The No Child Left Behind Act is already carrying forward the ideas of expanding "mental health" in the schools and early identification. Title IV, the Safe and Drug Free Schools section of the legislation, is working towards: "expanding and improving school-based mental health services, including early identification of violence and illegal drug use, assessment, and direct individual or group counseling services provided to students, parents, and school personnel by qualified school based mental health services personnel."
Why should we be concerned:
Here are the problems and serious implications with these recommendations and with current legislation. (For more details and complete references on each of these concerns see congressional testimony at
http://www.icspp.org/media/hearingonprotecting.htm):
1) Mental health will be used as the enforcement mechanism of the Federal Curriculum - As academic performance becomes tied to the attitudes, values, and beliefs of the Federal Curriculum, instead of to knowledge, and as mental health screening and treatment, including medications, are based on behaviors and academic performance, it will not be very long before children are screened and treated with powerful mind altering chemicals for attitudes, values and beliefs that do not coincide with the beliefs required by the federal government.
The SAT is being changed to include essay questions about the student's personal beliefs and worldview that will be part of the individual's permanent record. (See
http://www.edwatch.org/updates/011404.htm) How long will it be before this test is used not only to screen college and job applicants based on political considerations, but as a mental health screen as was done with the 2000 Minnesota Basic Skills Writing Test?
School officials in Ithaca, N.Y., are requiring that first- and second-graders be graded on their tolerance, reports the Cornell Review. The kids will get grades based on how well they "respect others of varying cultures, genders, experiences, and abilities." The grade will appear on report cards under the heading "Lifelong Learning Skills." It appears well before social studies, science, reading, or writing. (Fox News 1/7/02)
2) Parents are being coerced into putting their children on these medications: Patricia Weathers and the Carroll Family, both of New York, the Johnston Family of West Virginia, and the Salazar Family of Florida were all charged or threatened with child abuse charges for refusing to give their children or taking their children off of psychiatric medications.
http://nuke.graphictruth.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=451
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