By Bay City News.
California middle and high school students will be protected by Melanie's Law, which requires life-saving fentanyl overdose prevention and response resources, according to legislation signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday.
Newsom announced Friday that he had signed Senate Bill 10, or Melanie’s Law, introduced by Sen. Dave Cortese, D-San Jose, which aims to prevent and respond to youth fentanyl overdoses through mandatory school safety plans that require prevention, response, training, education and awareness.
According to Cortese's office, fentanyl is responsible for one in five youth deaths in California. He added that in Santa Clara County, fentanyl deaths increased by 863 percent between 2018 and 2021.
SB 10 requires all California public schools to provide training to school employees on opioid prevention and life-saving response under a formal plan known as a Comprehensive School Safety Plan, or CSSP.
Additionally, the bill establishes a statewide framework to ensure that all students and adults understand the increasing risk of youth exposure to fentanyl and have access to the resources necessary to prevent and respond to fentanyl poisoning and overdoses.
“When we wrote this bill a year ago, we knew it would be our most important legislation in 2023. SB 10 was our top priority because fentanyl has left a trail of devastation across California, and our bill lays out a number of concrete solutions to protect young people,” Cortese said in a statement Friday.
“We have built a coalition of parents and educators who are unwilling to stand by as another young life is lost… As we celebrate SB 10 becoming law, we honor Melanie Ramos, a brilliant teenager who lost her life to fentanyl. Melanie’s Law will save young people living in California for decades to come,” the senator added.
SB 10 is named after Melanie Ramos, a 15-year-old who overdosed on fentanyl and died in the bathroom of her Hollywood high school in September 2022. At the time, Melanie and her friend had no idea they were taking fentanyl, Cortese's office said.
“Melanie was an amazing and talented young woman. Her memory lives on with her friends and family, and her legacy will be felt throughout California. I miss her dearly, but her memory and my love for her have given me the strength to speak out so that other mothers won’t have to suffer what I am suffering,” Elena Perez, Melanie Ramos’ mother, said in a statement Friday.
“I thank Governor Newsom for signing Melanie’s Law. I urge all California middle and high school employees to complete overdose prevention training and to have Narcan available. Let’s protect all young people,” Perez added.
SB 10 would also provide school staff, students, and families with information about the growing risk of opioids, educational materials, and safety tips, in partnership with the California Department of Education.
“The Santa Clara County Office of Education is proud to co-sponsor SB10 because we understand the need to equip every high school with the knowledge and tools to educate our students about the prevalence of fentanyl and, if necessary, save a student from overdosing,” said Dr. Mary Ann Dewan, county schools superintendent, in a statement.
SB 10 was inspired by the Santa Clara County Fentanyl Task Force, a collaborative effort involving the Santa Clara County Office of Education, Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Services, and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors’ Opioid Overdose Prevention Project.
The task force aims to combat the impact of fentanyl through a multifaceted strategy, including raising awareness about its dangers in schools and providing life-saving opioid-reversing medications.
“We started the Santa Clara County Fentanyl Task Force almost two years ago after a 12-year-old girl died from fentanyl poisoning and the person who gave her the pill was arrested. Within a few months, we had Narcan in nearly every school district and training sessions underway,” said Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, co-chair of the Santa Clara County Fentanyl Task Force.
“When you’re facing a crisis, there’s no time to waste. That’s why we’re expanding our Narcan distribution at concert venues, bars, restaurants and by mail. Additionally, we’re expanding prevention and public awareness campaigns designed for youth and young adults and increasing training for physicians in drug and addiction prevention. We’re using money from the opioid lawsuit settlement to fund much of the expansion,” Chavez added.
SB 10 is co-sponsored by the Santa Clara County Office of Education, the County of Santa Clara, the California Association of Student Councils, and the California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP).
“With the right tools and resources, we will end the fentanyl crisis in California. SB 10 will prevent overdose deaths by empowering schools with strategies, resources, and awareness,” said Sherry Daley, Vice President of Government Affairs and Corporate Communications at CCAPP.
Support for SB 10 also includes Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, the California Teachers Association, the California Federation of Teachers, the Santa Clara County School Boards Association, the Los Angeles County Office of Education, ACLU California, and the California School Nurses Organization.
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