ASSEMBLY EDUCATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 3909

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  DECEMBER 18, 2025

      The Assembly Education Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 3909.

      As amended, this bill, which is to be known as the “Illicit Opioid Supply Substances Poisoning Awareness Act,” requires school districts to provide instruction to students in grades six through 12 on the dangers of substances that are the most prevalent or emerging in the illicit opioid supply in New Jersey as part of the district’s implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education.

      Under the bill, the instruction is required to include information on: (1) illicit opioid substance abuse prevention; (2) illicit opioid substance poisoning awareness; (3) the dangers of synthetic opioids, common non-opioids added to the opioid supply as adulterants, and counterfeit drugs; (4) recognizing the symptoms of opioid poisoning; (5) how to respond to an opioid poisoning emergency; (6) laws that provide immunity or other protections for persons who administer opioid antidotes, such as naloxone, or who seek medical treatment for drug or alcohol poisoning or overdoses for themselves or others; and (7) where to access opioid antidotes, including naloxone, on school premises and in the community.

      Additionally, the bill requires the Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Health, to provide school districts with existing age-appropriate resources that address the requirements established under the bill. The information is required to utilize information and resources provided by: (1) the National Institutes of Health; (2) the United States Department of Health and Human Services; (3) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; (4) the New Jersey Department of Human Services or (5) any State, county, or municipal department or agency.

      The bill requires the Department of Education to post and maintain on its Internet website: (1) information provided to school districts for instruction on the dangers of substances in the illicit opioid supply; (2) informational materials containing awareness and safety information for school staff, students, and parents, on opioid poisoning prevention; (3) information on outreach organizations with resources concerning opioid awareness and opioid poisoning prevention; (4) preventative mental health resources available from applicable federal, state, county, or municipal departments and agencies; and (5) information connecting students and parents to resources, including resources on locations in which students and parents can obtain naloxone in their schools and communities.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amended the bill to:

· change the short title of the bill to the “Illicit Opioid Supply Substances Poisoning Awareness Act”;

· remove specific references to fentanyl and xylazine throughout the bill;

· require the instruction in public schools to include information on laws that provide immunity or other protections for persons who administer opioid antidotes and where to access opioid antidotes on school premises and in the community;

· require the Commissioner of Education to work in consultation with the Commissioner of Health to provide school districts with existing age-appropriate resources that address the requirements of the bill;

· require information provided to school districts to be sourced from the New Jersey Department of Human Services, and removes the United States Drug Enforcement Administration from the list of sources;

· require information maintained on the Department of Education’s Internet website to include information connecting students and parents to resources, including resources on locations in which students and parents can obtain naloxone in their schools and communities;

· remove the requirement that the State Board of Education review and update the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education;

· remove the requirement that the Commissioner of Education, in consultation with local school districts and the Commissioner of Health, submit an annual report to the Governor and to the Legislature on the implementation and effectiveness of the curriculum required by the bill; and

· provide that the bill would first apply to the first full school year following the next regularly scheduled update to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education.