Newly obtained documents detail a milestone in the fight against TeenScreen
TeenScreen has been using "passive consent" to bypass parents. If a parent did not return the passive consent form to the school, then TeenScreen considered that the parent consented. What about a child who loses the form or a parent who forgets? They consented!
One document, now available here: http://www.teenscreentruth.com/TeenScreens_New_Consent_Procedures.pdf
written by TeenScreen Director, Leslie McGuire states:
"Effective August 1, 2006, all school-based sites will be required to obtain written ("active") consent from the parents or legal guardians of minor students."
"For some sites, the updated policy and forms will be a departure from the way in which they currently operate, but I want to assure you that we did not make this decision lightly and that we will be available to help make this a straightforward transition for you and your staff. "
Notice Leslie says "school based sites". What about the TeenScreen sites in homeless shelters and juvenile detention centers?
Another document:
http://www.teenscreentruth.com/TeenScreens_New_Consent_FactSheet.pdf
"TeenScreen's standard forms are designed to meet the consent requirements of the federal Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) which applies to state educational agencies, local educational agencies and other recipients of funds from the Department of Education. "
It's about time they finally realized a federal law prohibits passive consent.
http://www.teenscreentruth.com/teenscreen_exposed.html
In a previously obtained e-mail
http://www.psychsearch.net/teenscreen_bypass_parents_form.pdf
obtained under public records law, a TeenScreen official stated that:
"The Passive acceptance style was mostly discussed to increase the numbers from 50% for Consent (active written parental) to near 95% for Passive."
So this means TeenScreen's business will be cut directly in half by abolishing passive consent.
The consent issue is only one beef parents across the country have had with TeenScreen's psychiatric intrusion. Some other concerns are government intervention into the lives of families, treatment of kids with dangerous drugs after screening, the unscientific nature of the surveys, the fact that 84% of the children come away with a false label and even having these psychiatric tests in schools to begin with.
If you're doing anything to contribute, please continue. If you're not doing anything, please start!