From: "Gerard, Robert (ED)"
To: "Charles Leblanc"
CC: "McInerney, Terry (ED)"
Subject: FW: Medications - Ritalin
Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2004 15:03:00 -0400
Dear Mr. Leblanc,
I am responding to your recent e-mail to Terry McInerney, on behalf of our Assistant Deputy Minister, English Educational Services Division, with whom you met some weeks ago. I am also including a copy of the e-mail that was sent to superintendents and directors of education in the English public school system. You may be interested in knowing that this is a reiteration of the message that I sent to the same group, including Student Services administrators approximately two years ago.
You have also requested results concerning the meeting held with the ADM and Pierre Dumas and other interested individuals. It is important to note that the Expert Report on Behaviour Disorder was initiated and conducted by the Department of Health, under the direction of Ms. Marcella Laaper, Director of Child and Adolescent Services. Ms. Barb Whitenect is currently in that position.
In essence, given that this report was initiated and developed by the Department of Health and Wellness, any further action to be taken on this report must be initiated by the Department of Health and Wellness. Officials of the Department of Education who participated on that committee did so at the invitation of the committee chair from the Department of Health and Wellness.
You will note that I have also copied this e-mail directed to you to individuals within the Department of Health and Wellness who should be the primary contacts for any further action concerning that report.
Should you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me.
Robert E. Gerard
Student Services
(Phone: 506-444-4711
7Fax: 506-457-7835
-E-mail:Robert.Gerard@gnb.ca
-----Original Message-----
From: Phillips, Deanna (ED) On Behalf Of McInerney, Terry (ED)
Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2004 1:29 PM
To: (ED) Superintendents (Eng.)
Cc: (ED) Directors of Ed (Eng.)
Subject: Medications - Ritalin
Recent stories in the Telegraph Journal and other media have heightened the public's awareness of the drug Ritalin, a drug which is generally used to assist in the treatment of ADD/ADHD among children of school age and adults. While educators have a definite role to play in the referral process for children who are displaying characteristics associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and in assisting the medical and psychological profession diagnoses of this disorder, teachers are to refrain from suggesting to parents that prescription medication of any sort should be used in the management of students' behavior.
The diagnoses and prescription of medication for disorders that impact on a classroom's Positive Learning Environment remains the responsibility of the medical profession.
Principals are asked to remind teachers that the Department of Education recognizes that teachers have an important role to play in the referral process. Suggesting to parents that they may want to consider discussing their child's attention difficulties with their family doctor comes as a result of a collaborative process involving the school-based student services team who have considered in- depth the child's strengths and needs. Teachers are encouraged to share their observations with the school-based student services teams, and with physicians. Teachers can also serve as an important source of information in the monitoring by the physician of appropriate dosage of medication.
Please share this information with principals, who will share with their staff.
