LOS ANGELES — Senate Bill 10, also known as Melanie’s Law, has been signed into law. It follows the fatal fentanyl overdose of 15-year-old student Melanie Ramos at Bernstein High School in Hollywood.
Melanie’s Law requires all California middle and high schools to develop a plan to prevent and respond to fentanyl overdoses. This includes training teachers on lifesaving fentanyl response and providing resources to students and adults on what they need to know about opioids.
California State Senator Dave Cortese says the bill will save lives.
“They’re going to have to have a plan to respond to any overdose and any incident like this with Novoxil, which means they’re going to have to have it, and it means that when they read the fine print in this bill, they’re going to see that every single employee in the district and in these schools is going to have to be trained,” Cortese said.
The announcement was made outside the Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters. Melanie’s mother, Elena Perez, and her legal team are suing the district. In response to Melanie’s death, LAUSD provided schools with Narcan to help with overdoses on campus.
Perez says the new law is aimed at preventing the deaths of young people in schools, and that no mother should have to deal with the pain of losing a child.
The new law will take effect on 1 January 2024. Melanie’s mother urges parents that if they haven’t had the conversation with their children about drugs, they should do so now.