Pritzker signs bill for universal mental health screenings in Illinois schools

EVANSTON, Ill. (WCIA) — A bill is now in effect to ensure universal mental health screenings are available at all Illinois public schools, making it the first state in the country to do so.

At Chute Middle School in Evanston Thursday afternoon, Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation to implement the universal mental health screenings for all public schools across the state. Through SB1560, by 2027, mental health screenings will be available for children in grades 3-12 in Illinois public schools.

“Your friends and your families are here for you,” Pritzker said. “Your teachers and your administrators are here for you.”

At the signing, Pritzker joined State Superintendent Dr. Tony Sanders, Chief Officer for Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation Dr. Dana Weiner, bill sponsors, and local elected officials. This bill, supported by the Illinois State Board of Education and children’s behavior health advocates, builds on previous legislation by offering cost-free mental health screening tools to in-state public schools and partnering with psychiatric hospitals to keep parents informed on the Behavior Health Care and Ongoing Navigation (BEACON) Portal.

“Access to mental healthcare—especially for children—is too often overlooked or ignored,” Pritzker said. “Since the formation of the Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation Initiative, we’ve seen our state agencies work closely together and swiftly make progress in evaluating and redesigning the support systems we need to ensure that our children are healthy.”

This bill also highlights the State’s effort to expand screening resources as a part of the Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation Initiative (CBHTI). Evanston School District 65 has utilized a Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) screener for the past five years, allowing its schools to identify student needs and offer support.

Additionally, under current Illinois law, screening every student in every grade enrolled each each year is not required. According to the Governor’s Office, this makes it more difficult for school districts to identify and address mental health issues that cause barriers to learning.

To combat these issues, by the 2027-28 school year, SB1560 consists of two major changes in legisation:

• This bill requires all school districts to offer mental health screenings to students enrolled in grades 3-12, at least once annually, starting in the 2027-28 school year
• This bill also requires ISBE to provide resource materials for schools to implement universal mental health screenings, including model policies and guidance by Sept. 1, 2026

The State of Illinois will further support this initiative by providing public schools with free access to these screening tools and associated technology. According to State Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview), these screenings are designed to catch anxiety, depression and/or trauma before it becomes a serious problem or its “too late.”

As part of the legislation, the State will partner with psychiatric hospitals and schools to raise awareness about BEACON, which provides families with information about available behavioral health services for children. This will centralize resources from the following agencies:

• Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS)
• Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS)
• Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)
• Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH)
• Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS)
• Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ)

“No child should have to struggle in silence, especially in our public school system,” said Rep. Lindsey LaPointe (D-Chicago). “This bill is a proactive step toward making sure we can integrate early detection, because too often warning signs are missed or dismissed, and kids fall through the cracks.”

Parents can opt their children out of these mental health screenings if they wish.

BEACON is a direct result of Pritzker’s establishment of the CBHTI, and the portal was designed through a partnership with Google Public Sector. The platform officially launched in January 2025 and has been utilized by state agency representatives, physicians, mental health practitioners and school personnel.

To access additional information about the BEACON portal and how to use it, click here.