Schools that force parents to medicate their children as a condition of attending class have the attention of Congress.

Some schools in the country are requiring parents to medicate their children before they come to class. If parents refuse, their child isn't allowed to attend. A House subcommittee in Washington held a hearing yesterday looking into the problem.

The problem is getting increased attention because there seems to be an increase in cases. Katherine Bryson is a state representative from Utah who has seen this issue explode in the Rocky Mountain states.

"There was coercion felt by parents," Bryson said. "(They) felt that if they did not give these drugs to their children there would not be allowed in the classroom."

The crux of the issue is who should be the parent here — the parent or the school? Dr. William Carey, who is director of behavioral pediatrics at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia, said schools have no business diagnosing students.

"There are some normal behavioral traits — stubbornness, shyness, loudness, and so on — which are annoying, but which are not abnormal and do not deserve to be treated with medication," Carey said.

Rep. Max Burns, R-Ga., is concerned with the possibility of pupils being misdiagnosed. What happens if a doctor diagnoses a child with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), then gives him the medication for it, but the child doesn't have it?

"For those who don't need these drugs, they can be harmful," Burns said. "In several sad instances, children that have been placed on these drugs have died from complications arising from psychotropic (mind-altering) drug use."

Most of the panel experts agreed that the answer is not educating teachers more about how to determine if a child needs medication. The teachers have enough on their hands as it is.

Burns has introduced a bill called the Child Medications Safety Act of 2003. It said schools getting federal money cannot prohibit children from attending class because they failed to take a prescription. Nineteen states have already passed legislation protecting parents in those situations.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
We suggest the following resource on ADHD: "The Attention Deficit Child," By Dr. Grant Martin.