Illinois will become the first state in the nation to require annual mental health screenings for public school students in grades 3 through 12, beginning in the 2027-2028 school year, CBS News reports.
Gov JB Pritzker signed the measure, Senate Bill 1560, into law late last month at Chute Middle School in Evanston, calling it a step toward early identification, intervention, and breaking down stigma. Screenings, he said, “improve academic and social outcomes [and] help us break down the stigma that, too often, is a barrier to seeking help.”
Beacon atop the Grosse Point Lighthouse in Evanston (Corey Seeman/Flickr Creative Commons)Under the law, the Illinois State Board of Education is required to issue screening guidelines by September 1, 2026, and the state will cover the associated costs. Students will assess themselves, completing a form on a tablet or on paper. The assessment is designed to detect early signs of anxiety, depression, or trauma, but will not serve as a diagnosis. Parents may opt their children out if they choose.
“We’ve got children in third grade who are struggling, and we need to be able to reach these kids,” said state Sen Laura Fine, a Democrat from Glenview, who chairs the Senate mental health committee. “The screenings will be designed to catch the early signs … before it becomes a crisis or, in some cases, too late.”
The legislation also expands outreach beyond schools, requiring psychiatric hospitals to inform patients about the state’s BEACON (Behavioral Health Care and Ongoing Navigation) Portal as a pathway to care. The bill builds on the Illinois Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation Initiative, launched in 2022 in partnership with policy and research experts at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. Dana Weiner, the initiative’s chief officer, was credited for laying the foundation for the new law.
Pritzker stressed the urgency of supporting children’s mental health.
“We all struggle at some time in our lives, maybe multiple times, and just need a little bit of help, and especially our children,” he said. “Let me say to any young person who’s listening, who is struggling or anxious and is not sure what to do, you are not alone. As isolating and overwhelming as mental health challenges can be, there is help out here.”
Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss praised the measure, saying it will ensure earlier detection and access to treatment. “This is a day that will be part of making sure that we identify at the earliest time possible mental health challenges experienced by youth across Illinois,” Biss said. Evanston-Skokie School District 65, which includes Chute Middle School, has been conducting screenings for the past five years, serving as an early partner in the work toward universal screenings.
Youth advocates also welcomed the law.
Abhinav Anne, an incoming senior at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, shared his personal experience with mental health struggles. “Earlier this year, I found myself sinking under the weight of expectations. … There were nights I couldn’t sleep, haunted by thoughts of disappearing,” he said. “But by sharing my story, it was never about knowing all the answers. It was about making sure that no one else had to face their struggles alone.”
Anne added that systemic change is overdue: “We deserve systems that listen before we scream, that act before we fall.”
