HB 803 — An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in school health services, providing for maintenance and use of opioid antagonists.

PRINTER'S NO.    831

                        THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                            HOUSE BILL
                            No. 803
                                                  Session of
                                                    2025

     INTRODUCED BY FREEMAN, JAMES, MADDEN, STEELE, ISAACSON, PIELLI,
        WAXMAN, SANCHEZ, HILL-EVANS, HOWARD, KAZEEM, WARREN, GIRAL,
        OTTEN, D. WILLIAMS, MAYES, HOHENSTEIN, GREEN, CIRESI, RIVERA,
        KENYATTA, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, KRAJEWSKI, BRENNAN AND INGLIS,
        MARCH 4, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, MARCH 4, 2025


                                       AN ACT
 1   Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
 2      act relating to the public school system, including certain
 3      provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
 4      schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
 5      laws relating thereto," in school health services, providing
 6      for maintenance and use of opioid antagonists.
 7      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 8   hereby enacts as follows:
 9         Section 1.    The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
10   as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding a
11   section to read:
12         Section 1426.    Maintenance and Use of Opioid Antagonists.--
13   (a)    Within sixty (60) days of the effective date of this
14   section, the department, in consultation with the Department of
15   Health, shall develop a policy requiring a school entity
16   offering grade nine, ten, eleven or twelve to maintain and
17   provide onsite opioid antagonists in each school facility.
18         (b)   The policy developed under subsection (a):
 1      (1)   Shall include procedures to follow when dealing with a
 2   suspected opioid overdose event.
 3      (2)   May not require an individual to administer an opioid
 4   antagonist.
 5      (3)   Shall provide the quantities and types of opioid
 6   antagonists to be maintained by the school entity.
 7      (c)   A trained school nurse, teacher or other individual in a
 8   school entity who is considered qualified by the department may
 9   administer an opioid antagonist during an emergency to a student
10   or staff member at a school facility having a suspected opioid
11   overdose event whether or not there is a previous history of
12   drug abuse.
13      (d)   A school nurse, teacher or other individual may receive
14   training in the administration of opioid antagonists provided by
15   the Department of Health.
16      (e)   A school entity shall maintain opioid antagonists at
17   each school facility in a safe and secure location.
18      (f)   When an opioid antagonist is administered under this
19   section to a student or staff member at a school facility, the
20   school nurse, teacher or other individual considered qualified
21   by the department shall ensure that the student or staff member
22   is transported to the nearest hospital emergency department for
23   medical care.
24      (g)   A school nurse, teacher or individual who has completed
25   training as required by the department under this section and
26   who, acting in good faith and with reasonable care, administers
27   an opioid antagonist to a student or staff member who is having
28   a suspected opioid overdose event:
29      (1)   Shall be immune from criminal prosecution, sanction
30   under professional licensing statute and civil liability for

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 1   administering the opioid antagonist.
 2      (2)   May not be subject to professional review for
 3   administering the opioid antagonist.
 4      (3)   May not be liable for civil damages for acts or
 5   omissions resulting from administration of the opioid
 6   antagonist.
 7      (h)   The receipt of the required training and the prompt
 8   seeking of additional medical assistance by an individual
 9   authorized under this section to do so creates a rebuttable
10   presumption that the individual acted with reasonable care in
11   administering the opioid antagonist.
12      (i)   As used in this section, the following words and phrases
13   shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection unless
14   the context clearly indicates otherwise:
15      "Department" means the Department of Education of the
16   Commonwealth.
17      "Opioid antagonist" means a drug that binds to opioid
18   receptors and blocks or inhibits the effects of opioids acting
19   on the receptors. The term includes naloxone hydrochloride, also
20   known as Narcan or naloxone.
21      "School entity" means a public school, including a charter
22   school or cyber charter school, private school, nonpublic
23   school, intermediate unit or area career and technical school
24   operating within this Commonwealth.
25      "Suspected opioid overdose event" means an acute medical
26   condition, including severe physical illness, coma, mania,
27   hysteria or death:
28      (1)   resulting from the consumption or use of an opioid
29   causing an adverse reaction; and
30      (2)   that a prudent person, possessing an average knowledge

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1   of medicine and health, would reasonably believe is in fact an
2   overdose of a drug requiring immediate medical attention.
3      Section 2.   This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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