House Passes Bill To Ban Schools From Forced Medication
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House passed a bill on Wednesday that would
block schools from ordering troublesome students to take mood-altering drugs
as a condition of attending class.
The bill, approved 425-1, makes clear that the school can consult parents
about whether psychotropic drugs for such conditions as attention deficit
disorder or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder could benefit a child,
but they are not allowed to require it.
Sponsored by Georgia Republican Max Burns, the bill also states that decisions
about drugs should be made by doctors, not teachers and administrators. ADD
can be confused with other emotional or learning problems.
The bill would apply to psychotropic drugs covered by the Controlled Substances
Act, such at Ritalin (news - web sites). The Senate has not acted on similar
legislation.
An increasing number of children have been prescribed drugs for ADD and other
conditions, stirring concern about whether doctors, parents, insurers and
schools were too quick to turn to pills to solve childhood problems.
