To deal with an increase of opioid overdoses in schools, the Senate Education Committee approved a bill on Thursday that requires public elementary and secondary schools to stock naloxone, an opioid overdose antidote commonly referred to as Narcan.
State Sen. Todd Pillion, R-Washington County, had proposed putting naloxone in grades through nine through 12, while a similar bill from state Sen. Stella Pekarsky, D-Fairfax County, extended the distribution to elementary schools.
The committee merged the two bills, with Pekarsky’s elementary school requirement incorporated into Pillion’s measure, SB726.
The bill requires schools to have two doses of naloxone and a staff member trained to administer it. Students would also be required to complete an opioid overdose prevention and reversal program to graduate.
With no discussion, the Education and Health Committee unanimously referred the bill to the Senate Finance Committee.
The legislation comes after nine Park View High School students in Loudoun County had opioid-related overdoses within a month last year. Four occurrences happened at school. Loudoun County Public Schools reportedly waited more than 20 days to notify parents. In response, Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order that directed school divisions to notify parents of school-connected overdoses within 24 hours.
Naloxone in schools isn’t new. Last year, the Fairfax County School Board approved a measure to put naloxone and fentanyl testing strips in all classrooms. In August 2022, Chesterfield County opened the state’s first recovery high school, a school designed for students in early recovery from substance-use disorders.
Transportation Museum bill chugs along
The Virginia Museum of Transportation has completed another stop on its trip to become a state agency after the Senate and House education committees unanimously approved bills.
On Wednesday, HB802 from Del. Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, was accepted by the House Education Committee in a block of six other uncontested bills from the Higher Education Subcommittee. The bill’s now bound for the House Appropriations Committee.
The next day, Senate companion bill SB418, sponsored by Sen. Chris Head, R-Botetourt County, made a stop at Senate Education and Health, where it was unanimously referred to the Senate Finance Committee.
The Roanoke museum is currently a nonprofit entity.
Acupuncture bill moves forward
In a victory for proponents of alternative medicine, a bill unanimously passed through a House Health Subcommittee on Thursday that eased restrictions on acupuncture treatments aimed at alleviating anxiety, depression and symptoms of withdrawal.
HB1278, sponsored by Del. Eric Zehr, R-Campbell County, will face the House Health and Human Services Committee after it was unanimously reported by the Behavioral Health Subcommittee. The bill aims to release stipulations surrounding the Five Needle (NADA) Protocol, an acupuncture technique that helps individuals cope with the effects of trauma.
Under current Virginia law, the Five Needle Protocol may only be used in a chemical-dependency setting. Advocates of the bill want that stipulation removed so the procedure can be accessed by anyone when administered by a licensed acupuncturist.