--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think the first thing parents need to…" description: "\"I think the first thing parents need to start doing is absolutely refuse to cooperate with any psychological evaluation of children in school. Schools ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/peter-breggin-22000_academic_i-think-the-first-thing-parents-need-to_2442384.png" --- # I think the first thing parents need to start doing is… ![“I think the first thing parents need to start doing is absolutely refuse to cooperate with any psychological evaluation of children in school. Schools should not be mental hospitals. Parents should say that the only tests they want their children to have are those respecting their academic…” quote by Peter Breggin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/peter-breggin-22000_academic_i-think-the-first-thing-parents-need-to_2442384.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/peter-breggin-22000_academic_i-think-the-first-thing-parents-need-to_2442384.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/peter-breggin-22000_academic_i-think-the-first-thing-parents-need-to_2442384.png) > “I think the first thing parents need to start doing is absolutely refuse to cooperate with any psychological evaluation of children in school. Schools should not be mental hospitals. Parents should say that the only tests they want their children to have are those respecting their academic subjects and nothing else.” [Peter Breggin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-breggin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Parents should oppose school psychological testing, focusing only on academic assessments. **In simple terms:** Parents should limit school tests to academics. Key Takeaway Advocate for academic‑only testing in schools. Themes education parental rights mental health Mood concerned defensive Type policy advocacy When to use this quote - parent‑teacher meetings - school board discussions - advocacy campaigns Key Concepts child development policy rights Questions to Reflect On - Should schools have any mental health screening? - How can academic and emotional needs coexist? A Different Perspective Balancing mental health support with academic focus is nuanced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Academic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/academic/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Hospitals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hospitals/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents/) [Psychological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychological/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Tests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tests/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [There's lots of institutions and lots of different cultures, and so that's the kind of thing that parents need to be able to evaluate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-spellings/there-s-lots-of-institutions-and-lots-of-different-cultures-and-so/) [Margaret Spellings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-spellings/) > [One thing, parents: you need to realize is you've got to stop letting artists raise your kids. 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