Dear Utah AACAP Members:

This email comes to you with some important and upsetting news. HB 202, also known as the “Ritalin Bill,” was signed into law by Governor Huntsman on March 9, 2007.

This bill prohibits school personnel from discussing with parents/guardians the possibly that their child may have a psychiatric disorder, such as AD/HD. With this bill’s passage, the Utah Legislature has taken away a teacher or school administrator’s right to communicate with parents and the result is that numerous children will likely go undiagnosed and thus not receive proper treatment. It is possible that teachers will stop communicating with parents entirely regarding suspected psychiatric disorders to avoid the risk of being reprimanded.
We thank you all for your action on this bill.

If you have further questions or concerns, please contact Ramon Gardenhire, JD, AACAP Assistant Director State Advocacy at 800.333.7636, Ext. 107 or by e-mail at rgardenhire@aacap.org

Department of Government Affairs
Kristin K. Ptakowski, Director
Elizabeth Rorick, Assistant Director
Ramon Gardenhire, Assistant Director for State Advocacy
Abby Schopick, Legislative Assistant