Fentanyl Resources

Webinars

The California Department of Education (CDE) has been working with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to provide our schools and districts with resources and information that they can readily share with parents and students to help keep them safe. We co-hosted webinars with our partners at the CDPH on September 28 and October 12, 2022. We encourage all local educational agencies (LEAs) to view the webinars on the CDPH YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vmb76t6CC3Q

Resources from Public Agencies

It is important that we educate, prepare, and equip those working closest with students and families with the latest information and guidance on how to use all the tools we have at our disposal. Partnering with the CDPH, we have a shareable Fentanyl Awareness and Prevention toolkit page available at https://schools.covid19.ca.gov/pages/share, and more resources are on the CDPH Substance and Addiction Prevention Branch web page at https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/sapb/Pages/OPI-landing.aspx. State lawmakers adopted AB 1748, which went into effect in 2017 and authorized school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to obtain FDA-approved opioid antagonists to administer in the event of an opioid overdose. We are working with our districts on how to develop and implement a local school naloxone (Narcan) policy. Schools should train staff on how to safely store and administer Narcan. As an example, see the Lake County Office of Education local school naloxone policy at https://nopn.org/resources/lake-county-office-of-education-naloxone-policy. We also encourage schools to provide peer-to-peer resources and parent engagement opportunities.

Please see these additional resources aimed at curbing the fentanyl epidemic:

• The CDPH Statewide Standing Order for Naloxone web page at https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/sapb/Pages/Naloxone-Standing-Order.aspxz

• The CDPH Fentanyl web page at https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/sapb/Pages/Fentanyl.aspx

• CDPH guidance regarding rainbow fentanyl at https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/sapb/Pages/Rainbow-Fentanyl-Alert.aspx

• General information regarding Naloxone from the CDPH at https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/sapb/Pages/Naloxone.aspx

• Fresno County fentanyl resources flyer at https://www.co.fresno.ca.us/resources/fentanyl-danger-in-fresno-county

• The California Safe Schools For All Hub at https://schools.covid19.ca.gov/

ACCESS TO COUNSELING AND MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT

We know that the spike in all forms of substance abuse among adolescents is connected to a broader mental health crisis so serious that the US Surgeon General has identified it as a public health emergency. The COVID-19 global pandemic has exacerbated the mental health challenges faced by our students and their families. Our schools cannot turn away from this crisis. There has never been a more important moment to increase easily accessible school-based mental health services, substance abuse intervention, and supportive resources for families in crisis. Many LEAs have reported positive outcomes when they have offered substance abuse intervention services on campus in partnership with local community-based organizations. Harm reduction models that emphasize supportive rather than punitive approaches to intervention are especially interesting. Please see the CDE Mental Health web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/mh/ for information and resources.

One Pill Can Kill Website