REDDING, Calif. — Shasta County is deciding how to spend nearly $39 million in opioid settlement money, and the county’s education office is asking for some of it.

The Shasta County Office of Education, or SCOE, said early prevention is critical to helping students and families struggling with substance abuse.

School districts are requesting that 10% of opioid phase-out funds go to support “school-based” prevention and intervention efforts that address youth substance abuse in our community.

According to SCOE, a survey found that 48% of eleventh graders in Shasta County have reported trying alcohol or other drugs.

21 of 27 Shasta County school districts, including the Shasta County Office of Education, signed the letter sent to the board of supervisors requesting the money.

“We tend to think that the crisis only affects the person who has developed the addiction to it, but it definitely has an effect on families as well. We always see the situation that children unfortunately have a much higher risk of following the same cycle,” says Morgan Nugent in Fall River Joint Unified School District.

Although the schools currently have incorporated programs, they said the increase in youth substance abuse further adds to the complexity of the issue requiring more resources than they currently have.

District Two Supervisor Tim Garman said the Board of Supervisors needs to be careful and not rush decisions about how to spend the money. Garman said he is in favor of schools implementing preventative measures as well as intervening when children need help.

Garman also said he believes there are other issues that need to be addressed to bridge the gap.

“If we can keep one child away from drugs, that’s one less person addicted to drugs we have to worry about later and then we need a medical detox center where we can get full counseling for those who quit drugs,” said Garman. “We can help them both mentally and physically because there are two parts to it and if we can’t meet them on both fronts. We will lose them.”

District 1 Supervisor and Board President Kevin Crye was unavailable for official comment, but the Board of Supervisors will hold a special meeting Nov. 12 at 1 p.m. 9 to discuss the distribution of the funds.

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