Parents, Grandparents, Know Your Rights!

Center for Cognitive Liberty & Ethics ^ | 2005

[Larousse2]

New Federal Law Protects Public School Children!

Responding to parents who have been pressured by school officials to place their child on a psycho-stimulant like Ritalin or be barred from attending school, Congress has passed precedent-setting legislation protecting parental choice.

After several failed efforts, including the Child Medication Safety Act, Congress has amended the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) to add a specific section prohibiting "mandatory medication" in schools. The Act was signed into law on December 4, 2004.

Titled "Prohibition on Mandatory Medication Amendment," the amendment requires state and local authorities to implement policies that prohibit public school's from conditioning a child's education on the use Ritalin or any other controlled substance.

The relevant section reads:

(25) PROHIBITION ON MANDATORY MEDICATION-

`(A) IN GENERAL- The State educational agency shall prohibit State and local educational agency personnel from requiring a child to obtain a prescription for a substance covered by the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 801 et seq.) as a condition of attending school, receiving an evaluation under subsection (a) or (c) of section 614, or receiving services under this title.

`(B) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION- Nothing in subparagraph (A) shall be construed to create a Federal prohibition against teachers and other school personnel consulting or sharing classroom-based observations with parents or guardians regarding a student's academic and functional performance, or behavior in the classroom or school, or regarding the need for evaluation for special education or related services under paragraph (3).

Read the complete text of Public Law 108-446.

While the IDEA act has many provisions which the Center for Cognitive Liberty & Ethics views unfavorably, we are very pleased with the above sections that block coercive medication practices by schools that receive federal funding.

[Larousse2]

There is another Bill which has been passed by the House, read twice in the Senate, now stalled in the Senate Committee HELP (Health, Education, Labor, and Penions) to give big pharma more time to lobby to defeat it. The new law would prohibit mandatory medication of psychotropic medications for children in public schools.

We must marshall all our resources to have this new legislation passed to protect our nation's children!

[colorcountry]

We let it get this far when we allowed them to tell us our children must be immunized to attend public school. Each liberty we give up, is just another nail in the coffin.

We need to stop the appeasement.

[Brad’s Gramma]

This is disgusting!!!

[Servant of the 9]

There are three possibilities with children.

1. They are well behaved, in which case no one will wish to medicate them.
2. They truly suffer from the neurological disorder ADD, in which case they need medication.
3. They have no discipline because they have been badly brought up by trashy parents, in which case they need to be removed from that household and retrained.

So9

[cgk]

It is a sad state of affairs when we even need this bill.

[raynearhood]

You know what's sick? The fact that this Act looks good to us. The way I read it: Today, after the passing of this amendment to an act, we are happy because a) another law is on the books, thickening up another Act, pigeonholing our rights again and b) for some reason, until today, schools had more rights in raising my kids than I had yesterday.

"We must marshall all our resources to have this new legislation passed to protect our nation's children!"

I agree, we need to get this monkey called the federal government off our backs so we can raise our kids as we see fit, according to our values, in the safety of an environment we have chosen best for their development.

[teenyelliott]

Law or no law, I cannot imagine any parent medicating a child, just because some stupid school said they had to do so.

[conservative cat]

There are three possibilities with children.

I remember causing my share of problems with teachers when I was a kid. I questioned authority, frequently. I was also a daydreamer, because I was bored out of my mind. Had I been in school now, I am sure they would have recommended medication.

They are forcing medication on kids that they are now admitting has side effects like strokes, heart problems, etc- and a lot of kids have been put on these meds. I don't think that many of them have a serious neurological disorder.

[SteveMcKing]

4. There is absolutely nothing wrong with strong-willed kids who show initiative and don't cower to authority. But such individuals are a threat to the nanny state, multiculti, wishy-washy, PC libs in academia.

These bright young kids are labelled "sick" and given drugs that forbid them from ever owning a gun in many states, disqualify them from military service, and even gaining security clearances required to do basic contract work in certain places - sweeping the floors in a government building, for example.

The sedation of youth is political. It is fully intended to turn young republicans into old, dependent, incapable sycophants.

[Larousse2]

109th Congress
H.R. 1790: Child Medication Safety Act of 2005


Official Title: To protect children and their parents from being coerced into administering a controlled substance in order to attend school, and for other purposes.

Status:

Passed House (Bipartisan support.)
This bill has been passed in the House. The bill now goes on to be voted on in the Senate.

Introduced: Apr 21, 2005
Last Action: Nov 17, 2005: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Sponsor: Rep. John Kline [R-MN]

Cosponsors:

Rep. James Barrett [R-SC]
Rep. John Boehner [R-OH]
Rep. Charles Boustany [R-LA]
Rep. Dan Burton [R-IN]
Rep. Ken Calvert [R-CA]
Rep. Jo Ann Davis [R-VA]
Rep. Jo Ann Emerson [R-MO]
Rep. Tom Feeney [R-FL]
Rep. Trent Franks [R-AZ]
Rep. Gilbert Gutknecht [R-MN]
Rep. John Hostettler [R-IN]
Rep. Henry Hyde [R-IL]
Rep. Samuel Johnson [R-TX]
Rep. Mark Kennedy [R-MN]
Rep. Steven LaTourette [R-OH]
Rep. Ron Lewis [R-KY]
Rep. Donald Manzullo [R-IL]
Rep. Marilyn Musgrave [R-CO]
Rep. Randy Neugebauer [R-TX]
Rep. Ronald Paul [R-TX]
Rep. Mike Pence [R-IN]
Rep. Collin Peterson [D-MN]
Rep. Mark Souder [R-IN]
Rep. Roger Wicker [R-MS]
Rep. Addison Wilson [R-SC]


Congressional Votes

Nov 16, 2005: This bill passed in a vote in the House of Representatives. (Roll 590.) The totals were: 407 Ayes, 12 Nays, 14 Present/Not Voting.

