Mental Health Screenings in Iowa schools (x-post)

[CornField]

Cross-posting this from the Iowa forum. Iowa is only one of the "targeted states" by Columbia University's TeenScreen. (Their use of words, not mine.) The others are: Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio & Nevada. They are also beginning implementation in New Mexico.

Background: Bush, by executive order, began the New Freedom Initiative during his first term. Under that umbrella, the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health was formed -- made up mostly of individuals with ties to the pharmaceutical companies. The Commission made its final report which called for mandatory mental health screenings for every American -- suggested beginning with public schools and preschools.

Last November, shortly after the election, the legislation to follow these recommendations was passed. The American people -- the few that had been watching -- were told not to worry, that the mandates were unfunded and, therefore, would not go anywhere. This was a lie. The Appropriations committee, which distributes our tax dollars to the various federal agencies, specifically allotted $20 million in the HHS/Education bill for state programs in support of the New Freedom commission report. These federally-funded state programs will be the precursors of the broader federal program recommended by the commission.

Current: In 2004, Columbia TeenScreen chose Iowa as one of its five target states. A handful of Iowa school districts have contracted with a company known as TeenScreen to complete these mental health screenings. Please note that there is no parental consent needed.

According to the TeenScreen Site, TeenScreen is being implemented in four of Iowa’s 12 Area Education Agencies (AEAs), which support the Iowa Department of Education in providing services to multiple school districts within each region. Three additional AEAs are currently developing pilot TeenScreen programs. Altogether, seven school districts are involved in the pilot. It is expected that additional AEAs will implement TeenScreen in Fall 2005.

In March, an article ran in the Des Moines Register about TeenScreen implementation in Iowa. For those who aren't familiar, here is an info page on TeenScreen.

My children's school district was not on any of the TeenScreen lists (although a neighboring district was). Since I hadn't found any 2005-06 school year information, I sent an email note to my superintendent. He forwarded my request to the middle school (6-8) principal. The principal told me that the district did not use TeenScreen, but a similar program. The "survey" was done during 8th grade current events class (one of the rotation classes -- PE/Health, Current Events, Computers, etc.).

My daughter is an 8th grader at the middle school. I have received *NOTHING* in the realm of a parental consent form for depression/suicide/mental health screening. I have not even received an informational sheet -- if I had not known enough to seek out the information, I would probably had not known that my child was screened for mental illness (well, until I was handed the bill for psychiatric drugs).

[katsy]

1. check this link...

post #2 how to keep your kids out of teenscreen.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=152x2884

[CornField]

4. That is a Florida-oriented site

The thing is, parents aren't even being informed that there will be mental health screenings. It's difficult for a parent to protest or file a form about a program they have not been informed about.

In my daughter's school, this screening process is being built into the curriculum. That means that parents will not be asked for permission or even informed about the process.

[katsy]

7. Talk to your attorney.

Teenscreen programs are pretty much uniform in all states.

Get a letter from your attorney that you do not give the schools permission to test your child.

That is not difficult to do.

Send a letter to the superintendent on the form they supply at the website and make sure school nurses, principals, teachers and your attorney has a copy of this letter.

The drug companies are trying to sneak in. Stop them.

[Skidmore]

2. Do you know which AEAs are implementing this?

I didn't see any specific ones referenced in the article. I assume the ones in Polk, Johnson, Scott, and Dubuque county areas would take the lead.

[CornField]

5. No, I don't know for sure.

My guess is similar to yours... Polk, Johnson, Linn and Dubuque.

[iconoclastic cat]

3. If they try that in the Chicago schools, they'll prescribe straightjackets

[oscar111]

6. as a school crime victim, i advocate controlling bullies

i hope this spotlights them before they can do such harm to the innocent victims.. usually bookworm types. Before, not after an attack on another kid. Those attacks can maim for life and also kill. Can you say "school shooting"?

but has to be done right.

no bill to parents for pills, as the OP mentioned. The state should provide pills for free as needed. As it should for all, in a Nationalized Health System.

Ending school shootings is another laudable goal

if you notify parents, the parent may coach the bully on how to fake a good score on the screening. Lots of defective parents are also bullies. They would do such a thing... coaching. But i also understand your desire to know. A bit of a dilemma, right?

[katsy]

8. Oscar...

how many school shooters were on these drugs at one time or other?

Do you know?

[wli]

10. neither of those things is the goal

Odds are they'll go after the bookworms for being "insufficiently pro-war" and/or other "leaning to the left." Remember who's pushing this garbage.

[AlienGirl]

15. This isn't going to identify bullies

Most bullies don't have depression, aren't suicidal, and have an inflated sense of self-esteem. This program will, instead, red-flag the *victims* of bullies (who are more likely to be depressed). While it could be used to get them into programs that will help them cope with the stress, I have no faith that it will be.

Tucker

[Pirate Smile]

9. Hmmmm. My school district is included but my kids go to a parochial

school. The Catholic High School is also included - so whether they switched to the public or stayed in parochial schools, they are covered.

[CornField]

12. I saw that -- it was a small shock

Did something happen at Xavier that would have prompted them to agree to this? It just struck me as really odd.

[Skidmore]

11. Healthy Iowans 2010 contains the information on

the stated problems, goals, and action steps related to this policy.
This is a long document:

http://www.idph.state.ia.us/bhpl/common/pdf/healthy_iowans_2010_chapters/Healthy_Iowans_2010_Complete.pdf

Information on it is contained in Chapter 12, which starts on page 199. The goals stated in their simplest form can be found on page 20.

[CornField]

14. Thanks so much for that link

This is my first viewing of this report.

[Skidmore]

13. kick

for those interested in the source document under my post above.

[noonwitch]

16. This is so wrong

There should be a screening process available for kids who display symptoms of mental health problems, but never should they be doing involuntary testing on kids behind the parents' backs.

As it is, schools already make decisions about who is ADHD and needs meds. They manipulate parents into placing their kids on meds by threatening to stigmatize the kid by placing him (or her, but usually him) in special education. Most of the time, what the kid really needs is more sports and bike riding and less tv/video game time.

I hate seeing kids medicated for minor behavior problems, or for having too much energy by adult standards. I really think it predisposes them to have substance abuse problems later in life, because it sends the message that it is okay to use drugs to change the way you feel.