Posted on 02/06/2013 7:56:23 AM PST by Sopater
Proposed Bill 374 filed in the Connecticut General Assembly would require all homeschooled children ages 12, 14, and 17 to undergo a behavioral health assessment. These assessments would be conducted by an unspecified health care provider and would be conducted even though there was no indication whatsoever that these children had a behavioral problem. The bill states that the results of the assessments are to be disclosed only to the child’s parent or guardian, but that the health care provider must submit a form to the State Board of Education verifying that the child has received the assessment.
According to the Connecticut Behavioral Health Partnership, a state organization made up of the Department of Children and Families, Department of Social Services, Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and others, a behavioral health assessment is quite comprehensive and invasive. It includes “a review of physical and mental health, intelligence, school performance, employment, level of function in different domains including family situation, and behavior in the community.”
Proposed Bill 374 would essentially authorize the state to conduct regular social services investigations of homeschooling families without any basis to do so. This outrageous legislative proposal must be stopped in its tracks before it gains any momentum.
This legislation is sponsored by Sen. Toni Nathaniel Harp (10th Dist.) and Rep. Toni E. Walker (93rd Dist.). The bill is presently in the Public Health Committee. HSLDA is asking homeschoolers to immediately contact members of the committee and express their opposition to this unwarranted invasion of family privacy.
Why? Because the government hates competition. Because every home schooled student means less federal money for the school district. Because less federal money for the school district means less money for teachers unions.
Did I leave anything out?
Attorney Deb Stevenson of www.nheld.com recommends a cautious approach. Please read below:
Bulletin #74 CT Proposed Legislation Regarding Children’s Mental Health Assessment 02/04/2013
National Home Education Legal Defense responded to a proposed piece of legislation in the CT General Assembly introduced by Sen. Toni Nathaniel Harp, 10th Dist. and Rep. Toni E. Walker, 93rd Dist.
The bill is Senate Bill 374.
It states:
“AN ACT REQUIRING BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ASSESSMENTS FOR CHILDREN.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
That section 10-206 of the general statutes be amended to require (1) each pupil enrolled in public school at grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 and each home-schooled child at ages 12, 14 and 17 to have a confidential behavioral health assessment, the results of which shall be disclosed only to the child’s parent or guardian, and (2) each health care provider performing a child’s behavioral health assessment to complete the appropriate form supplied by the State Board of Education verifying that the child has received the assessment.
Statement of Purpose: To provide behavioral health assessments to children.”
NHELD responded to the introduction of this legislation by writing:
NHELD does recommend that all parents should be aware, and keep track, of Proposed Senate Bill 374.
The bill does not specify anything about allowing any social services agency to become involved in your child’s healthcare. It simply states that the fact that an assessment was done will be provided to the State Department of Education. While anything is always possible, right now it is only a proposed bill - that is, an idea that is written down. We don’t know what the final language of the bill will look like, or whether it will be voted on in committee, or on the floor of the House or Senate. We need to be careful in how we approach anyone about this at this time.
Right now, it remains simply as a proposed bill, with only two sponsors: Rep. Toni Walker, and Senator Toni Harp. Before a bill becomes a law, after it is proposed, it must go through a screening process whereby legislative leaders determine whether it should be raised before the appropriate committee. In this case, the bill has been referred to the Public Health Committee. It is in the screening process at this point. The bill cannot go any further unless the appropriate committee acts upon it at one of its meetings. If the committee does not act on it, the bill dies. The first action the committee could take would be to place it on its agenda to determine if it will be scheduled for a public hearing. After the public hearing, the committee meets to vote on whether it will get approved to go further for action on the floor of the House and the Senate. If it gets a “joint favorable” vote in the committee, then the bill is placed on the calendar of the House and Senate and the leadership then determines when to call the bill for a vote on the floor of the House and Senate. At any point in this process, the bill also could be amended. If the leadership does not call the bill for a vote, the bill dies.
Again, right now, it is too soon to tell what will happen with this bill. NHELD is watching it and will update you as we find out more information. You also can, and should, watch what happens to it by going to the state’s website, clicking on the legislative branch, and then type in the bill number in the appropriate box. The agenda for the committee meetings are posted 24 hours before they meet. The Public Health Committee meets on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The committee’s public hearings also are scheduled on those days. The committee must post notice of the agenda for the public hearings five days in advance of the hearing. Keep on top of it, and watch other potentially harmful bills as well. Each of us must do our part to protect our freedom.
Attorney Deborah G. Stevenson
Attorney Deborah Stevenson - Executive Director of National Home Education Legal Defense. – www.nheld.com or email : info@nheld.com
Judy Aron - Director of Research, NHELD – imjfaron@sbcglobal.net
I don't want those nut-jobs anywhere near my daughter - WE determine the best treatment for her, she is OUR reponsibility, (she is doing quite well, thank you).
STAY AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER YOU LEFTIST HACKS!!!
I guess we will agree to disagree here.............
I find it neither wrong, nor think it something forced upon them by outside forces. Not everything is some evil conspiracy by the evil public schools.
That works for me!!!!!
Homeschoolers and private schoolers are going to be the leaders of tomorrow. First, they're taught a more conservative lifestyle - plus they're getting a good education to back it all up.
Kids that are not in the public school also have no records that can be used against them later in life. Chicago type politics won't work on them.
Last, but not least, the more lives the public schools can destroy the more democrat voters there are. Unless they can get their hands on home schoolers and private schoolers, these kids are going to escape (and their numbers are growing rapidly).
What’s next? The Final Solution for those deemed unfit?
Where the hell are the congressional republicans?
Sorry - didn’t read article thoroughly, in too much of a hurry to get out the door -
See it is a state issue - and looks like it is getting the proper attention.
Will the libs never stop trying to control everything and everyone? Guess not.
Stand your ground!
I'm going to disagree with you; John Gatto says this: "After a long life, and thirty years in the public school trenches, I've concluded that genius is as common as dirt. We suppress our genius only because we haven't yet figured out how to manage a population of educated men and women." and, in the same essay, lays out the purpose of "public 'education'":
Inglis breaks down the purpose - the actual purpose - of modem schooling into six basic functions, any one of which is enough to curl the hair of those innocent enough to believe the three traditional goals listed earlier: |
Yes, the indoctrination to make all the children good little socialist drones.
“Every child in America entering school at the age of five is mentally ill because he comes to school with certain allegiances to our founding fathers, toward our elected officials, toward his parents, toward a belief in a supernatural being, and toward the sovereignty of this nation as a separate entity. It is up to you as teachers to make all of these sick children well — by creating the international child of the future.”
Dr. Chester M. Pierce, Professor of Education at Harvard, addressing the Association for Childhood Education International in April,1972
That quote... Wow — just wow.
It is sickening that someone could think this way much less articulate it.
BTW your welcome for me posting the contact information for the legislature.
the state has to do this because homeschoolers are capable of thinking for themselves, and are a danger to the State.
You recall incorrectly.
A minute with Google and wikipedia show that after a number of years of traditional schooling, both public and private, he was homeschooled for a couple of years, and then he attended a state college for a while. However, it appears that he hadn't attended any sort of school since 2009.
He was not being homeschooled when he committed his crimes.
sitetest
I meant it as I said it. No correction needed.
Legislators are a small subset of whom I have in mind.
sitetest
Could you point us to all the school administrators, teachers, and teachers unions who are speaking out against this?
If there is no mandate to do the same for all public school students, who have by far the most socially distorted behavior, then this is an ulterior tactic to register and then control the HS population.
Why wouldn't you want the public officials tested first. If/when it proves them mentally unstable, then all of their previous work would be invalid.
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