State Representative Jackie Walorski Keeps School in Boundaries

The cchrstl web blog details the lawsuit between the Rhoades family and Pen-Harris-Madison School Corp.  The school was charged for screening Chelsea Rhoades (student) without parental consent.  To escalate the issue, the school also misdiagnosed Chelsea from the mental health screening.  Representative Jackie Walorski wasted no time in addressing the issue.  She was delighted that a federal court ruled in the Rhoades favor.  She also stresses the consequences of crossing the parent-child relationship line.

“I am elated that the federal court is allowing the family the opportunity to pursue this lawsuit,” said state Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Jimtown) “This kind of testing without parental consent led me to go on a petition drive that collected more than 12,000 names and eventually resulted in a state law requiring written parental approval before screenings such as this.

“The court, through its ruling, reaffirms parents’ right to control their children’s mental and physical health and wellbeing,” Rep. Walorski said, “and it sends a message to schools and agencies that they should be very, very careful about interfering with parental prerogatives.”

“There are boundaries to keep schools and other agencies from interfering in the parent-child relationship,” Rep. Walorski said. “Those boundaries should not be ignored or taken lightly, and this case shines a light on that issue.”