The Nevada Legislature in 2025
Carson High School junior Kyle Allen, District 16’s youth legislator this term for the 2025 Nevada legislative session, says his peers’ bill proposal targeting substance abuse is a great opportunity to provide intervention services without placing handcuffs on students.
The Nevada Youth Legislature has submitted Senate Bill 254 requiring the Nevada Department of Education to adopt a policy to notify parents or legal guardians of students who show signs or behaviors of substance use. Adoption would compel all schools to comply and school staff members also would be required to report any child abuse or neglect. The NDE would be obligated to obtain data and provide documentation to the Nevada Legislature as requested.
“You're getting resources, and we're going to do a follow-up in a month because you have a place in the classroom, you need to be learning, and so there's a value in making sure that you are getting the resources you need and not just going straight up to juvenile detention,” Allen said.
On March 5, NYL chair Kathleen McCarthy, a Las Vegas student, presented the merits of the bill to the Senate Committee on Education. McCarthy called the process and subject dear to her heart and said she has been researching the impacts of substance abuse among students.
“U.S. Health and Human Services reports 4.7% of teens ages 12 to 17 qualify for illicit drug use disorder, which is the habitual consumption of illicit drugs,” McCarthy said. “That’s an estimated 10,000 of the youth of our state.”
McCarthy told the Senate Committee the imperative would be on parents to decide how their child should be connected to resources, but the bill does require schools to notify parents.
Allen said members of the NYL held numerous discussions as they narrowed their selection for the bill during their 2023-25 term. The student representatives called on the expert legal assistance for their opinions on implications for recovery and rehabilitation for youth struggling with drug or alcohol use.
“It had great votes and there was great discussion,” Allen said. “And there were different witnesses and officials that we brought in to do different testimonies and different hearings. They all made it abundantly clear that this was a great bill for rehabilitation. We brought in different attorneys and different prosecutors and they said this makes it easier on us. … So it’s also easier on our justice system.”
Allen said he’s spoken with students who have either have used or developed a habit and say they would like to stop but fear the consequences at a higher level. He’s observed students vaping or under the influence in his own school.
“When we create an environment where kids feel safe, they feel comfortable to get the resources they need,” he said. “They say, ‘I want to change, I want to stop, I want to quit, but I can't and I'm scared. If I go to the dean or I go to an administrator, I'm going to get in trouble.’ So this is a great opportunity.”
Allen said although it’s likely if it passes and the changes would occur after he graduates next year, it’s encouraging to see community support for SB254. He added it has been a valuable learning experience.
The bill received some support and opposition, but McCarthy said the NYL was open to making amendments, and Sen. Angela Taylor, chair of the committee, encouraged her and her peers to work with everyone who expressed concerns.