RHB/7/21
Sponsored by Aeryn Hurt, Claudia Briggs of Franklin High School
This legislation was filed in the Education category
Presented as part of the YIG Volunteer 2024 conference
| 1 | BE IT ENACTED BY THE TENNESSEE YMCA YOUTH IN GOVERNMENT |
| 2 | |
| 3 | Section 1. Terms used in this act shall be defined as follows: |
| 4 | Lifetime Wellness - a holistic approach to health and lifetime physical activities in Tennessee high |
| 5 | schools. This approach to total wellness encompasses the individual's physical, mental, social, and |
| 6 | emotional well-being. The current criteria state that all students must successfully pass one high |
| 7 | school credit of Lifetime Wellness to graduate with a diploma. |
| 8 | Regional Overdose Prevention Specialists (ROPS) - The ROPS have varied backgrounds, including |
| 9 | peer nurses in recovery, paramedics, and Certified Peer Recovery Specialists. Tennessee has 20 |
| 10 | ROPS operating in 13 regional divisions across the state, which serve as a point of contact for |
| 11 | training and education on opioid overdose and overdose prevention through the distribution of |
| 12 | naloxone. |
| 13 | Opioid - A class of drugs used to reduce moderate to severe pain. Opioids include pain prescription |
| 14 | medications and illegal drugs, such as heroin and fentanyl. |
| 15 | Naloxone/Narcan - A medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose. |
| 16 | |
| 17 | Section 2. Tennessee’s Public School Lifetime Wellness teachers will receive a new one-week |
| 18 | course created by the ROPS. This course will be implemented as a subcomponent of the current |
| 19 | Substance Use and Abuse standard in Tennessee public high schools. |
| 20 | It will expand on and go into informing students about opioids, how to recognize an overdose, how |
| 21 | to react to an overdose, the use of Narcan, and what not to do/what to do when witnessing an |
| 22 | overdose, such as calling 911, performing chest compressions, maintaining responsiveness, |
| 23 | staying and watching the individual, and informing paramedics upon arrival. |
| 24 | The course will also include Check for Knowledge assignments and a Sample Task activity created |
| 25 | as believed needed by ROPS. |
| 26 | |
| 27 | Section 3. As part of employee training for school hiring, a 15-20-minute program will be required |
| 28 | to begin the job. The program is accessible on TN.gov under the heading “Naloxone Training |
| 29 | Information.” This training will certify that all staff members can administer Naloxone in case of |
| 30 | overdose. Once completing the program, the prospective employee will take an Assessment Quiz |
| 31 | and hand in or email the Printable Certificate to the school principal. |
| 32 | The program must be completed for already working employees, and the certificate must be |
| 33 | turned in within a year of this bill being enacted. |
| 34 | |
| 35 | Section 4: Each year, Tennessee public high schools must give students a concise presentation |
| 36 | refresher on what they learned during their Lifetime Wellness class to ensure they remember how |
| 37 | to recognize and react to an overdose. The guidelines for this presentation will be part of the |
| 38 | General Training PDF that is accessible on TN.gov under the heading “Naloxone Training |
| 39 | |
| 40 | In high-risk overdose death counties, consisting of Davidson County, Meigs County, Roane County, |
| 41 | Anderson County, Union County, Cheatham County, Clay County, Jackson County, Cannon County, |
| 42 | and Benton County, the presentation, as described above, will be given to Tennessee public middle |
| 43 | schools in the area. |
| 44 | |
| 45 | Section 5. Within a year of this bill's enactment, Narcan Nasal Spray will annually be administered |
| 46 | to all 1,843 public schools across Tennessee, prioritizing the 485 public high schools. |
| 47 | |
| 48 | Section 6. This bill will cost $82,935 a year. Tennessee's Department of Education sector, Public |
| 49 | Education Funding, will provide funding. |
| 50 | |
| 51 | Section 7. This bill shall supersede any previous conflicting state legislation pertaining to overdose |
| 52 | education and prevention in Tennessee Public High Schools. |
| 53 | |
| 54 | Section 8. This bill shall take effect on August 1st, 2025. |
| 55 |