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Another letter to the editor…
I just sent this to The Columbus Dispatch. I have to say, I’m actually sick to my stomach right now. I don’t know if they’ll publish it, and I don’t care. I’m putting it here, and I feel like I’ve had my say. Besides, it’s pretty long. They ask for the LsTE to be 200 words and less. I just couldn’t cut it down any more (it’s at 547 words).
I sent a trackback to The Panda’s Thumb because I mentioned RBH’s “Dover Trap.”
To the Editor:
I’m becoming very disappointed in Ohio. We fell in love with Ohio two years ago and and took quite a risk to up-root our family and move to Columbus. It’s a beautiful state and pride just pours out of Ohioans. It really seemed like the perfect place to raise our children.
I am admittedly not always on top of what’s going on in the public education system here in Ohio. I have two small children, one of which will be entering the school system in the fall. It was the mess that the Ohio State Board of Education made of the “Critical Analysis of Evolution” lesson plan that forced me to tune in. Luckily, the board members pulled Ohio out of the “Dover Trap” that they created. But I fear that the Intelligent Design agenda is still very present and our science classrooms are not in the clear yet.
Then we have Bob Taft setting new standards for education. I understand the idea behind Taft’s Ohio Core Initiative. It’s a great idea, in theory, but as the article “Bare Minimum” (in The Columbus Dispatch on January 29, 2006) pointed out, there are schools in Ohio who can’t even afford text books. We need to fix what is broken before we start requiring our teenagers to take algebra II and physics to graduate from high school.
Some of the recent articles and editorials in The Columbus Dispatch have alerted me to the Teenscreen program. I understand that this program is old news in Ohio, but it’s new news to this mother and I’m shocked that more than 60 Ohio schools are straining our children as they pass through the education system. Is there a “failure-to-conform disorder” listed on their labeling checklist? I’m betting that it would be the number one diagnosis. This program is completely unnecessary and is a huge waste of our money! Yes, there are teenagers suffering from mental illness, and there are teenagers out there who are depressed and some may even be suicidal (but according to statistics, it’s a rare occurrence). Parents need to be responsible for their children! The Teenscreen program is a farce and I would challenge parents to really look into the program that our schools are trying to filter our children through.
There is a lot to be proud of when it comes to Ohio’s education, but according to the National Education Association: Ohio public education spending per student has been declining; class sizes are among the largest in the nation; 76% of Ohio’s schools have at least one inadequate building feature, and 83% have at least one unsatisfactory environmental condition; finally, 45% of 8th grade students are in schools where a lack of parental involvement is reported to be a problem. These problems are real, they are big, and they are in desperate need of fixing.
The issues mentioned above are only a few of the problems that Ohio schools are facing. The Gahanna Jefferson School District’s motto is “Where Students Come First.” The rest of the state should adopt this motto and then prove it.
Cassandra Cox
on February 20th, 2006 at 4:56 pm
Good letter Cassandra! It’s so refreshing to know others are speaking up and showing concern!
It’s not only Ohio that has a problem. Problems in public education can be found in almost every state. If they would get back to basics and cut the bullsh** our nation’s kids would be far better off.
on February 20th, 2006 at 4:59 pm
Also, just to forewarn, my husband and I have had letters to the editor hacked apart in editing to make us sound like idiots! That happened a couple of times and made us so MAD. We asked them to reprint the article or print that they had edited it and they refused.
Hopefully they will leave your letter intact.
on February 20th, 2006 at 7:38 pm
Hey Debbie (LOL, thanks for putting that in your “Posted by” name - I kept forgetting), thanks for the warning about the editing. So far, all of my letters have made it to print intact but I have heard stories like yours before. I would be livid!!
on February 21st, 2006 at 12:20 pm
Cassandra, that letter is PERFECT. High impact and excellently written. You’re right, it would be difficult to cut it any further (and I’m an editor by trade and training!). It’s actually a good solid op-ed piece, so don’t toss it as you could use it again!
Be well!
on February 21st, 2006 at 5:00 pm
I am not familiar with this particular program, however, I believe that screening children for psychological and emotional problems in school is a smart move. You note that parents can do this at home, but the sad truth is that many will not. If it is done correctly (and it often isn’t), such a screening program could be an extremely effective way of making sure that needy children receive the care they require.
on February 21st, 2006 at 6:58 pm
If it is done correctly (and it often isn’t), such a screening program could be an extremely effective way of making sure that needy children receive the care they require.
vjack — The problem is that schools put a label on children that follows them all the way through college. Once school administrations label a kid something it is hard to get rid of that label even after a kid is doing well.
Needy children rarely get the attention they need because the people in charge of diagnosing and treating these things in school bureaucracies are usually unqualified. Many children usually end up on unnecessary drugs.
on February 21st, 2006 at 8:28 pm
Nice, other than the mention of Teenscreen, which as far as I can tell only has the Scientologists fuming and ranting. Anyone find credible criticism of Teenscreen?
on February 21st, 2006 at 8:55 pm
It’s not only the Scientologists who are fuming and ranting…drugging in our society has become epidemic in this country…feel bad? Take a pill! Don’t want to conform…take a pill…got problems at home…take a pill.
Some kids do need treatment, and drugs do help in some instances, but drugs are all too often prescribed for children who do not need them.
