KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

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HB166 • 2026

PUBLIC SCHOOLS; OPIOID AWARENESS PROGRAM

An Act relating to the duties of the Department of Education and Early Development; relating to public education; and relating to opioid abuse awareness and prevention.

Children Education
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
REPRESENTATIVES RAUSCHER, Costello
Last action
2025-04-11
Official status
(H) EDC
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material did not provide information on how effectiveness will be measured or consequences for non-compliance, so these points remain as uncertainties.

Opioid Awareness Program for Schools

This act requires the Department of Education and Early Development to create a curriculum on opioid abuse awareness and prevention, which must be taught annually in grades six through twelve.

What This Bill Does

  • The Department of Education and Early Development is required to develop an opioid abuse awareness and prevention curriculum for students in grades six through twelve.
  • This curriculum must provide at least 60 minutes of instruction annually on the dangers associated with opioids, including drugs that may contain fentanyl; awareness of opioids targeting children; science related to using opioids; prevention of opioid abuse; and detection of early warning signs related to opioid addiction in school-aged children.
  • School districts are required to teach this curriculum during or as close as practicable to the last week in October each year.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Students in grades six through twelve will learn about opioid abuse awareness and prevention as part of their education.
  • School districts are required to implement this new curriculum.

Terms To Know

opioid
A type of drug that can cause addiction, including prescription pain medications and illegal drugs like heroin.
curriculum
The plan or course of study for a school subject.

Limits and Unknowns

  • It is not clear how the effectiveness of this curriculum will be measured.
  • There are no details on what happens if a school district does not follow these requirements.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-11 707

    (H) COSPONSOR(S): COSTELLO

  2. 2025-04-02 595

    (H) REFERRED TO EDUCATION

  3. 2025-04-02 595

    (H) EDC, FIN

  4. 2025-04-02 595

    (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS

Official Summary Text

PUBLIC SCHOOLS; OPIOID AWARENESS PROGRAM
An Act relating to the duties of the Department of Education and Early Development; relating to public education; and relating to opioid abuse awareness and prevention.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB0166a -1- HB 166
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

34-LS0567\A

HOUSE BILL NO. 166

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION

BY REPRESENTATIVES RAUSCHER, Costello

Introduced: 4/2/25
Referred: Education, Finance

A BILL

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED

"An Act relating to the duties of the Department of Education a nd Early Development; 1
relating to public education; and relating to opioid abuse awareness and prevention." 2
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 3
* Section 1. AS 14.30 is amended by adding a new section to read: 4
Sec. 14.30.363. Opioid abuse awareness and prevention curriculum. ( a ) 5
The department shall develop an opioid abuse awareness and prev ention curriculum 6
for students in grades six thr ough 12 relating to the dangers a ssociated with, and the 7
physical, psychological, and ph ysiological consequences related to, opioid abuse and 8
opioid addiction. The curriculum must provide at least 60 minut es of instruction 9
annually relating to opioid abuse awareness and prevention, including 10
(1) the dangers of using opioids, including drugs that may con tain 11
fentanyl; 12
(2) awareness of opioids that target children, including drugs 13
containing fentanyl that are designed to look like candy; 14
34-LS0567\A
HB 166 -2- HB0166a
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

(3) the science related to usin g opioids, including drugs that contain 1
fentanyl; 2
(4) prevention of opioid abuse, including safe use of opioid 3
prescription medications; and 4
(5) detection of early warning s igns related to opioid addicti on in 5
school-aged children. 6
(b) In developing the curriculum, the department shall consult with 7
(1) the Department of Health; 8
(2) state and tribal entities and state residents that have ex perience in 9
reducing, preventing, and responding to opioid overdoses, inclu ding overdoses caused 10
by drugs containing fentanyl; and 11
(3) family members of individuals who have had an opioid overd ose, 12
including overdoses caused by drugs containing fentanyl. 13
(c) Each school district shall teach the curriculum 14
(1) to students in grades six through 12; and 15
(2) during, or as close as practicable to, the last week in October. 16
(d) In this section, 17
(1) "curriculum" means the opioid abuse awareness and preventi on 18
curriculum described in (a) of this section; 19
(2) "drugs" has the meaning given in AS 47.37.270; 20
(3) "opioid" has the meaning given in AS 17.20.085(e); 21
(4) "opioid abuse" and "opioid addiction" mean 22
(A) a physiological or psychological dependency, or both, on 23
an opioid; or 24
(B) habitual lack of self-control in using opioids to the exte nt 25
that a person's health is substantially impaired or a person's social or economic 26
function is substantially disrupted; 27
(5) "school district" has the meaning given in AS 14.30.350. 28