|
Schools Should Send Home Grades Not Labels
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Published in THE REGIONAL
By Rhonda Robinson
Most kids come
home from school with grades;
Chelsea Rhoades came home with a diagnosis.
One evening early last December,
Michael and Teresa Rhoades’ 15-year-old daughter
asked them to explain the meaning of
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and social
anxiety disorder…then proceeded to inform her
parents that this was the diagnosis she had been
given at school after she took a survey known as
TeenScreen in her homeroom class.
Needless to say, the Rhoadeses were outraged and
demanded to see the survey their daughter had taken.
TeenScreen is a controversial mental health and
suicide-screening program recommended by President
Bush’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health (NFC),
and was specifically promoted in an Illinois House
resolution last year.
At issue is that the school did not obtain the
Rhoades’ permission. Instead, the school had the
minor child sign, giving her permission to be
screened using an “assent” form.
Across the nation people on both
sides of the political spectrum are watching closely
for news of states (like ours) that are attempting
to implement the NFC recommendations, as it is
becoming a dangerous intrusion of government into
the privacy of family, and a direct assault on
parental rights.
One such researcher read
of the Rhoades’ plight and contacted them. Realizing
that Mike and Teresa Rhoades concerns were not being
heard, he introduced them via email to Annie
Armen, a live talk radio producer and host that airs out of
San Diego (World Talk Radio) and out of Phoenix, AZ KFNX 1100AM (www.anniearmenlive.org).
Annie’s mission in life is to empower
children and families by giving them a voice. Not
only did Annie give the Rhoades family a voice on
her radio station, she became their champion, and
personally took their story to The Rutherford
Institute.
The Rutherford Institute is a civil liberties
organization that provides free legal services to
people when their human or constitutional rights are
being threatened.
John Whitehead, a high-profile constitutional
lawyer and founder of the institute, said last week
in a personal interview he had been monitoring what
was happening in Illinois, which led him to take on
the Indiana case.
Whitehead believes that there are clear
constitutional and privacy violations involved.
While he states there is a lot of good case law to
fight mental health screening, he considers the
opposition to be formidable foes, because of the
financial backing of pharmaceutical companies and
the Bush administration’s support through the New
Freedom Commission on Mental Health.
Whitehead went on to explain the complexity of the
situation as many of the TeenScreen people are
attempting to step around federal laws protecting
parental rights by utilizing screening within the
curriculum, where parental consent is not required.
While several more screening sites are in the works,
TeenScreen made its debut last fall in Illinois, at
the Peoria-area Brimfield High School.
TeenScreen is being promoted by some, including the
Illinois House of Representatives in a house
resolution, as “proven” effective, when it is
clearly not.
According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
(USPSTF) report there is “no evidence that screening
for suicide risk reduces suicide attempts or
mortality.”
Nonetheless, based on TeenScreen’s statistics in
2004, 5,862 children across the country have been
screened without written parental consent.
As the June 30 deadline for CMH Plan calling for
screening of all Illinois children and pregnant
mothers draws near, the issue of parental consent
must be defined to the public and spelled out
clearly within state law.
Few parents understand that there is a difference
between passive consent and consent.
However, the schools and the ICMHP are well aware of
it, and have fought to keep it out of the language
of Illinois law, and the CMH Plan.
The CMH Plan clearly states that all of the
recommendations put forth are in compliance with
state laws; this is true. Passive consent is legal.
The Partnership claims the proposed screening is not
mandatory.
Yet the Illinois Learning Standards now require
developmental and emotional health, and the plan
calls for screening as a part of regular
examinations required for school entry, as a stated
goal.
Like a thief in the night; this “strategic plan”
will not only threaten parent’s parental rights with
unprecedented state intrusion, but it will rob the
truly mentally ill of scarce state resources, and
healthy children will be labeled with a diagnosis
that could haunt them for a lifetime. |
|
Subj:
AAL E- Alert: TeenScreen - Indiana
Date:
2/22/2005 1:19:04 AM Pacific Standard Time
From:
Anniearmenlive
To:
AAL Family Network
Dear Annie Armen Live Family Network:
Please forward this link FAR and WIDE as there is
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS!
Mark your calendars as February 28, 2005 is around
the corner and we MUST ACT NOW! Why?
Penn-Harris Madison School Corporation in Mishawaka,
Indiana will make a decision on February 28, 2005 as
to whether or not TeenScreen will be implemented.
Referring to South Bend Tribune Article (Indiana),
dated 01/25/05, sophomores at Penn High School are
given this test in their health
classes, to assess them for suicide risk, substance
abuse, and symptoms of mood disorders.
Parents, here is your chance to mobilize and
vocalize your concerns against TeenScreen.
Let's make this another victory following Pinellas
County School Board's overwhelming vote to nuke
TeenScreen in Florida. Contact information for the
School Board can be found at
http://www.phm.k12.in.us/schoolboard/Document.2003-07-10.3757
Send emails to the Superintendent and school board
at
dkhumes@phm.k12.in.us
Also, listen and forward the following golden
archives to AAL Series FAR AND WIDE:
Dangers of
Psychiatric Drugs Parts 6 and 8 / TeenScreen
WhoopAss #1 and #2!
My letter to
Penn-Harris Madison School Corporation - dated
02/22/05.
If you wish to publish this letter, please send me
an email for a copy.
Blessings to you all,
Annie Armen
Teen Screen in Tennessee:
http://www.state.tn.us/mental/publications/maju2002updt.pdf
New Freedom Commission on Mental Health / State
implementation Activities:
http://www.nasmhpd.org/general_files/State%20table5.pdf
President's New Freedom Commission on MH: Report
to the President: Executive Summary
http://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov/reports/Finalreport/FullReport.htm
PPRA = Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment -->
Your Legal Opt out of Mental Health Screening Tests,
Surveys, etc.
To find out more about PPRA and your legal
rights, please visit:
http://www.antidepressantsfacts.com/protect-your-children.htm
|
