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Rep. Jim Hackworth - House District 33
IMMEDIATE RELEASE May
17, 2007
Lawmakers Pass Mental Health
Disclosure Bill;
LEA, Post-Secondary
School Partnerships OK’d
Assessment Exams for
Grades 8, 10, 11 Approved in Floor Vote
NASHVILLE (May 17) –
With the Virginia Tech University massacre in mind, lawmakers
unanimously passed a bill this week that allows institutional caregivers
to disclose to selected persons the treatments and release dates of
mental health patients, according to Rep.
Jim Hackworth,
D-Anderson County.
Under this measure,
patients are given the opportunity to voluntarily approve and sign
disclosure forms detailing their treatment locations and programs, plus
all discharge instructions. Inpatient facility workers, in
addition to emergency room and crisis response center staffs, must offer
information release forms to patients.
In turn, families or
others who have been notified can reciprocate with valuable information
about the patients. Only care receivers aware of their
circumstances may give permission to disclose this information.
There is no coercion involved, as patients can opt out.
“If such a law had been
on the books in Virginia, the mass shootings of 32 students and faculty
members in April could have been prevented. The killer, Cho
Seung-Hui, had been declared mentally ill by a Virginia special justice
two years earlier.
“Cho’s family might have
intervened had they known about his voluntary stay at a mental health
hospital. At the same time, He could not have legally purchased hand
guns because his institutionalization would be on record,” said
Hackworth.
The proposed law
conforms to HIPAA regulations, or the federal guidelines that protect
the privacy of personal health information.
In other business,
lawmakers unanimously passed a landmark education reform bill in final
action that benefits both at-risk and high-achieving high school
students. The measure’s provisions call for local education
agencies (LEAs) and public colleges and universities to jointly create
dual-credit course programs that increase graduation rates and boost
regional economies.
“Such programs may
include creating a school within a school, a technical high school, or a
secondary school or technical center located on a university campus.
Eligibility starts in the ninth grade. Students who later enroll
in college could complete their graduation requirements in three years,
because they’ve completed some of their college-level courses in high
school,” explained Hackworth.
The dual-enrollment,
dual-credit courses may especially encourage students to attempt course
work in technology-related subjects. In addition to traditional
academic areas, programs could be developed in culinary arts, diesel
mechanics and other such high-demand workplace skills.
Graduates earn higher
incomes, and drop-out rates decrease because students see a direct link
between education and personal success, added
Hackworth.
The five-year program
agreements are subject to strict oversight by the Tennessee higher
education commission and the trustees and regents of the University of
Tennessee, in addition to the individual governing boards of the
applicant colleges or universities. High school students wouldn’t
pay additional fees to enroll in dual-credit courses.
“The participating
higher education partners will pay almost all of the costs related to
curriculum development and review, compensation for academic
instructors, and supplies. LEAs won’t incur additional expenses, except
those specifically negotiated under their agreements,” said
Hackworth.
An unpaid curriculum
alignment committee composed of high school, community college,
technology center, and university instructors from across the state,
along with curriculum specialists from such institutions, are
responsible for developing program guidelines. The curriculum
committee is expected to complete its work by June 2008.
Also in final action,
lawmakers passed a bill that requires testing the educational progress
of students in grades 8, 10 and 11 with ACT, SAT, WorkKeys or similar
approved examinations.
The measure essentially
augments the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP)
pre-graduation examination with three mandatory assessment tests.
The governor previously announced that this initiative is a key
component of his “Schools First” program launched earlier this year.
“This series of
examinations provide a diagnostic tool that helps parents, teachers and
counselors plan remedial course work targeted to a student’s academic
weaknesses. When students are evaluated at different grade levels,
they can make good decisions about their class schedules. As a
result, they have two to three years to improve their skills,” said
Hackworth.
The bill permits the
local public school systems to choose which type of examinations are
used, although the state pays the expense of administering them.
The state Department of Education has set an aggressive goal of raising
the state’s high school graduation rate from 78 percent to 90 percent by
2012.
CONTACT:
Kenneth Townsend, Press Secretary, House Democratic Caucus, at
615-741-6620 or email
kenneth.townsend@legislature.state.tn.us
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