Illinois Mandates Annual Student Mental Health Screenings

Your child’s report card is about to change forever. In a national first, students in Illinois

won’t just be tested on math and science—they’re now being screened for their mental health.

It’s a move that’s sparking a massive debate across the country: Is this a life-saving safety

net, or a step too far into a student's private life? Governor J.B.

Pritzker just signed a law making mental health checks as routine as a vision or hearing test.

Starting in the 2027 school year, every public school student from 3rd grade all the way

to high school seniors will be offered these annual screenings. The goal? To catch the warning

signs before they turn into a crisis. But the timing of this law has put the state on a collision