Illinois develops overdose curriculum for schools to combat fentanyl deaths

Will County — The Illinois State Board of Education has made available a resource guide for schools to use for teaching students about substance abuse and overdoses.

The guides were created following the passage of a 2023 law which required “comprehensive, age-appropriate, reality-based, safety-focused, and evidence-based standards for schools that span the prevention continuum, reduce substance-use risk, and promote protective factors” to be made available, though their use is optional for schools.

According to reporting by Capitol News Illinois, the ISBE created multiple guides with lesson plans, presentations, and fact sheets tailored to different student age groups by drawing from courses developed by universities, non-profit organizations, and federal agencies including the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the DEA.

Overdoses are the leading cause of accidental deaths in the United States. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics from 2022, the most recent year with complete data available, 3,849 people died of an accidental overdose in Illinois. By comparison, 1,798 were killed by firearms, and 1,268 died in car accidents.

The Illinois Harm Reduction and Recovery Coalition and the LTM Heroin Education and Awareness Foundation, which both lobbied for the 2023 law, known as Louie’s Law, issued a joint statement in July “applauding” the effort.

They also expressed a need to include more community stakeholders and members of marginalized groups in the conversations about curriculum and encouraged the ISBE to spread more awareness about the guidelines to schools.

“Knowledge is power. With the new school year beginning and overdose deaths among youth at an all-time high, we know this guidance will equip communities with vital information, tools, and resources. But only if they know about it and have an implementation plan,” said Felicia Miceli, LTM Founder and Mother of the law’s namesake Louie Miceli, who died of an overdose at age 24 after first getting exposed to opioids at 17.

Will County overdoses

Statewide data documenting the ages of people who experienced overdoses is not readily accessible, however, of the 141 overdose deaths reported in Will County in 2023, the Will County Coroner’s office reports three were teenagers, and one was a minor. Two of the teenagers’ deaths were deemed accidental, while the third was classified as undetermined. All three teens died from fentanyl overdoses.

So far in 2024, 79 individuals have died from drug use, four of whom were teenagers. None of the four teenage victims were minors, and two of the deaths were attributed to opioid use. Three of the deaths were classified as accidental, and the fourth was labeled a suicide.

An additional 15 overdose deaths in Will County occurred in young adults between the ages 20 and 29 in 2023. Only one was ruled a suicide, and another’s cause was undetermined. Twelve of the young adult deaths involved fentanyl, sometimes in conjunction with other drugs and alcohol.

In 2024, an additional nine adults under the age of 30 have died from drug overdoses. All but one were classified as accidental, while the ninth’s cause could not be determined. Seven of the nine young adult deaths were at least partially attributed to fentanyl use.

Grundy County overdoses

In Grundy County, 24 people died of drug overdoses in 2023, including 12 who overdosed on opioids.

While no teenagers died from drug-related causes in 2023 in Grundy County, two men in their 20s did die of fentanyl overdoses. Both deaths were classified as accidents.

As of August, Grundy County had reported eight deaths related to drug overdoses, including four related to opioids this year. One of those deaths was an 18-year-old woman, and two were men in their 20s. The fourth involved prescription medication use by an older adult.

All three youth deaths involved fentanyl and have been classified as accidents. The cause of the prescription-related death has been labeled undetermined.

Capitol News Illinois also reports that the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office recorded 30 teenage deaths from drug toxicity in 2023.

In addition to the fatal overdoses, there are thousands of non-fatal overdoses in the state each year, though according to Will County Health Department Media Services Manager Kevin Juday, exact numbers are not available because of the increased access to overdose-reversing drug Narcan, which can be administered easily by anyone to a person experiencing an overdose.