Indiana School Agrees to Cease Subjecting Students to Intrusive Mental Health Surveys Without Written Parental Consent

9/26/2011

Victory: Indiana School Agrees to Cease Subjecting Students to Intrusive Mental Health Surveys Without Written Parental Consent

PORTAGE, Ind.— Officials with the Portage Township School Corporation have agreed to cease their practice of having students complete mental health and suicide surveys without their parents' written consent after being warned by attorneys for The Rutherford Institute that doing so places them in violation of the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), a federal law which governs student surveys by educational agencies receiving federal funding.

"This is a huge victory for parental rights," said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. "Parents are the ones who should decide whether they want their children to be mined for information about their personal thoughts, beliefs or practices. We take it seriously when government officials try to short-circuit that essential parent-child relationship." FULL STORY