The following is an excerpt from EdWatch. I am pleased there is some protection for children whose parents know and understand their children's medication needs.
Groundbreaking Protection of Parents and Children Against Coercion
In 2001, Minnesota was the second state in the nation to pass a prohibition against school-led coercion of parents to drug their children with sympathomimetics, meaning stimulant medication like Ritalin and Adderall. That legislation stated that a parent could not be charged with educational neglect for refusing these drugs. It was authored by Representatives Barb Sykora and Sondra Erickson, among others, in the House, and by Senators Tom Neuville and Michele Bachmann, among others, in the Senate.
Since passage of that prohibition in 2001, continued incidents of coercion around the nation using other types of charges and other types of drugs, such as antidepressants, have come to light. The FDA has since then issued warnings on the ineffectiveness and dangers of psychotropic medications. In addition, mental health screening rapidly rose to prominence following the release of the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, which recommends universal screening across the life span. All of these developments clearly demonstrated that this very good and important 2001 legislation needed expansion.
Rep. Jim Abler introduced an amendment to this years education bill with encouragement from EdWatch. He also had strong support from Reps. Erickson, Sykora, Buesgens, and Heidgerken during both the committee hearing and conference committee negotiations. That amendment stated:
"Consistent with section 125A.091, subdivision 5, a readmission plan must not obligate a parent or guardian to provide psychotropic drugs to their student as a condition of readmission. School officials must not use the refusal of a parent or guardian to consent to the administration of psychotropic drugs to their student or to consent to a psychiatric evaluation, screening or examination of the student as a ground, by itself, to prohibit the student from attending class or participating in a school-related activity, or as a basis of a charge of child abuse, child neglect or medical or educational neglect."
Changing to the word psychotropic covers all psychiatric medications, not just stimulant drugs. This and a complete prohibition of coercion of parents with charges of abuse or neglect or exclusion from school or activity makes the Minnesota law the strongest and best mental health anti-coercion law enacted in the entire nation. To our knowledge, Minnesota is also the only state in the nation that protects children and parents from mental health screening coercion. Sadly, Republican governors Jon Huntsman and Jeb Bush vetoed excellent bills with similar language that passed the Utah and Florida state legislatures, respectively. These governors gave away family rights to privacy and freedom of thought and gave in to the powerful pharmaceutical lobby and the rest of the mental health establishment.
Groundbreaking Protection of Parents and Children Against Coercion
In 2001, Minnesota was the second state in the nation to pass a prohibition against school-led coercion of parents to drug their children with sympathomimetics, meaning stimulant medication like Ritalin and Adderall. That legislation stated that a parent could not be charged with educational neglect for refusing these drugs. It was authored by Representatives Barb Sykora and Sondra Erickson, among others, in the House, and by Senators Tom Neuville and Michele Bachmann, among others, in the Senate.
Since passage of that prohibition in 2001, continued incidents of coercion around the nation using other types of charges and other types of drugs, such as antidepressants, have come to light. The FDA has since then issued warnings on the ineffectiveness and dangers of psychotropic medications. In addition, mental health screening rapidly rose to prominence following the release of the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, which recommends universal screening across the life span. All of these developments clearly demonstrated that this very good and important 2001 legislation needed expansion.
Rep. Jim Abler introduced an amendment to this years education bill with encouragement from EdWatch. He also had strong support from Reps. Erickson, Sykora, Buesgens, and Heidgerken during both the committee hearing and conference committee negotiations. That amendment stated:
"Consistent with section 125A.091, subdivision 5, a readmission plan must not obligate a parent or guardian to provide psychotropic drugs to their student as a condition of readmission. School officials must not use the refusal of a parent or guardian to consent to the administration of psychotropic drugs to their student or to consent to a psychiatric evaluation, screening or examination of the student as a ground, by itself, to prohibit the student from attending class or participating in a school-related activity, or as a basis of a charge of child abuse, child neglect or medical or educational neglect."
Changing to the word psychotropic covers all psychiatric medications, not just stimulant drugs. This and a complete prohibition of coercion of parents with charges of abuse or neglect or exclusion from school or activity makes the Minnesota law the strongest and best mental health anti-coercion law enacted in the entire nation. To our knowledge, Minnesota is also the only state in the nation that protects children and parents from mental health screening coercion. Sadly, Republican governors Jon Huntsman and Jeb Bush vetoed excellent bills with similar language that passed the Utah and Florida state legislatures, respectively. These governors gave away family rights to privacy and freedom of thought and gave in to the powerful pharmaceutical lobby and the rest of the mental health establishment.
