Published: 04/29/2026 | Author: Courtney Myers

Arkansas is putting opioid settlement money directly into classrooms. The Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership (ARORP) has awarded $1.4 million in opioid prevention funding to four school districts. This targeted move is intended to stop the opioid crisis in The Natural State before it starts among young people.

ARORP deployed the funding to hire Prevention Recovery Coordinators (PRCs) in the Fayetteville, Hot Springs, Watson Chapel and Springdale school districts that span K–8. The initiative represents one of the state’s most direct investments in school-based opioid prevention to date.

Arkansas enjoys a reputation as the Land of Opportunity, and this includes choices for improving your personal health. From grassroots organizations like Narcotics Anonymous chapters to inpatient facilities, Arkansans can find personalized treatment options that best suit their circumstances.

The Opioid Crisis Persists in Arkansas

In many respects, the scale of this program arrives just in time. The $1.4 million will reach 27,000 students across 57 schools, with 10 Prevention Recovery Coordinators embedded across the four participating districts.

The backdrop is alarming. Arkansas reported 306 opioid overdose deaths between 2022 and 2023. It’s a 13.8% decrease from the prior year, according to the state’s Department of Health. While officials find that decline encouraging, the state continues to face one of the worst opioid prescription burdens in the nation. State officials reported Arkansas had the second-highest opioid prescription rate in the nation in 2022, at 72.2 per 100 persons, surpassed only by Alabama.

Fentanyl’s Role in the School-Based Crisis

Opioid abuse is no longer confined to adults, and fentanyl contamination is a driving reason why. ARORP Deputy Director Tenesha Barnes emphasized that fentanyl is now showing up in virtually everything, making a narrow opioid-only approach insufficient. The program addresses alcohol, tobacco, vaping and other drugs alongside narcotic addiction because the fentanyl threat has made every substance potentially lethal.

This is why school-based opioid prevention matters, and programs are now springing up all across the nation, including neighboring Oklahoma. Students encountering counterfeit pills or contaminated substances may not know the risk until it’s too late.

Prevention Recovery Coordinators Act Now

The PRC model is designed to be student-led, not top-down. Rather than positioning coordinators as authority figures, the program is one of several throughout the country that empowers youths themselves to build safe spaces and guide peers toward recovery resources. PRCs merely provide guidance toward prevention, treatment and recovery support.

The program also incorporates counselors and mental health professionals to create a wraparound model where students can openly discuss substance misuse and any underlying causes. 

The program’s reach can extend beyond school walls. Barnes noted that the typical opioid user falls in the 18–52 age range. This means the community impact of school-based prevention can ripple outward into families and neighborhoods.

Notably, the Hot Springs School District pointed out that 25% of children live with a parent who has a substance use disorder, and that early prevention protects brain development, improves recovery outcomes, and addresses co-occurring issues.

Opioid Settlement Funds Recovery

This $1.4 million comes directly from Arkansas opioid settlement dollars. These funds originated from pharmaceutical companies and distributors held responsible for fueling the opioid epidemic. 

ARORP is among the more aggressive state partnerships in deploying these funds. Since November 2022, ARORP has funded 142 projects in all 75 Arkansas counties, distributing $26 million total with over $3m specifically dedicated to prevention efforts.

The results have been astonishing. National data shows that every dollar that states spend on prevention can save $11 in future care and costs. This means ARORP’s prevention investment could potentially avoid more than $33 million in future treatment expenses. 

Naloxone Access & Harm Reduction in Arkansas

Even as prevention expands, harm reduction remains critical. As of March 2025, ARORP expanded its Naloxone Hero Program to include city and county first responder agencies as well as school systems, providing training resources and naloxone kits for distribution.

Since 2022, the Arkansas Naloxone Bank has supported community organizations and law enforcement in distributing over 86,000 naloxone doses totaling more than $2 million in life-saving medication. 

Naloxone (brand name Narcan) is an opioid antagonist that rapidly reverses overdose. It is safe, effective, and increasingly available without a prescription in Arkansas. Anyone living with or near someone with opioid addiction or narcotic dependency should have naloxone on hand and know how to use it.

Getting Help for Opioid Addiction in Arkansas

If you or someone you love has an opioid addiction, narcotic dependency or substance use disorder, recovery resources are available in Arkansas right now.

NA Meetings in Arkansas Narcotics Anonymous meetings are free, peer-led, and available across the state, including in Fayetteville, Little Rock, Hot Springs, Springdale and surrounding communities. NA meetings offer a space to connect with others in recovery from opioid addiction and other substance use disorders.

To find an NA meeting in any location, browse our comprehensive directory or call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to speak to an expert for guidance. Whether in Arkansas or anywhere else in the country, help is always standing by right in your own community.