rdisland1

Rhode Island
R052300R19

General Assembly Press Release

For Release Immediately May 23, 2000

For more information, contact Rep. Abdullah-Odiase at (410)467-4581

Legislation Prompts DoE to Warn Schools Against Requiring Psychiatric Medicating of Students

The Rhode Island Department of Education has distributed a legal advisory to all public schools in the state, stating "it is not lawful for school personnel to require that a child continue or initiate a course of taking medication as a condition of attending school" or suggest "that a child should take medication and/or that a child has a specific medical disorder."

The notice was distributed following a hearing earlier this year before the House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare on a bill introduced by Rep. Aisha Abdullah-Odiase (D-Dist. 19) of Providence. The bill, 2000-H 7668 "An Act Relating to Education - Rights and Duties of Teachers" would prevent any teacher, school administer, school guidance counselor, school psychologist or school nurse from requiring a student to be placed on a psychotropic drug as a condition to remaining in school.

"The illegal practice of school psychologists, guidance counselors and teachers ganging up on parents to force or coerce them into drugging their children with dangerous psychiatric amphetamines and anti-depressants has been tolerated in this country for too long," said Representative Abdullah-Odiase. "It's commendable that our Department of Education has shown the courage to warn public schools that they had better stop the practice of being mental institutions and return to being solely institutions of education."

During the HEW hearing on the Abdullah-Odiase bill, Jennifer Wood, Chief Legal Counsel for the Department of Education, testified against the legislation, saying such school action is already illegal under federal law. Following a discussion of the specifics of the bill with Representative Abdullah-Odiase, Wood acknowledged that schools initiating the psychiatric drugging of children poses a serious problem. She indicated a legal notice would be sent to school officials throughout the state reminding them of federal guidelines and alerting them that they must cease any such illegal actions.

As indicated in the notice sent May 15 (copy attached), federal laws being violated by schools entering into a medical/psychiatric process of labeling and drugging children are the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The notice, titled "Students With Disabilities and Prescription Medication," was distributed to about 350 school superintendents, principals, special education directors, guidance counselors, school social workers and school psychologists. It is the intention that the school superintendents distribute the notice to parent organizations.

"It's an outrage that six million children have gone to U.S. public schools and have been labeled and drugged as mental patients," said Representative Abdullah-Odiase. "Now Rhode Island can lead the country into the 21rst Century by returning to educational basics like grammar, the use of dictionaries and the '3 Rs' as opposed to being involved in an area where they don't belong - psychiatry."