Maybe the SCHOOLS should be scrutenized to find out WHY kids are so unhappy and/or angry? Could it be because they are treated like a product in a factory? They are being programmed to do well on tests instead of being allowed to use their brains and imagination? Maybe teachers and administrators need a BUREAUCRACYANDBULLSHITSCREEN.
Has anyone seen this website about Teenscreen?
http://www.teenscreentruth.com/
Here is a quote from the website “…virtually all of the gun-related massacres that have made headlines over the past decade have had one thing in common: They were perpetrated by people taking Prozac, Zoloft, Luvox, Paxil or a related antidepressant drug.”
“These drugs can cause Akathisia, mental and physical agitation that sparks self-destructive, violent behavior. They can also induce dissociative reactions, making those who take the drugs INSENSITIVE to the consequences of their behavior.”
on February 21st, 2006 at 9:11 pm
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
October 21, 2003
“Authorities in schools should be very cautious about these kinds of screening programs. It is easy to overidentify adolescents with problems, when they in fact don’t have any problems. This in itself creates more problems.”
—Louis A. Chandler
Chairman of the Psychology in Education Department
University of Pittsburgh.
PsychSearch.net
http://www.psychsearch.net/teenscreen.html
on February 21st, 2006 at 10:03 pm
vjack, you bring up some really good points. I have actually witnessed mental illness slip right through schools and have seen parents not act on it. The outcome is tragic. The public education system is at fault for this, as well as the parents, in my opinion. Maybe if there was a real program out there that wasn’t being funded by drug companies, I would have a different take.
Education in the U.S. needs serious work. We need educators that are paid well and educators that care. We also need parents that give a damn. Maybe that would be a good way to screen our children for mental illness.
on February 21st, 2006 at 10:07 pm
psychsearch.net = scientologists
teenscreentruth.com is much more interesting. It’s someone that has an axe to grind against the current mental health system, knows how to wage a propaganda war, and has no professional medical ethics to speak of. I’m betting on the Scientologists again, though it could be some well-funded alties or both.
Yes, we need a BUREAUCRACYANDBULLSHITSCREEN.
on February 21st, 2006 at 10:52 pm
I found some more info from CatholicCitizens.org:
“Although the resolution states that TeenScreen has been “proven” successful, TeenScreen co-director Rob Caruano does not make that claim, Caruano told the Indiana’s South Bend Tribune, “Teen suicides, while tragic, are so rare that the study would have to be impossibly huge to show a meaningful difference in mortality between screened and unscreened students…you’d have to be screening almost the whole country to reach statistical significance.”
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) agrees with Caruano and found “no evidence that screening for suicide risk reduces suicide attempts or mortality.”
Whole article is here:
http://catholiccitizens.org/printer/article.asp?c=26419
on February 21st, 2006 at 11:19 pm
If you want a list of credible criticisms, here is a link to many links of newspaper articles across the country and abroad about TeenScreen and mental health screenings
http://www.psychsearch.net/teenscreen-media.html
on February 21st, 2006 at 11:40 pm
Ron — In doing my research on this, I have found that you are absolutely correct…Ken Kramer founder of psychsearch is indeed a scientologist…so we all must keep that in mind.
However, we can’t ignore that even TeenScreen’s co-director Rob Caruano does not make the claim that Teenscreen is proven to prevent teenage suicides. (as I have posted in my above comment.)
If I find anything else from other sources, I will post it.
on February 22nd, 2006 at 8:04 am
Hey Cassandra,
Thanks for the kick in the pants I needed to get back to paying attention to CPS issues. Sounds like there’s lots to be wary of. I’d love to use my local public school, just don’t know if it’s possible.
By the way all the CPS news stuff is aggegated at http://www.columbus.k12.oh.us/applications/NewsClips.nsf/WebWeeklyDisplay.
Thanks again for the info.
on February 22nd, 2006 at 5:17 pm
Screening for “depressed” teenagers is the same as screening for “hyperactive” preteens. Use Ridlin to control them as children, and Prozac to stop them from feeling as young adults. Screen them, label them, and then….drug them. Nice.
on February 23rd, 2006 at 1:18 pm
Let me present the other side of the coin. Antidepressants do help some people. My 17 year old boy takes Lexapro for his social anxiety. Although he is not 100% anxiety free, he said he knows for the first time in his life what it feels like to be normal. Lexapro has also helped me with my OCD and it has helped my brother with his anxiety. My brother doesn’t feel the need to drink alcohol everyday anymore. Never judge a person until you’ve walked a mile in their moccasins. Scientologists have the wacky idea that people just imagine their mental disorders.
on February 23rd, 2006 at 5:24 pm
Herb, I just wanted to say that I have nothing against medication. I take Effexor for anxiety (started taking that when I was 24), I take a medication for high cholesterol (thanks to my genes) and I’m also very pro-marijuana, LOL! I think that medication have their place in society for sure. I don’t even have a desire to stop taking Effexor.
The problem that I have is with this program, and how they are trying to medicate children.
Also, asking a teenager if they get depressed is like asking a teenager if they get pimples.
Medication is good for some, but it’s not the answer for everyone.
Another thing that I thought of - what about the kids who are trying to get a perscription. I can tell you for certain that most of the kids I knew in highschool would have failed that screening just to get the drugs.