OPINION -- The Children's Mental Health Partnership Act was passed on August 8, 2003, with overwhelming support from the legislators of both Illinois houses.
The Illinois House passed this into law with a 107 to 5 vote. The Senate’s consensus vote was unanimous, with three not voting.
Many have questioned how and even whether this affects Illinois homeschoolers, since homeschoolers are exempt from the public school mandates.
But this Act does affect homeschoolers by the “partnership” of many government entities that homeschoolers use, with little or no accountability as to the right to educate their children as they see fit.
The Act disregards parental rights, just as it disregards those parents whose children attend public school or brick and mortar private schools.
The emphasis on coordination of provider services and interagency referral networks for children from birth through age 18 is pervasive.
The coordination begins with the use of the word "Partnership" in describing "oversight."
Section 5(a) 9b of the Act refers to the “Partnership” as composed of the Human Services Department, the Illinois State Board of Education, the departments of Children and Family Services, Public Aid, Public Health, and Corrections.
Also included in the legislation is a connection with the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority and the Attorney General’s office, appointed by the Governor.
As a matter of course, a priority recommendation as laid out in the ICMHP Preliminary Plan says the developing mental health system “treats families and caregivers as partners."
Do homeschoolers consider their parenting roles as partners to all of the agencies listed in Section 5(a) 9(b) of the Children’s Mental Health Act?
One of the Long-Term Strategies and Action Steps is to explore how non-state funded (private) early childhood programs would access and fund mental health consultation. Consider that if you were thinking of putting your child in a church or other private pre-school program.
Another Priority Recommendation in the ICMHP Preliminary Plan calls for screening all women for depression during pregnancy and following their child’s birth up to one-year post partum.
Under Section D ("establish social emotional and developmental screening and assessment"), the first Priority Recommendation is to “ensure that all children receive periodic social and emotional developmental screens."
Note the words "all children." This would start with increasing early childhood and primary health care providers’ ability to screen and refer to appropriate services.
Long term, the plan calls for developing a data reporting state system to track who is screened and when they are screened. Tie that in with all pregnant women being screened and that the Partnership’s priority is to ensure all children are screened for social and emotional developmental progress.
Add to all this the goal of identifying how programs not in the public school system receive training in and provide screening and referral services, as the plan states.
Governmental agencies and the public school system are all tied together in this Partnership. How could private schools/home schools possibly stay exempt from the mandates in this Children’s Mental Health Act?
The 1ast Priority Recommendation under section E is no less invasive. In one or two years, the plan is to find methods to build partnerships with key school and community stakeholders with information exchanges and follow-up. It states, “in accordance with relevant confidentiality policies,” but what would be relevant or rather, more importantly, what would not be relevant when they are partners with this mass of governmental agencies?
Section E (III), Action Step 5 says they will explore mechanisms and strategies for promoting and incorporating social and emotional development into the educational program as well as protocols for responding to children with social, emotional and mental health problems into private school systems.
I would think that brick and mortar private schools as well as homeschoolers would not want to be any part of that plan.
Still, another serious suggestion is that there be “coordinated policies and financing strategies that place mental health screening at the same level of importance as physical health screens and immunizations." Also, an outreach to children who participate in out-of-school programs such as the library-reading program or park district classes will be included - another route to home schooled children.
This is the time that homeschoolers should ally with our public school friends and let our legislators and the Partnership know that this is not acceptable.
BTTT!!!
FYI - See post #83.