[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6118587,"mediaKeyId","2723210-ecf7ac38dc21b4cfff0d9c1e8bdbbaaf","parentId",2723210,"title","House committee advances bill to add opioid overdose education to high-school standards and ease naloxone access","audioSeconds",2446,"startMs",3074000,"endMs",5520000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2723210-ecf7ac38dc21b4cfff0d9c1e8bdbbaaf&start=3074&end=5520","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2723210-ecf7ac38dc21b4cfff0d9c1e8bdbbaaf/thumbnail_3074000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6118587/Colorado/House-committee-advances-bill-to-add-opioid-overdose-education-to-high-school-standards-and-ease-naloxone-access","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6118587-3cc1d51d9eed923ac39f2b3a300dfeb7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771195719&Signature=inCrYqHwGeFrkbpBQiTaj3UiX1SK5BLkjYJS8aNG-1aSscVKm~V1zpXhS-q4WW5LOsfaxbHurh89XKpJZJC-knLUaCW-Q9QZ2iK6YH9iJjZyX83soZQPimvizQ1B7Xm3XXzAZEaz~RX93rpwbvqhhEJeyJGpOCaUU4FL7IOaIUFkjR~bsWSVOKKg1DR5poIohiwhVmwYyOmQ9Dv9-GvJJmsWkYbPmq2s9JjQn7CaloRa7iFTrLuTXXcfydN6UWiVctuCAvSnDnf-obJeP6eirAPDe0loQCGLJPRS6v8dl-6WPLTa1NQ1M480NmNoT-mFq7XJD4FIQDvb2wjna-sCHA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Colorado Legislature","date","2025-03-20T00:00:00Z","article","Representatives advanced a bill Wednesday that would require the State Board of Education to add evidence‑based opioid overdose prevention to health education standards for ninth through 12th grades and create a mechanism for schools to obtain opioid antagonists such as naloxone.

The bill’s sponsors and supporters said the measure aims to make students and school staff more prepared to recognize and respond to opioid overdoses, while opponents warned the measure could open schools to inappropriate private influence over supplies and duplicate existing local harm‑reduction partnerships.

Representative Sonya Jackson, the bill’s prime sponsor, told the House Education Committee that “We’re all aware that the opioid crisis is not a distant issue. It's here affecting families, schools, and communities across our state.” Jackson said the bill takes “a two‑pronged approach” by adding prevention education to high‑school standards and by allowing schools to seek public and private funding to acquire and maintain opioid antagonists.

The bill originally included a student‑training requirement tied to access to naloxone; sponsors removed that requirement by amendment L1 to align the measure with Senate Bill 164. The committee also adopted an amendment (L3) that sets a funding trigger: if gifts, grants or donations totaling $20,000 are received by July 1, 2027, the State Board may adopt the off‑cycle standards earlier; if not, the standards would be addressed during the board’s ordinary cycle (2028), which sponsors said would eliminate a fiscal note.

Opponents included behavioral‑health providers and harm‑reduction advocates who said schools already receive naloxone through the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s (CDPHE) naloxone bulk purchase fund and that the measure’s authorization to accept private gifts could open the door to “high‑dose” products they described as non‑evidence based. Bria Kinsella, chief executive of the Colorado Providers Association, said, “There appears to be a manufactured sense of urgency around naloxone access in schools,” and urged that distribution continue to be routed through the bulk‑purchase fund.

Supporters included emergency physicians, parent groups and student advocates who said education and on‑site access to opioid antagonists can save lives. Dr. Don Stater, an emergency and addiction medicine physician, told the committee that the state’s naloxone bulk fund had run out of money earlier this year and required a state infusion of funding, saying that created uncertainty about relying on that single source. Jacob Braring, a medical student, added that bystander naloxone was not administered in a majority of some recent overdoses in which it could have helped.