Go to this site to track it:

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd


Contact the following to get it passed:

COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR AND PENSIONS

UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS

Committee Chairman
Mike Enzi (R-WY)


* Senator Judd Gregg (NH)

* Senator Edward Kennedy (MA), Ranking Member

* Senator Bill Frist (TN)

* Senator Christopher Dodd (CT)

* Senator Lamar Alexander (TN)

* Senator Tom Harkin (IA)

* Senator Richard Burr (NC)

* Senator Barbara Mikulski (MD)

* Senator Johnny Isakson (GA)

* Senator James Jeffords (I) (VT)

* Senator Mike DeWine (OH)

* Senator Jeff Bingaman (NM)

* Senator John Ensign (NV)

* Senator Patty Murray (WA)

* Senator Orrin Hatch (UT)

* Senator Jack Reed (RI)

* Senator Jeff Sessions (AL)

* Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY)

* Senator Pat Roberts (KS)

Subcommittee on Education and Early Childhood Development

Subcommittee Chairman:

Senator Lamar Alexander (TN)

* Senator Judd Gregg (NH)

* Senator Christopher Dodd (CT), Ranking Member

* Senator Richard Burr (NC)

* Senator Tom Harkin (IA)

* Senator Johnny Isakson (GA)

* Senator James Jeffords (I) (VT)

* Senator Mike Dewine (OH)

* Senator Jeff Bingaman (NM)

* Senator John Ensign (NV)

* Senator Patty Murray (WA)

* Senator Orrin Hatch (UT)

* Senator Jack Reed (RI)

* Senator Jeff Sessions (AL)

* Senator Hillary Clinton (NY)

* Senator Michael Enzi - Ex Officio - (WY)

* Senator Ted Kennedy - Ex Officio - (MA)

[Servant of the 9]

4. There is absolutely nothing wrong with strong-willed kids who show initiative and don't cower to authority. But such individuals are a threat to the nanny state, multiculti, wishy-washy, PC libs in academia.

No one can teach a class with a couple of ill disciplined little shits in it that won't learn to sit down and shut up while the teacher is talking.

They or their parents need to be beaten.

SO9

[teenyelliott]

They are forcing medication on kids

And the parents are agreeing to do it!

I am a mom, and I simply cannot comprehend this.

[SteveMcKing]

"No one can teach a class with a couple of ill disciplined little shits in it that won't learn to sit down and shut up while the teacher is talking. They or their parents need to be beaten."

Would you beat the kids on South Park?

[teenyelliott]

These bright young kids are labelled "sick" and given drugs

By their own parents. How do you explain that?

Everyone on this thread keeps talking about how the schools are evil.

Seems to me this is something that needs to be put on the shoulders of the parents, not the schools.

Sure, public schools suck in many ways, but ultimately it is the parents who are agreeing to force poison down the throats of their children.

Why isn't that the bigger issue here?

[MissEdie]

AMEN!! I work in a public school and I have seen too many ill-mannered little shits disrupting the education of good kids.

[Larousse2]

ADD/ADHD is NOT, repeat NOT a neurological disorder. It is a contrived diagnosis big pharma concocted.

I have read ED's statement on it, and it is a lie.

In the 70's it was called, "hyperactivity."

Please, please, please read all you can written by Dr. Peter R. Breggin, licensed and practising Psychiatrist:

http://www.breggin.com

[Larousse2]

I can tell you as a former public school teacher, and as a grandmother, the practice is rampant in U. S. public schools.

I have a grandson prescribed a form of meth who looks like he has been in a concentration camp. I am very serious about this.

The full knowledge of the psychotropic cocktails prescribed for our nation's children would sicken you if you only knew the extent of it.

[Servant of the 9]

"No one can teach a class with a couple of ill disciplined little shits in it that won't learn to sit down and shut up while the teacher is talking. They or their parents need to be beaten."

Would you beat the kids on South Park?

No, my classrooms when I was little looked pretty much like that.
The classrooms I saw when my kid was in elementary school often had kids literally running around the room screaming and refusing to pay any attention to the teacher.
Either the children were ill and needed medication, or the parents were so bad they needed to lose custody of the kids.

So9

[SteveMcKing]

Sure, public schools suck in many ways, but ultimately it is the parents who are agreeing to force poison down the throats of their children. Why isn't that the bigger issue here?

Exactly. It is simply because the parents are themselves a product of liberal society.

"Sycophant" was the term I used... never questioning people of fame or celebrity, doctors especially.

[Larousse2]

Thank you so very much for your thoughtful response!

Sound like you've been doing your homework:-)