HB 2192 Requires students get mental health exams

VOTE: NO – Died In Committee
Status (overview) of bill: https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2019R1/Measures/Overview/HB2192
Committee assigned to bill: https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2019R1/Committees/HED/Overview VOTE: NO

This bill requires student’s grades 6 to 12 to undergo an annual mental health exam with right to opt-out.

Personal Choice and Responsibility
Infringes on parental rights using an exam (tool) to measure mental health that asks questions that parents have no knowledge are being asked. A search of ‘evidence-based tools’ indicates questions of personal beliefs, relationships, environmental and financial situations. The exam is administered by trained personnel and evaluated by a qualified counselor or mental health professional without any personal contact.

Fiscal Responsibility
The bill lacks how much this will cost or who will pay.

Limited Government
Government invasive practice that is the first step in taking away second amendment rights and other constitutional rights in the name of helping the mentally ill and protecting society from them and from themselves. It is a negative diagnosis that never goes away just because a child is upset over something that day. Who will administer the exam other than “persons trained to use the screening tool.” Since there is a shortage of child psychiatrists and school counselors, which is part of the problem, it boils down to a computer test administered and then evaluated by a qualified counselor or mental health professional that never sees the child.

Local Control
Each school district or public charter school must develop a plan to refer students to appropriate services based on the results of a mental health wellness check. The plan must account for access to services for all students, regardless of their ability to pay.