Sen. Bartolomeo, State Can't Mandate Psych Evals For Students

Dear Sen. Bartolomeo,

In your press release of Feb. 13 regarding school safety, you say, "Students should be able to receive mental health evaluations/treatment, and districts need some recourse if parents and students refuse to participate."

The last part of the sentence contradicts the first part. The first part saying, students "should be able to receive mental health evaluations," implies a choice. The second part saying, "districts need . . . recourse if parents and students refuse. . . . changes the meaning of the first part from, "should be able receive evaluations", to "must receive evaluations", making them manditory and implying sanctions against anyone who refuses.

This is a dangerously unconstitutional precedent.  It forces something on parents and students that they may not want or need, for whatever reason, which is no one else's business, without probalble cause, reasonable suspicion or judicial review.  It places the state above the parents and usurps the parent's rights, responsibilities and authority.

Nowhere in the CT or Federal Constitutions does the state have the authority to order mandatory psychological evaluations.  I cannot put my finger on that part of the Constitution which grants the state the authority to require every citizen to be involuntarily subjected to such an exam.

A psych exam requires an invasion of the most intimate aspect of one's person, the mind.  It is in blatant violation of an individuals right to be free from unwarranted searches and violates the individuals rights to privacy.  Children are persons under the Constitution and are afforded equal protection rights, too.

The best and most efficient way to save lives under such circumstances as that in Newtown is to have armed guards in the schools and eliminate so called "gun free" zones.  The only ones in them free of guns, are the victims and it is proven that such mass murderers as Lanza deliberately seek out "gun free" zones because they know they can act there with impunity, and it is foolish to require pistol permitted parents to disarm themselves before entering a school.

Allowing teachers and staff the opportunity to volunteer to receive training and carry a firearm, (with perhaps a small stipend), would work to protect students because the evil and mentally deranged would know they would be met with a resolved spirit of resistance.

Permit qualified volunteers to receive the same training as teachers and patrol the schools, acting as "resource" personnel.  By qualified I mean retired military and police veterans and others.  The idea that children would be "frightened" by having armed guards around is absurd! 

These volunteers would be members of the community and known to students as their grandparents, uncles, aunts and neighbors.  What grandchild would not be quite happy and proud to know her grandfather was keeping her and her classmates safe at school.

As far as the current "gun control" proposals go, I have yet to see anything that even closely resembles "common sense".  For "Common Sense", I suggest reading Thomas Payne.  I also urge you to re-read some of my past emails to you on the subject and listen to the testimony I delivered before the Gun Violence Task Force, in January.

No government can be all thing to all people at all times.  Nor should it try to be.  A government that governs best, governs least.  And that is as it should be.

Very truly yours,

Bill Boylan

Middletown