Is it required to disclose medication usage to public school?
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Anonymous
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Our DS takes medication for both ADHD and anxiety and we've always discussed it with the school. I'd say it's very important to do so, especially with respect to the anxiety medication. Anxiety meds are funny -- they do help, but they can also cause a child to become "disinhibited" and create sudden, very unexpected behavior problems. This happened to our DS with the first anxiety med he tried - turned out the dose was too high and it did create one rather spectacular behavioral issue one day at school. It was helpful for the school to know this - they addressed the issue with him and us but knowing he was on medication definitely shaped how they responded to the issue.
I'd also say it's helpful with ADHD meds to disclose - if your child doesn't take medication, it can help the school figure out optimal ways to help him. In our DS' case, having the teachers know has helped them gauge when he's having difficulties in the class. No regrets about medication here -- DS is also primarily inattentive, but like with your child, ADHD has a huge impact on his learning (he also has learned to manage behavior-wise for the most part, even when meds wear off). I don't know the answer legally - they can't require you to medicate your child but the knowledge is useful to them in figuring ways to help your son. Unlike other OPs, I don't think your response was rude etc., but I will say that an open and open-minded attitude will do wonders. It's not that we just accept everything the IEP Team says, but at least in our experience, honey works better than vinegar. We know of families that don't like the approach their schools take for various reasons and they do have a more difficult time, and their kids suffer as a result too. Good luck, OP! |
Anonymous
I've been in that position before and it's not pleasant. Nobody wants to be a b@tch but some things are none of their business. I would say this is especially true for women who learn that they are supposed to get along and cooperate. These are people you have to deal with after the moment (of the IEP or whatever) so you can't come out and say what you really want but if you do speak your mind then you're a troublemaker. The answers to "innocent" questions accumulate over time and your teachers/therapists make judgments about you and your kid, some of which get into your records. |
Anonymous
In our experience, teachers have NEVER said medication is not working or suggested changes. We ask them periodically how DS is doing so that we can evaluate what's working/not working in terms of ADHD meds (we also see what life is like at home, but in a school context, it's important to know). |
Anonymous
I don't view this section as on-point to the question OP asked. It doesn't prohibit the school from asking about whether the parent has elected to have the child on medications, it simply says the school can't require the child to take them. The OP really needs to consult with an attorney specializing in this area if what she is looking for is legal advice on this issue - although since she already answered the question, albeit unhappily, it is not entirely clear to me what would be gained. |
Anonymous
ADHD meds can cause fluctuations in a child's behavior and appetite, so yes, it's important to know that. OP said her child wasn't taking medication - that's important to know as well. ADHD is not a static condition and, as the demands of school increase, a child may have been coping fine without meds but eventually hits the proverbial brick wall and falls apart. OP also noted that the ADHD affects her DS' learning primarily -- medication can be helpful in this regard too. So, knowing a child has ADHD but does not take medication is crucial, IMO, to the school being able to offer effective services and evaluate how a child is doing. I won't say meds are a godsend (they've helped but are hardly miraculous in our experience) but I also think the relationship with the school/IEP team is a partnership. Medication can be a useful adjunct and parental contribution to a child's success with an IEP. Obviously, there's much more that parents do to help a child but as the parent of a child with ADHD, I see how medication has helped him access learning better and thus, he's gotten more benefit from the IEP services. |
Anonymous
I agree, OP needs to change her attitude. I was like OP when I first learned my child had SN issues and needed an IEP. probably worse, I admit, a complete bitch and adversarial. Now, I've learned that an IEP is a partnership and the school and IEP team want my child to do well. DS is doing SO much better at school and he will be staying there and not move to private which we were considering. So happy. The school and the IEP team and specifically his case manager has made all the difference including going beyond what is provided in his IEP. Be nice. It'll pay off in spades. |
Anonymous
