Posted on 11/20/2005 6:36:23 PM PST by ChildOfThe60s
The U.S. House overwhelmingly passed a bill Wednesday barring schools from requiring hyperactive children to use drug treatments as a condition for attending classes.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Total baloney. Besides telling parents they will kick the kid out of school, they also threaten to notify Family Services. Here in Florida, once they do that, your life is ruined. Regardless of how baseless a charge is, Family Services NEVER removes you from their database.
Where in the Constitution does it say Congress has the power to micro-manage school affairs? Maybe there is a problem here that needs to be addressed, but as usual the Republicans are doig virtually as poor a job as the other wing of the socialist/humanist party when it comes to governing *lawfully*.
ADD is so horribly overused anyway.
Lance Clawson, MD, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Washington, says schools don’t have the power to force medications on parents.Total baloney. Besides telling parents they will kick the kid out of school, they also threaten to notify Family Services.
Dr. Clawson is correct, at least here in Georgia. Teachers and administrators are not medical people, and are not qualified to diagnose or treat disorders such as ADD/ADHD.
It's my opinion that this bill is appropriate; the schools should NOT be forcing children to go on meds. I see it all of the time; the schools think that they are the primary caretakers of the children, and they butt in on their healthcare issues, when they have no right to do so.
I agree that there are many children that are labeled as ADHD, but don't necessarily have it. Many of these kids are conduct problems, or kids that are just being "kids". However, I DON'T dismiss that there are kids and adults with ADHD; I've seen it many times, both in the patients I took care of, and in several co-workers. Meds are appropriate in some cases, and can allow the person to focus better and to slow down to a normal pace. Some people don't like the effects of the meds, and would rather be hyper; if so, that's their decision, and it should be respected. But so many people dismiss the diagnosis of ADHD as bogus; it isn't.
Also, it sounds as though Florida's Family Service system is out of control.
It doesn't seem to stop many from doing just that.
This is a very pleasant surprise. I had long since thought the Congress to be too beholden to pharmas to ever consider such a measure.
Do you have personal knowledge of any doing that?
Some references for your consideration:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1153623/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1440483/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1287349/posts
There's more, but that should be enough to demonstrate that the problem is real.
I agree. I don't see this as the realm of the US Congress. Seems like a waste of the US Congress' time. Let state legislatures decide this sort of thing. I agree with the notion that school administrators should not force children to take meds. I just don't want the feds to be enforcing this.
Yes, that is true. But that is not what he said, which is what I am disputing.
The school administrators can indirectly force it. Teacher says Joey is a problem, looks to her as if he may be ADD. Principle tells parents that in order for Joey to stay in school he has be examined by the school's recommended Dr. Said Dr. is known to rubber stamp school's recommendation most of the time. Dr. says Joey likely ADD, prescribes meds. School says Joey takes these meds or they will remove him from school and/or report his parents to Family Services for not following Dr's instructions. Family Services must investigate every report. It is very intrusive and FS is likely to side with school unless Joey's parents spend mucho dinero on legal support. Even then, FS has the legal authority to remove Joey from his parent's home. It is not necessarily likely they will do so, but they are known to be very arbitrary when challenged. Joey's parent's lives become living hell.
Trust me. It happens.
Clawson's assertion that schools don't have power is disingenuous. Or else he is ignorant.
This should be dealt with at the county level, and it is not. Which is why desperate parents are going up the line to congress. And more local control of schools is ceded to the feds.
It is the NEA they are beholden to. And it teachers and administrators that are very much in favor of behavior modification via drugs.
I am a teacher. We've been told that we can't even suggest that Joey might be ADD, because that's making or suggesting a diagnosis we are not qualified to make.
My experience has been that parents are more likely to want their children labeled ADD/ADHD than teachers are, because parents use the label as an excuse for their childrens' poor behavior...it's not that Joey has never been properly trained, it's that he's ADHD, you know?
That being as it may, I wonder why the House is working on this law now? thoughtomator's 2nd link says a similar federal law went into effect July 1 of this year. Wonder why they need to pass it again, or if that is proof that they just pass all these bills without reading them?
Ultimately this boils down to Ritalin inducing a chemical condition of slavery in the children, which is why it is properly a federal issue. Fundamental human rights are at stake - the very right to be who you are.
My middle daughter was having difficulty at one point in first grade. The school wanted her to see one of their recommended doctors.
They called us into a meeting to discuss this. I said I declined to allow this. They said OK, please sign this statement that you decline to allow her to be seen by their doc. My antenna went up at this -- it should be the case that my signing would only be necessary if I agree to it. I went home and looked at their "disclosure" handout. Buried about 23 pages in was some legalese that said that if I refused the school could appeal to a judge, who could authorize the examination. In which case it would happen during school hours and without our knowledge. But they needed my signed refusal to present to the judge
So the next day I dropped off paperwork saying she was now pulled out and we were homeschooling her (we were already homeschooling the oldest for different reasons)
I'm glad to hear that. But that is certainly not the case in Polk County, FL. Or anywhere else in this state that I am aware of.
You are correct that many parents are only too willing to go for the ADD diagnosis. I know several myself. They simply would not do what is necessary as a parent to deal with the kid, when they could abdicate responsibility for the child this way.
I think the republicans are attempting to send a message to the National teachers unions who have been at the forfront of pushing drugs on to these kids. All in the name of classroom management. Technically this should be a state or local issue...but because we already have a federalized dept of education, they are attempting a national policy.
So we bit the financial bullet and my wife did not work for 11 years. And it really hurt moneywise. Smartest decision we ever made.
Well, what I see the feds doing is restraining the SCHOOLs from forcing a drugging of children on the parents. These parents can still choose to let their kids take those drugs if they think it is needed.
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