NEW MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM ALARMS PARENTS IN ILLINOIS

This past spring, the Illinois General Assembly passed a new bill requiring compulsory mental health screening for children and pregnant women; it was signed into law by Governor Blagojevich. This program will require all pregnant women and children through the age of 18 be tested for mental health needs.

Public forums are now being held in different locations throughout the state and many alarmed parents are attempting to get the word out: get to those forums and voice your opinion. "We're moving toward social training over academic training with this program," says Larry Trainor, a Mt. Prospect parent of four children and a contact for Citizens Commission on Human Rights.

This is extremely scary. Whatever happened to the right to choose your own mental health treatments? To have the right of privacy within your own mind?

There are public forums for this issue. Anyone who lives in Illinois, get your ass to those forums! Even if you're out of school and not planning to become pregnant, it's only a short step from this to mandatory testing for everyone.

Under this new, compulsory mental health law, pregnant women will be screened for depression and following her baby's birth, evaluation would continue for up to one year. Follow up treatment will also be provided under this program. All children ages 0-18 years will be provided screening under this mental health program. "Mental health centers" at schools will handle the process to "ensure appropriate and culturally relevant assessment of young children's social and emotional development with the use of standardized tools."

Can't you just feel the political correctness oooozing out of the program?

The Illinois State Board of Education is the agency targeted with the responsibility to develop appropriate tests that assess both mental health and academic standards. The current task force hosting these statewide public forums is scheduled to send their recommendations to Governor Blagojevich by the end of the summer in accordance with the Act (HB 2900).

Because the Illinois State Board of Education is doing such a good job with the public schools in Illinois, I suppose, we should entrust care of our children's minds into the hands of the state as well. No thanks!