Citizens Commission on Human Rights
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE   615-991-2247

Forced Medication

Is someone at your child’s school telling you that you must give your child psychotropic drugs? Has someone threatened to report you for child abuse if you do not drug your child?

If so, it is likely a violation of Tennessee law, which states:

a local education agency (LEA) may not use the parent’s refusal to consent to administration of a psychotropic medication to a student or to a mental health screening, evaluation, testing or examination of a child or student as grounds for prohibiting the child from attending class or participating in a school-related activity or as the basis of reporting or charging child abuse, child neglect, educational neglect or medical neglect. An LEA shall not use nor threaten use of school sanctions to a student to coerce parental consent to a mental health screening, evaluation, testing or examination. A person employed by an LEA may not require that a student be evaluated or treated with any psychotropic medication or for a particular mental health diagnosis. ~T.C.A. 49-2-124

What does that mean?
Consult an attorney to be sure. To us it means:

You can refuse:

• to give your child psychotropic medication
• mental health screening for your child
• mental health evaluation, testing and examination

The school cannot use your refusal as the reason to:

• keep your child out of class
• keep him out of a school-related activity
• report you for child abuse or neglect
• report you for educational or medical neglect

Further, the school cannot:

• use or threaten to use school punishments to force you to drug your child or have him screened, evaluated or tested
• require your child be evaluated or treated with psychotropic drugs
• require your child be evaulated or treated for a particular mental health diagnosis

If this has happened to you or your child, please consult an attorney and contact us.