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Committee hears bill to require fentanyl education for high-schoolers and naloxone in schools
Summary
Lawmakers heard testimony on HB 24-89, which would require grades 9–12 fentanyl prevention education, a district stock supply of naloxone with storage/administration policies, and a grant program tied to the Kansas Fights Addiction Fund; supporters urged passage while the Attorney General urged striking a grant provision as duplicative.
The Committee on Education heard House Bill 24-89 on requirements for fentanyl education and naloxone supplies in school districts, but took no vote.
Jason (Revisor Long) told the committee the bill would require school districts to provide age-appropriate education for students in grades 9 through 12 about fentanyl and other opioids, based on guidance from the State Board of Education. Section 2 would require districts to maintain a stock supply of naloxone (Narcan) and adopt policies for its storage and use; the bill defines stock supply as an appropriate quantity recommended by the school nurse. Section 3 would authorize grants under the Kansas Fights Addiction Fund to help districts purchase required stock supplies. The bill’s provisions would take effect July 1 if enacted.
The measure drew bipartisan testimony from state officials, first responders and grieving family members. Chris Cedars of the Attorney General’s office described fentanyl as "extraordinarily lethal" and said Kansas Child Death Review Board data show fentanyl has driven an increase in youth deaths; he said the AG’s office is urging a technical amendment to strike section 3 because grant-award authority already resides with the Kansas Fights Addiction Grant Review Board and the provision could cause confusion.
First responders and program operators described existing work and capacity. Josh Magaha, a Kansas City, Kan., firefighter who has trained first responders and school audiences since 2015, said he has presented to more than 15,000 pupils and that every school he has presented in now has naloxone on site. Chrissy Mayer of DECA said the state naloxone program has distributed more than 130,000 kits since 2020 and supplied kits to 205 school districts; she urged districts to request naloxone through the state program because it is cost-efficient and typically free to districts. DECA also said branded Narcan has about a four-year labeled shelf life and generic products about three years, though labeled lives have been extended in the past.
Parents and advocates delivered emotional appeals. Representative Pat Proctor described 30–50 overdoses per year in Leavenworth with about a dozen fatalities and recounted a fatal youth overdose tied to a counterfeit pill. Stacy Rogers and Amber Saleh, both grieving mothers, urged the committee to combine education and ready access to naloxone, saying education can prevent experimentation and naloxone gives staff critical time to act during an overdose.
Fiscal paperwork noted the Department of Education saw no fiscal effect; the Attorney General’s office estimated an FY28 cost of approximately $32,000, and KASB cautioned that any costs not covered by grants would fall to local districts.
The committee closed the hearing on HB 24-89 and moved on to other business; no committee action was taken on the bill at this session. The bill sponsor and conferees said they will continue discussions about technical edits and grant-award language.
Next steps: HB 24-89 may be scheduled for additional consideration once sponsors and agencies resolve the technical grant language and fiscal questions.
