HB 25-1293

House Bill 25-1293, also known as the Drug Overdose Education & Opioid Antagonists in Schools bill, requires Colorado’s state board of education to develop health standards for high schools that teach students about drug overdose risks and how to respond. The bill also removes the requirement that students must receive training before receiving or using opioid antagonists like Narcan, allowing school employees to provide these life-saving medications to anyone who needs them without this student training condition. If funding is secured by 2026, the standards will be implemented by 2028; otherwise, they will still need to be adopted by 2032. The bill has been signed into law and is now in effect.

Official Summary

The act requires the state board of education (board) to adopt high school health education standards regarding drug overdose risks, identification of a drug overdose event, and drug overdose prevention and response. The act authorizes the board to seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations for the purpose of adopting these standards. The board must adopt the standards on or before July 1, 2028, if, the board receives by July 1, 2026, $20,000 from gifts, grants, or donations to adopt the standards. If sufficient money is not received, the board is required to adopt the standards on or before July 1, 2032, pursuant to the general standards schedule. Under current law, a school district, the state charter school institute (institute), or the governing board of a nonpublic school may adopt and implement a policy allowing an employee or agent of the school to furnish an opioid antagonist to any individual, including a student, but only if the student has received appropriate school-sponsored training. The act repeals the required condition that a student must receive appropriate school-sponsored training. The act authorizes a school district, the institute, a public school, or a nonpublic school to seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations for purposes related to acquiring, maintaining, and providing training for administering opioid antagonists. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

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