Indiana teen suicide survey sparks lawsuit

Indiana teen suicide survey sparks lawsuit
Wednesday, 21-Sep-2005 5:01PM CDT      Story from United Press
International
Copyright 2005 by United Press International (via ClariNet)

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MISHAWAKA, Ind., Sept. 21 (UPI) -- The parents of a Mishawaka, Ind., high school student have sued the school district for giving their daughter a suicide survey without their consent.

Michael and Teresa Rhoades said the Teen Screen survey their 15-year-old daughter took last fall violated their parental rights.

The Penn-Harris-Madison school district has already instituted a policy requiring written parental consent before students take the suicide survey.

However, the Virginia-based Rutherford Institute, which filed the suit on the parents' behalf, said it will pursue legal action with the hope of setting a standard across the United States.

"This Teen Screen program is in effect in 43 states and I would hope that this gives notice to other states around country that they can't bypass parents," Rutherford Institute President John Whitehead told South Bend, Ind., TV station WNDU.