After brief closing remarks from sponsors reiterating that they seek to involve harm‑reduction partners in any standards process, the committee voted to send the amended bill to the Committee on Appropriations with a favorable recommendation.

Votes at a glance: The committee recorded a unanimous voice and roll call in favor of moving the bill to appropriations. Representative Pugliese moved the motion; it was seconded by Vice Chair Martinez.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Education [Mar 20, 2025]","oneSentenceSummary","The House Education Committee on Wednesday voted to send House Bill 12‑93 to the Appropriations Committee after sponsors removed a student‑training requirement and added a funding trigger. The bill would require the State Board of Education to integrate evidence‑based opioid overdose prevention into health education standards for ninth through 12th grades and allow schools to seek funding to furnish opioid antagonists such as naloxone.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature CO, Colorado","taxId",77676,"location","Colorado","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6118583,"Committee advances bill to streamline documentation for college disability accommodations",3328,5688000,9016000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2723210-ecf7ac38dc21b4cfff0d9c1e8bdbbaaf&start=5688&end=9016","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2723210-ecf7ac38dc21b4cfff0d9c1e8bdbbaaf/thumbnail_5688000.jpg","/articles/6118583/Colorado/Committee-advances-bill-to-streamline-documentation-for-college-disability-accommodations","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6118583-74978ebf2e05552e186466bd88d58f34/orig.mp4?Expires=1771195719&Signature=Xz7MLvwC0GYzgIEtsRVBeya2UTNvVzvmW3c6UcScBnMjJn5K9okUWqCrr5w5IGUStQSCse0nLf1~HEMhnSjv4aFVcCzu2LTbiknJ5YhBNNdiY26Wxx~rVcU4Ln22keFrperVYQYtqOguu6oFJs4xVCy4OQiNjJUGWfCgu2aM2FoRR-IltFfQsgpF8luLFONYlbGiCYhdxgx-Zl9CnW48CqruA~HlYhbM1DvjvQDOkjQJD~MmiBxMKnpHWbgqUnbUQSbpxISpYBbAiGchp-iswoYcDV0BFFiwwm05xtZx8vaZHKihAJW7dfnNrDIMUkeymnKG2uXDgTghoJeLfEF23w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Education Committee voted to advance Senate Bill 87 on a 12‑to‑1 vote, approving a sponsor amendment that clarifies implementation details after stakeholder talks with colleges and universities. The bill seeks to reduce documentation hurdles for students who need academic adjustments when they enter higher education.

Sponsors told the committee the measure does not change federal obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act but aims to codify best practices in state statute so students who previously had an IEP or 504 plan in K‑12 can begin the accommodation request process in college without costly repeat evaluations.

Representative Stewart, a co‑prime sponsor, said the bill’s core intent is to “streamline the documentation process and to create best practices” so that a “single piece of documentation such as an IEP or 504 may be enough to start that accommodation request process.” Representative Brooks, the other co‑sponsor, described examples of academic adjustments — extra time on tests, interpreters, electronic readers and priority registration — that do not “fundamentally change the curriculum.”

Witnesses included current college students, students with identified disabilities, advocates and Disability Law Colorado. Student testimony highlighted the category known as “twice‑exceptional” (gifted students who also have disabilities) and the common experience of students not self‑identifying or not getting accommodations because of unclear college processes.

Universities expressed concern about potential unfunded implementation costs; sponsors and staff said institutions expect to absorb most costs through institutional revenues and that the bill is intended to clarify, not expand, legal obligations. The committee adopted a clarifying amendment (L5) requested by institutions that tightened language about caseloads and technical clarifications of definitions.

