RHB/8/19
Sponsored by Simran Daruwalla, Tanya Bhatia of Ravenwood 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 I) Terms used in this act, unless the context requires otherwise, shall be defined as |
| 4 | follows: |
| 5 | a. Opioid- a compound resembling opium in addictive properties or physiological effects and taken |
| 6 | primarily as pain relievers |
| 7 | b. Opium- a reddish-brown heavy-scented addictive drug prepared from the juice of the opium |
| 8 | poppy |
| 9 | |
| 10 | Section II) Mandate public high school educational programs once a semester during homerooms |
| 11 | to teach students about the dangers of opioid misuse, including the risks of prescription opioids, |
| 12 | signs of misuse, and prevention strategies. This includes factors such as addiction, mental health, |
| 13 | and socio-economic disparities specifically related to opioid abuse. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | Section III) Training sessions for teachers, counselors, and other school staff to equip them with |
| 16 | the knowledge and skills needed to effectively deliver the opioid education curriculum and address |
| 17 | related issues sensitively. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | Section IV) Establishing mechanisms for evaluating the effectiveness of the educational programs |
| 20 | over time, gathering feedback from students and educators, and making adjustments as needed to |
| 21 | ensure ongoing relevance and collaborating with communities to sustain and expand services. |
| 22 | |
| 23 | Section V) Establish a Student Assistance and Recovery Program to support students already |
| 24 | affected by opioid misuse with counseling, therapy, and treatment options while guaranteeing |
| 25 | privacy and confidentiality. |
| 26 | |
| 27 | Section VI) Recognizing that states such as Massachusetts and Ohio have implemented similar |
| 28 | programs with success. |
| 29 | |
| 30 | Section VII) This addition of this course will be around $4.5 million covering the cost of initial |
| 31 | program development, training, resource materials, guest speakers and outreach events, and |
| 32 | program sustainability for all 300 public high schools in Tennessee. The program will be funded by |
| 33 | the Tennessee Department of Education budget, ensuring transparent and efficient use of funds |
| 34 | for curriculum development and training. |
| 35 | |
| 36 | Section VIII) All laws or parts of laws in conflict with this are hereby repealed. |
| 37 | |
| 38 | Section IX) This bill will take effect at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year. |
| 39 |