Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is facing criticism from parents and lawmakers over a new law that will require annual mental health screenings for public school students.
Pritzker signed the measure on July 31, making Illinois the first state in the nation to mandate mental health screenings for students in grades three through 12. The law, set to take effect in the 2027-2028 school year, directs schools to provide self-administered screenings each year and document the results. Parents will be able to opt their children out, but opponents argue the policy still poses risks.
“I want to be on-the-record and crystal clear. This is a disastrous policy that will do vastly more harm than good,” author and Manhattan Institute fellow Abigail Shrier said on X. “Watch as tens of thousands of Illinois kids get shoved into the mental health funnel and convinced they are sick. Many or most of which will be false positives.”
State officials say the screenings will not serve as diagnoses but are intended to identify students who may need further evaluation. The screening tools and guidelines will be developed by the Illinois State Board of Education by September 2026, leaving implementation to local school districts, according to Fox News.
“Mental health is essential to academic readiness and lifelong success,” State Superintendent Tony Sanders claimed in a statement. “Too often, we only recognize a student’s distress when it becomes a crisis. With universal screening, we shift from reaction to prevention.”
Some lawmakers have expressed concerns about unintended consequences. State Representative Steve Reick warned that the policy could affect families’ dealings with insurance companies. “Universal mental health screenings are going to get us nothing except possibly finding things, finding reasons for denial of coverage of insurance,” Reick said.
Representative Adam Niemerg called the measure “a very dangerous piece of legislation that removes parental rights.”
