Overview

• Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed SB 1560 on July 31 mandating annual self-administered mental health screenings for all public school students in grades 3–12 starting in the 2027–28 school year with parental opt-out provisions.
• The Illinois State Board of Education is required to develop model screening tools and implementation guidelines by September 2026.
• Supporters led by State Superintendent Tony Sanders argue the measure shifts the focus from crisis response to early identification and supports students’ academic readiness.
• Critics such as Abigail Shrier and Katherine Boyle caution that undefined screening methods could generate false positives and amount to government overreach into family matters.
• Research on similar programs, including an Australian intervention that increased teen anxiety and strained parental relationships, underscores concerns over unintended harms and student honesty in self-reporting.