Overview

• SB 1560 mandates annual mental-health screenings for public school students in grades 3–12 starting in the 2027–28 school year and directs the State Board of Education to draft model tools and guidance by September 2026.
• State Superintendent Tony Sanders says the policy shifts schools from reactive crisis intervention to preventive support aimed at improving academic readiness and lifelong success.
• Dana Weiner emphasizes that screenings are non-diagnostic, conducted privately and include parental opt-out provisions similar to vision and hearing tests.
• Conservative commentators and some GOP lawmakers, including Abigail Shrier and Steve Reick, warn the mandate may medicalize normal behavior, generate false positives and infringe on parental authority.
• Key implementation details—such as specific screening instruments, data privacy safeguards and referral protocols—will remain unsettled until the Illinois State Board of Education issues its guidance next year.