| Subject: Colorado School Board Passes Resolution Warning About Ritalin EDUCATION REPORTER The Newspaper of Education Rights ~ Dec. 1999 Colorado School Board Passes Resolution Warning About Ritalin DENVER, CO -- The Colorado State School Board passed a resolution on November 11 warning of the possible negative effects of psychotropic (mind-altering) prescription drugs on schoolchildren. The vote was 6-1. Board member Patti Johnson drafted the resolution after a number of parents contacted her complaining that they had been "pressured" by educators to put their children on Ritalin. "I have been actively involved in education since my now-college-age son was in elementary school," she explains. "Im aware that schools receive additional funding for each child who is labeled 'learning disabled,' so I was particularly sensitive to these complaints." Mrs. Johnson introduced her resolution at the October board meeting following presentations by experts on the possible connection ofRitalin and other prescription drugs to students violent behaviors. The original text was pared from four pages to one prior to its adoption by the board last month (see Resolution this page). Colorado Eagle Forum leader Jayne Schindler is among many who applaud the board's decision. "We are proud that the Colorado Board of Education is the first in the nation to take this monumental step toward correcting the obvious problems with the diagnoses and potential misdiagnoses of learning disabilities in schoolchildren, and the subsequent treatment of these disabilities with psychotropic drugs," she says. Eagle Forum was instrumental in focusing attention on these problems by providing research documentation to state school board members and legislators. "This should be the beginning of a national movement by state school boards and legislatures to stem the tide of mind-altering drugs that are arbitrarily prescribed for children," Mrs. Schindler says. She reports that the states of Florida and Texas have already shown an interest in copying the resolution. Presentations to the Board Dr. Fred Baughman Jr., M.D., a pediatric neurologist for 35 years, Dr. Ann Tracy, who holds a Ph.D. in psychology and health sciences and is the director of the International Coalition for Drug Awareness Bruce Wiseman, national president of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, a psychiatric watchdog organization, made presentations in support of Patti Johnson's resolution at the October school board meeting. Dr. Baughman stated that "there is no scientific evidence that either Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are scientifically valid disorders or diseases." He told the board that he has been informed by leading health authorities, including the National Institute of Mental Health, that no studies proving the validity of these maladies exist. |
| Dr. Tracy, who has extensively researched the effects of mind-altering drugs on the brain, noted that there were "approximately 15,000 deaths in 1998 from illegal drug use and over 200,000 reported deaths from the use of legal drugs." Mr. Wiseman pointed out the instances over the last several years where the perpetrators of school shootings had been diagnosed with depression and were taking some type of antidepressant medication, including Eric Harris, who was on Luvox prior to the rampage at Columbine High School. |
| Speaking against the resolution was Dr. William Dodson, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado. Dr. Dodson described those opposed to Ritalin as "fear mongering" and "mean spirited." He stated that Ritalin is not addictive and that any side effects are short-lived. He said the criteria used in the diagnoses of ADD and ADHD consistof "a list of questions and a family history," and admitted that even nurse practitioners are considered qualified to prescribe Ritalin and other drugs to schoolchildren in Colorado. While the school board has no mandate other than providing direction for school policy, the resolution was enthusiastically supported by all but one board member. Board chairman Clair Orr, who voted for the resolution, noted: "We as adults have an obligation to our kids to set the standards." He added that he hopes the boards actions "shine a light on this issue of drugging kids." |
| Legislature Hears Testimony On November 8, the Colorado State Legislature convened hearings on the issue of prescription drug use and its possible correlation to school violence. The committee heard testimony from the same professionals who addressed the school board, plus a number of other medical professionals, researchers, representatives of support organizations for people with disabilities, and individuals relating personal stories about the effects of prescription drugs. |
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