07 Oct, 2025

By Madison Lee

Any teenager across the nation is at risk for opioid drug abuse and addiction. Unbeknownst to many, schools are huge resources for students to learn about opioids, what they do to the body, and ask for help, effectively helping solve the opioid crisis little by little. 

Teachings of drug misuse and drug abuse are carefully integrated into school curriculum. According to Assembly Bill 2429, passed on July 2, 2024, all California public schools are required to include instruction on the dangers of fentanyl use and the effects of the drug on the human body. This includes how to use fentanyl test strips and how to prevent overdoses.

Project Eden, a community-based organization by Horizon Treatment Services, offers programs that address the challenges of substance abuse across Alameda County. These areas include Hayward, Castro Valley, San Leandro, Union City, Livermore, Dublin, Pleasanton, and San Lorenzo. 

Project Eden representatives and guest speakers are able to visit classrooms and provide presentations about the dangers of the current opioid crisis. 

“We have a coalition that was started by April Rovero, whose son unfortunately passed away from prescription drug abuse. She and other organizations have been invited by us health teachers to come speak about opioid abuse,” Castro Valley High School’s health science teacher, Sue Anderson, said. 

In more serious cases, wellness centers located on Bay Area campuses can refer students to Project Eden’s location in Hayward, directly helping students through interventions and support systems. 

Clubs offered on campus can also help spread the message of the dangers of opioids and drug misuse. 

The Tobacco Use Prevention Education club at Castro Valley High School educates students about many valuable life skills that could save the life of another that expands past just tobacco misuse. Students learned how to make kits that include Narcan, a life-saving nasal spray that reverses the effects of opioids on the brain. 

“It’s a phenomenal resource; every campus, every student should have access to one, if not for themselves, to save somebody else,” health science teacher David Judson said. “In the entire Los Angeles County school district, everyone has access to Narcan, and to me, it’s sad that we [Castro Valley High School] don’t yet have that opportunity.” 

Schools like Castro Valley High School are working toward making resources like Narcan more accessible for students, which can truly make the difference between life and death. 

Students and teenagers are more susceptible to opioid abuse because of their less mature decision making skills and the powerful effects of opioids. 

Schools not only have set a strong base level of teaching students the dangers of drug addiction, but they have provided resources for students to learn more. Through this, teenagers can stay safely out of the opioid crisis and help others get help too.

This article was written as part of a program to educate youth and others about Alameda County’s opioid crisis, prevention and treatment options. The program is funded by the Alameda County Behavioral Health Department and the grant is administered by Three Valleys Community Foundation.

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