OLYMPIA, Wash. — What began as a high school AP Government assignment could soon turn into a new Washington state law.
A group of seniors from Lake Washington High School wants every school in the state to carry Narcan, the opioid overdose reversal medication.
Current state law only requires it at high schools in school districts with more than 2,000 students.
According to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), that law impacts about a third of the school districts in the state.
Senior Olivia Milstein said she and her classmates believe the medication should be available to all students in the state, regardless of age or how big their district is.
“For us it was really like, ‘Wow, this is a huge equity gap and who gets to be saved from drugs, and who doesn’t. And it just seemed so unfair,” said Milstein.
Her classmate Kassie Montgomery testified in front of the House Education Committee on Thursday morning. She told representatives about her uncle who died of a fentanyl overdose.
”What we’re trying to do here with this bill is not only get Narcan in every single school, but to have it become a normalized thing because this is an epidemic that is affecting all of us,” said Montgomery. “If this bill can save one life, it will have been worth it.”
Senate Bill 5804 passed unanimously out of the Senate on Feb. 1. It is scheduled for a committee vote next week.