The bill, SB1560, requires all school districts to provide screening in grades 3 through 12 at least once a year.

Gov. JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1560 Thursday, which would require the State Board of Education and a children’s behavioral health team within the governor’s office to develop procedures and make mental health materials available to school districts. The board will provide those materials to schools beginning in September 2026.

Illinois has become the first state to offer annual mental health screenings to public school students in grades 3-12, in partnership with psychiatric hospitals, with the goal of shifting from crisis reaction to prevention.