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An Act To Require Parental Consent for a School To Conduct Mental Health or Behavioral Screening on a Student
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §6456  is enacted to read:
§ 6456. Mental health or behavioral screening or testing
 
1.  Written consent required.     A school administrative unit shall obtain a written consent form from a student's parent before conducting any mental health or behavioral screening or testing, including conducting a survey, analysis or evaluation, of the student. The school administrative unit shall make available the content and questions of the screening or testing for inspection by a parent of the student upon request of the parent.
 
2.  Form of written consent.     A written consent form under subsection 1 must:
 
A.  Clearly explain the nature of the screening or testing and when and where the screening or testing will take place;
 
B.  State that the content and questions of the screening or testing are available upon request of the parent; and
 
C.  Be signed by the parent of the student to be screened or tested.
 
SUMMARY
This bill requires a school administrative unit to obtain written consent from a student's parent or guardian before conducting any mental health or behavioral screening or testing of the student.