January 22, 2026 · AzSAM
Developing the Nation's First K–12 Standards for Opioid and Overdose Education
AzSAM leader Dr. Allison Huff is serving as Co-Project Lead for the SHAPE Curriculum Standards Initiative — a national effort through the RESPONSE Initiative to create the nation's first comprehensive K–12 curriculum standards on opioids, overdose prevention and management, and opioid use disorder.
The youth overdose crisis has emerged as one of the most urgent public health challenges facing schools and communities across the United States. Overdose is now among the leading causes of death in adolescents, while youth exposure to fentanyl, counterfeit pills, and other illicit substances continues to rise. Despite these realities, there are currently no national K–12 curriculum standards that provide schools with guidance on teaching age-appropriate content related to opioids, overdose prevention and response, addiction science, stigma reduction, healthy decision-making, and opioid use disorder. As a result, educational efforts vary widely between states and school districts, leaving many educators without evidence-based resources to address this growing crisis.
To address this gap, Dr. Allison Huff, a leader within AzSAM, is serving as Co-Project Lead for the SHAPE Curriculum Standards Initiative, a national effort being developed through the RESPONSE Initiative. Working alongside a multidisciplinary team of experts in addiction medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine, behavioral health, public health, school nursing, educational design, and school administration, the project aims to create the nation's first comprehensive K–12 curriculum standards focused on opioids, overdose prevention and management, and opioid use disorder. The standards will be aligned with national health education competencies while ensuring content is developmentally appropriate for students from kindergarten through twelfth grade.
The initiative will develop evidence-based educational standards addressing prevention, resilience, healthy decision-making, fentanyl awareness, addiction science, overdose recognition, emergency response, recovery, and stigma reduction. Upon completion, the standards will be shared nationally and reviewed by leading organizations representing medicine, education, public health, school health, and youth development.
AzSAM members are encouraged to participate in this groundbreaking initiative. We are actively seeking content experts from addiction medicine, psychiatry, psychology, nursing, pharmacy, public health, education, and related disciplines to assist with literature review, content development, standards mapping, and manuscript review. Members interested in helping shape the future of youth substance use prevention and overdose education are encouraged to contact AzSAM to learn how they can become involved.