Illinois obliges mental health projections in schools from 2027

A new Illinois law requiring annual mental health and public school students for public schools draws reactions from parents, politics experts and legislators who warn that politics can exceed borders and wrongly label children.

Governor JB Pritzker signed the measure on July 31, making Illinois the first state of the country to impose mental health screenings for students from third to third in the 12th year.

The law, which should come into force in the 2027-2028 school year, orders schools to provide self-commissioned projections each year using digital or paper forms. Parents will have the opportunity to get their children.

Supporters say that the initiative will help schools identify the first signs of depression, anxiety or trauma – before turning into crises. But criticism argues that the plan could create more problems than it solves.

“I want to be on the record and crystal. It is a disastrous policy that will do much more harm than good,” wrote Abigail Shrier, a scholarship holder from the Manhattan Institute, wrote on X. “Look at the tens of thousands of children from Illinois will be pushed into the mental health funnel and convinced that they are sick. Most will be false.”

Katherine Boyle, partner of the venture capital company Andreessen Horowitz, has also raised concerns concerning the development of the government and what she called the “industrial health complex”.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed the law requiring mental health projections on July 31, 2025. (Scott Olson / Getty Images)

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“If a school nurse or a mental health test mandated by the state tells you that you are sick, you will believe them,” wrote Boyle. “This is why so many families are completely withdrawing from primary school – the overcoming is amazing.”

Illinois education officials say that screening will not be diagnosed and will be designed to report students who may benefit from a more in -depth assessment. The Illinois State Board of Education will develop screening tools and guidelines by September 2026, and school districts will be responsible for their implementation.

“Mental health is essential for academic preparation and success of life,” said state superintendent Tony Sanders in a statement. “Too often, we only recognize the distress of a student when it becomes a crisis. With universal screening, we are moving from reaction to prevention.”

From the third year, Illinois students will have mental health screening each year. (@ Fairfaxcountypublicschools / Instagram)

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Dana Weiner, chief director of the governor’s behavioral health transformation initiative, said projections will be optional for families and conducted in private.

Senator of the State Laura Fine, democrat and main sponsor of the bill, said that the effort aims to normalize mental health care for children and adolescents. “The projections will be designed to catch the first signs of anxiety, depression or trauma before it becomes a crisis or, in some cases, sometimes too late,” she said.

The state’s republican legislators have also expressed the opposition. Representative Steve Reick (R-Woodstock) warned that the law could have unexpected consequences for families dealing with insurance companies.

“The universal screening for mental health will not give us anything, except perhaps finding things, finding reasons for the refusal of insurance coverage,” warned a legislator of the State of Illinois. (Google Maps)

“The universal screening for mental health will not give us anything, except perhaps finding things, finding reasons for the denial of insurance coverage,” said Reick.

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The representative Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) described the law as “very dangerous legislation which suppresses parental rights”.

Fox News Digital contacted the Pritzker office to comment and has not yet received an answer.