County Examiner
continues to review provisions of the omnibus Marjory Stoneman Douglas High
School Public Safety Act. Signed into law by former Florida Governor, now U.S.
Senator Rick Scott, S.B. 7026 contains sections pertaining to
firearm confiscations, prohibitions on persons younger than 21 years of age
from purchasing a firearm, and adoption
of policies relating to the prevention of violence on school grounds.
As school
districts across the state gear up for the start of the 2019-2020 school year
and in the run-up to the back-to-school shopping season, parents &
guardians must adhere to an astonishing requirement of the MSDHSPSA; the
disclosure to the school district of prior referrals to mental health services.
Section
1006.07, Florida Statutes, (1) (b) was amended to add the mental health services
stipulation:
(1)
CONTROL OF STUDENTS.—
(b)
Require each student at the time of initial registration for school in the
school district to note previous school expulsions, arrests resulting in a
charge, and juvenile justice actions, and referrals to mental health
services the student has had.
In 1971 the
Florida Legislature enacted the Florida
Mental Health Act. Colloquially known as the “Baker Act” the Act is named after
Maxine Baker, former State representative from Miami who sponsored the Act,
while serving as chairperson of the House Committee on Mental Health.
Referring to
the treatment of persons with mental illness before the passage of her bill,
Representative Baker stated “In the name of mental health, we deprive
them of their most precious possession – liberty.”
Kinda tells you
all you need to know about where collection of student mental health data through
the school system is destined.
