Ninety percent of people who develop an addiction to drugs or alcohol started using in their teens. The new law, called the Substance Abuse Treatment, Education, and Prevention (STEP) Act, requires school nurses to screen all students in two grades using a validated questionnaire and follow-up. The specific grades in middle and high school will be decided by each school district. By conducting open, non-judgmental conversations with students, school nurses will encourage healthy choices and provide supportive, factual information. If needed, young people will be referred for additional counseling.
The law takes statewide an effective strategy for screening and early intervention that Massachusetts piloted from 2013-2015 with over 3,000 public school students in grades 7-9. About 10 percent of those screened received brief counseling because they reported using alcohol or drugs, and 3 percent were referred to treatment. School nurses in the seven pilot school districts continue to have conversations with students every day about substance use. In the past year, over 100 school districts have requested training and support from the state to begin verbal screening of middle and high school students.