Education on fentanyl and other drugs often optional in California schools, if offered at all

EVEN AS FENTANYL overdoses among young people have skyrocketed in recent years, health education remains optional in most California schools, with some students receiving comprehensive education on the dangers of substance use and other students receiving scant, if any, instruction on the topic. 

“That is our No. 1 complaint,” said Dareen Khatib, co-chair of the California Health Education Community of Practice, a coalition of health educators from throughout California. “Prevention is not always prioritized. It’s not consistent. And it’s not offered to all children. … I know there are schools out there that, unfortunately, offer very little or nothing in the way of health education.”