The committee approved the bill 12 to 1 and sent it to the Committee of the Whole.","The House Education Committee on Wednesday advanced Senate Bill 87, a measure that would ease the paperwork and documentation students need to request academic adjustments in Colorado colleges and universities, saying a recent IEP or 504 could be sufficient to begin the accommodation process.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6118578,"Committee hears testimony and lays over bill to ban seclusion in schools amid sharply divided testimony",5508,5516000,11024000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2723210-ecf7ac38dc21b4cfff0d9c1e8bdbbaaf&start=5516&end=11024","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2723210-ecf7ac38dc21b4cfff0d9c1e8bdbbaaf/thumbnail_5516000.jpg","/articles/6118578/Colorado/Committee-hears-testimony-and-lays-over-bill-to-ban-seclusion-in-schools-amid-sharply-divided-testimony","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6118578-d99dcd2e09088d7c9c5e498b7bc115db/orig.mp4?Expires=1771195719&Signature=bgPh0RlFcRRy52OnsiqLGF8P1RR7WlIVUiZ6NodsMw4MSRCy3LWmdL7wdFwa4bqZOlA5y-W~CSDq-8dkX~iOATp-lF~kDRQU2bYV~1~yAsetUwbozrRFETiyjFh1AibAXWwaeVsNlYCEyCCiogJIwoMLRI0cZuSVv935mgI2Yfi-RggZxpK3KfOaF1I4sdvxZf9mi2x3ysRD9XEMdIHxaYsO1~eDQNYQWpV~3aWWyj4ITSdu9HY0LiRgboLqEGfSTs4Ev~GwgpFj2wkC8~BKSnoBfNONMKpjT9oK304fvKEG9wJGEpc3Ljwlod9U8oInAjUV7uuDToySl2DFU4iQxA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Education Committee heard hours of testimony Wednesday on House Bill 11‑78, which would prohibit the involuntary seclusion of students in Colorado public schools. After more than three hours of witness statements and committee discussion the sponsor asked that the bill be laid over for action only while amendment work continued.

Representative Leslie English, the bill’s sponsor, opened the hearing with an appeal to legislators’ moral obligations and described parent and educator accounts she said show routine misuse of seclusion. “Incarceration in schools,” she said, “is the child is put into this space with no way out. Doors locked from the outside.” English cited a 2023 incident in which students were placed in a small office at a Denver school and said the practice disproportionately affects vulnerable students.

Supporters included parents, disability advocates and several school‑discipline reform groups who described seclusion as traumatizing and said alternatives exist. Madine Schoffner, CEO of a community organization working on the “Green Book” initiative, said seclusion “has never been a form of healing and it never will be.” Testimony from parents and clinicians described children who developed lasting trauma after being placed for extended periods in small rooms.

Opponents—led by special‑education directors, school administrators and behavior‑support staff—said districts need a narrowly defined last‑resort option to protect students and staff in extreme crises and criticized the bill as written. Witnesses said some students present behaviors (self‑injury, disrobing, aggressive assault) that have in practice required quick, supervised removal to a secure, monitored area to prevent injury. Directors said training, staffing and access to behavior‑specialist supports are uneven and that banning seclusion without a funded, statewide alternative could increase the frequency or length of risky physical restraints.

Committee members asked detailed procedural questions about how seclusion and de‑escalation differ under current law and how district policies and CDE rules define the practices. Sponsors and multiple witnesses discussed distinctions used in rules: a “de‑escalation” or sensory room where a student may enter and exit voluntarily, versus “seclusion” described in statute as placing an individual alone in a room from which egress is involuntarily prevented.

Representative English said she will continue to work with stakeholders on precise definitions and implementation language; the committee laid the bill over for action only and left amendment and closing comment phases open for further work.","Representative English introduced House Bill 11‑78 to prohibit seclusion (involuntary isolation) in Colorado public schools. Supporters described traumatic experiences and called for a ban; district special‑education directors and administrators warned that removing seclusion without resourcing and training could endanger students and staff. The","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

House committee advances bill to add opioid overdose education to high-school standards and ease naloxone access

Committee advances bill to streamline documentation for college disability accommodations

Committee hears testimony and lays over bill to ban seclusion in schools amid sharply divided testimony