I disagree. It is quite on point, although doesn't use the exact situation in OP's initial post (i.e. can the school "require me to disclose"). It's quite clear that this section arose from problems that parents experienced with schools getting involved in the medication decision and that Congress decided to put a stop to that. Perhaps they didn't legislate every linquistic variation of possible ways of this, but the intent seems clear to me -- schools should stay out of decisions to medicate. See the10/22/07 response to the Inhofe letter to DoE, which says in part, "In your letter, you indicate that it was brought to your attention that “there were some cases where schools were acting as physicians or psychologists by strongly suggesting that children with behavioral problems be put immediately on some form of psychotropic drugs.” I agree if the OP wants specific legal advice to file some kind of complaint, she should seek an attorney and perhaps that asking her if he's on any meds may not by itself rise to something that is litigable. OP isn't asking if she has a legal case, she's asking if she can be required to disclose medication. But the language and the statute should be enough to reassure her that inquiries about medication are out of line, and she is certainly not obliged to respond to them and the school certainly can't retaliate or deny access to a program or help if she refuses to disclose or if she refuses to medicate. (To do so would amount to forcing her to medicate for access to services which IS explicitly prohibited by statute.) Whatever she's said is already out there, so the damage from that is done, but she certainly should not feel obligated in the future to share with anyone. And, if she doesn't want to share, she should practice some neutral non-response like, "wow, that's a pretty personal question, why do you ask?" followed by, "oh, we really just share our medication issues with our physician, since he's the only one qualified to prescribe and adjust medications, but if you have some input on how our son is functioning in the classroom, I'm always open to hearing about that..." etc. Again, it's a different issue whether it's helpful to disclose. It can be helpful as other PPs attest, or it can be damaging, and that depends on the specific facts in her case. Only she can choose. |
Anonymous
The statute says they can't require her to medicate the child, tell her to medicate the child, or advise her to medicate the child. They haven't done either of those things. They're asking her to tell them what she and her family decided in this regard. Schools make this request every time they give you a form from the nurse's office to fill out that asks you to list your child's medications. They also didn't tell her that she was legally obligated to answer the question (although from the post they certainly implied she was not being a team player). They're not threatening to withhold anything from her if she doesn't answer. Although you can certainly raise a legal argument based on the statutory section, it doesn't answer the question of whether the school did anything legally inappropriate by making the inquiry, which OP claims was one of two components of her inquiry here. There is a 2007 Washington District Court case that held that a behavior plan that stated that a student was required to take a prescription medication at school that he had already been prescribed and was taking at home did not violate section 1412(a)(25) because it wasn't requiring him to "obtain a prescrption." While I don't agree with that decision, I don't think it is at all clear that the statute provides that it is legally inappropriate to inquire what the parents themselves have already decided. I agree that she should practice a more neutral non-responsive response if she doesn't want to answer in the future. |
Anonymous
I've not seen anyone ay that teachers should be involved in suggesting medication or suggesting alterations. What I've seen repeatedly is that teachers are excellent reporters of behaviors and symptoms that may lead parents to adjust medications. You're reading far too much into what people are writing. |
Anonymous
| I was very forthcoming with my son's school regarding his medications and outside evaluations by doctors. I started to become more guarded about what I shared once his medications were becoming more important to the school than what he needed in the classroom. Multiple people would ask him "did you take your medicine today?" any time he was not 100% compliant with their expectations. |
Anonymous
Then you should get another doctor because he should be using the Vanderbilt/Conners Teachers Report form to learn what behaviors/symptoms the teachers are seeing. An ADHD diagnosis requires impairment across multiple environments. Home and school are the two main ones. Both our general pd and dev ped ask that we have the teachers fill out the forms before our appointments so they can see how the symptoms change over time. The teachers’ input is very important in diagnosis and medication maintenance. Also, no one has said that the IEP team has the student’s best interests at heart. What people have said is that when a child is taking medication, the teachers want the child to have the right dose/medication/time as the parents do. Big difference. |
Anonymous
We had this experience (from the principal) and "maybe you should try more medication mom." |
Anonymous
It's absolutely the teacher's business if the dosing schedule isn't working well. She/he has to cope with the little darlings in class when it isn't working well. It's not the teacher's decision to make changes, but the teacher should have input into whether something is working or not. Ie. "Your child is falling asleep." or "Your child concentrates poorly after lunch." or "Your child is really distractable at 2:30." |
Anonymous
No one has suggested that the teacher make the decision or make the change. The teacher is part of the team, though, and has to deal with the little darlings and should have input into discussions of how the medication is working. |
Anonymous
I've had excellent experiences with our school's IEP process. It was, in fact, a team of people sitting around talking about what would be best for this child and what is in his best interest. When my child was booted from aftercare for an ASD meltdown, we had a great meeting with the IEP team about what it would take to keep this child in aftercare. They overruled the head of the aftercare team and worked something out that would keep him there so I could continue to work. My school's IEP team has been absolutely wonderful. |