The State of Connecticut Wants to Require All Public and Homeschooled Children be Tested for Mental Health and Behavioral Health Assessments

   Where do I begin this post? I guess I will just jump right in. There is a bill right now being considered in the legislature in Connecticut, Senate Bill 374, that wants to mandate that all public school and homeschooled children be tested for mental health and behavioral issues! There is no mention of parochial and private school children. First of all this is clear discrimination against public school  and homeschooled children. The children in the public schools would be tested at grades 6, 8, 10 and 12. They  propose testing homeschooled children at ages 12, 14 & 17.  I can tell you right now, if they try to force a test on anyone I know I would advise them to sue the State. There are some who actually agree with this invasion of privacy and others who want it to start when a child first walks into school!
    First, let us begin by stating that under the law a parent has the right to direct their children's education. There were many who spoke against this bill, mostly homeschooling parents. If it had not been snowing I would have gone there myself. I served 2 years on our local Town Council before I realized years later that I really felt that I should be on the local Board of Education fighting everyday for parents rights. I have believed and worked against, standardized testing, and other testing that parents do not want for their children, for over 20 years. No one,  not even the government has the right to test anyone's child without their parent's permission. I proved this when I took a complaint to the United States Department of Education and I won! If anyone were to ask me my opinion, I would tell them to sue the state if they try to test your child in secret, without your permission for anything.
   This is how strongly I feel that our state and local school boards have failed our children. I served for 4 years on the local Board of Education and I am now a strong supporter of homeschooling all of our children. I am more thankful everyday that Mommy has decided to homeschool Bobo and Sissy. But, even now I find myself questioning why our so called elected leaders seem to think that they can push their ideas on everyone else. Also in Connecticut they want to pass a bill that you cannot smoke in your car if there is a child in the car. Another law that cannot not be successful. How will they enforce this bill?  Are our already understaffed policemen going to stop every car when they see someone smoking, to see if there is a child in the car? Or should  they spend their precious time solving much more hurtful crimes?  Next, they will tell us what we have to dress ourselves and our children in. Hey, isn't that what we already have in some of our public schools. I guess we really have to be more vigilant when protecting our children and raising them the way that we want to. This grandmother will never stop fighting for children and parental rights!