high school resources delving into different drug classes.

Some of the links lead to resources or videos from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and a “virtual field trip” by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Highlighted multiple times in the resource guides is Generation RX, co-developed by Cardinal Health, a pharmaceutical distributor involved in a portion of a $26 billion settlement with several states, including Illinois, in 2022.

Despite the creation of the guides, overdoses are still a leading cause of accidental deaths in Illinois and the nation, recognized by public health organizations endorsing the legislation behind the guides. The Illinois Harm Reduction and Recovery Coalition, a group advocating for harm reduction, commended the efforts of ISBE and the Department of Human Services but expressed a desire for more community engagement.

In 2022, over 3,800 individuals in Illinois died due to overdoses, while nearly 1,800 succumbed to firearm-related incidents, as per data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additionally, approximately 1,250 Illinois residents lost their lives in traffic accidents in the same year according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

The legislation mandating the resource guides was unanimously approved by the House and the Senate, known as Louie’s Law after Louie Miceli, who died of an overdose in 2012 at the age of 24.

After a football injury in high school, Louie Miceli was introduced to opioids at age 17, his mother Felicia Miceli shared.

“We trust that this guidance will provide communities with essential information, tools, and resources,” Miceli stated in a news release issued by the coalition. “But its effectiveness relies on awareness and proper implementation.”

The Illinois Harm Reduction and Recovery Coalition and the LTM Heroin Awareness and Support Foundation, initiated by Miceli in honor of her son, praised the unprecedented guides but emphasized the potential benefits of incorporating a wider range of perspectives during the guide’s development process.

In Cook County alone, 30 teenagers lost their lives due to drug toxicity last year, as reported by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Capitol News Illinois