AB 2998: Opioid overdose reversal medications: pupil administration.

Existing law authorizes a public or private elementary or secondary school to determine whether or not to make emergency naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid antagonist and trained personnel available at its school, and to designate one or more volunteers to receive related training to address an opioid overdose, as specified. Existing law prohibits a person who has completed that training and who administers, in good faith and not for compensation, naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid antagonist to a person who appears to be experiencing an opioid overdose from being subject to professional review, liable in a civil action, or subject to criminal prosecution for the persons acts or omissions in administering the naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid antagonist, unless the persons acts or omissions constituted gross negligence or willful and wanton misconduct, as provided.

This bill would prohibit a school district, county office of education, or charter school from prohibiting a pupil 12 years of age or older, while on a schoolsite or participating in school activities, from carrying or administering, for the purposes of providing emergency treatment to persons who are suffering, or reasonably believed to be suffering, from an opioid overdose, a naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray or any other opioid overdose reversal medication that is federally approved for over-the-counter, nonprescription use, as provided. The bill would prohibit a pupil 12 years of age or older of those local educational agencies who administers those opioid antagonists on a schoolsite or while participating in school activities to a person who appears to be experiencing an opioid overdose, from being held liable in a civil action or being subject to criminal prosecution for their acts or omissions, unless the pupils acts or omissions constitute gross negligence or willful and wanton misconduct, as provided. The bill would also prohibit those local educational agencies, or an employee of those local educational agencies, from being subject to professional review, liable in a civil action, or subject to criminal prosecution for a pupils acts or omissions in administering those opioid antagonists, unless an act or omission of the local educational agency, or the employee of the local educational agency, constitutes gross negligence or willful and wanton misconduct connected to the administration of those opioid antagonists.