Frightening new law would mandate psych screening for NJ kids (Opinion)

First they want to take away a religious exemption for vaccinations in order for kids to be able to attend public school in New Jersey. But now, an even more appalling law is about to be born in the state—one that requires screening for anxiety and depression in all public school children from grade 7 to 12.

The idea should be as frightening to you as it is to me. If, and only if, my child is outwardly displaying some sort of erratic behavior or psychiatric problem should a school get involved in my life and my kids’ problems. And even then, they should reach out to me as a parent and SUGGEST psychological counseling.

Of course, they have the right to refuse my child enrollment in the school if I disagree, but that decision should be up to me. Stop trying to be my kids parent. If I decide that my child needs a psychiatric or a psychological evaluation, I will do the research, make the decisions and pay for it, thank you very much. But the new law that is sure to sweep the legislature proves that public school has gone too far and is no longer an option for most of us freedom-loving New Jerseyans.

This attempt at ultimate control over your child’s body and mind is where we need to draw the line. We, as responsible and caring parents, now have to think of other alternatives to public education. The same way we take out loans and mortgages and beg, borrow and steal for our children to attend the decreasingly essential college experience, we now have to think about begging, borrowing and stealing to put our children in to private schools or perhaps to consider group homeschooling.

If that is not feasible, how about a “community” homeschool, where parents get together and chip in to hire a teacher to homeschool their kids. The amount of control that public school, a government entity, wants to have over families and their decisions should make you question whether public school is the right thing for your child. Beginning 2020 and from here on in, public school should be considered as a last resort for New Jersey students, only for those in the most dire circumstances.

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