Examining the Impacts of the Opioid Crisis on Student Absenteeism in Arizona Public Schools during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The opioid epidemic has been a persistent and complex issue in the United States for decades. The state of Arizona, specifically, has been a hotbed for the opioid epidemic since 2016, with the number of overdoses and deaths sharply increasing since then; these rates have further increased with the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic. While prior studies linking the increase in opioid use to the recent COVID-19 pandemic exist, there is limited research on the influence of opioids on younger populations. Our research will address this underrepresented group by examining the effects of opioid use on Arizonan youth and its relationship to absences and withdrawals from public school systems in a targeted pilot study. Through the dispersion of a random survey on various social media platforms and cold-contacting Arizona school officials and local businesses, we collected data on demographics, school absence rates, and pandemic-associated opioid use. After running an ANOVA variance test, we observed an inconsistent trend between certain opioid use and school absences amidst the pandemic, suggesting that individual circumstances are likely to impact student absenteeism. Thus, while the COVID-19 pandemic has a link to the rate of Arizona student absentees, more research needs to be conducted to fully assess the relationship of these variables with the opioid crisis. The past, present, and future of Arizona’s legislation in combating the opioid crisis and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is also discussed.