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Starting in the 2027–2028 school year, Illinois will be the first state to force annual mental health screenings on all public school kids in grades 3-12. Gov. JB Pritzker says it’s about catching issues like anxiety and depression early to boost kids’ well-being and keep them on track academically and socially. It sounds noble, but I’m not sold. This plan raises red flags that could spell more trouble than solutions.
First off, the idea of shifting mental healthcare from reactive to preventive sounds great on paper. Who doesn’t want to stop problems before they spiral? But let’s be real: Illinois schools are already dropping the ball on the basics. According to Wirepoints, only 39% of students—1.1 million kids—read at grade level. Math scores are even worse. If schools can’t teach kids to read and write properly, why should we trust them to play therapist? I’d argue that building confidence through real academic success—pushing kids to excel, not just pass—does more for their mental health than any questionnaire ever could.
Mental health is deeply personal. No two kids are alike, and a one-size-fits-all tablet quiz can’t capture that. Schools aren’t therapy offices. They’re not equipped to dig into the root of a kid’s struggles…
Then there’s the screening itself. They’re using tablets that ask everything from your mood to your home life. The state says these will be “age-appropriate,” but kids, especially young ones, aren’t exactly known for nuance.
A third-grader might check “sad” because they lost their favorite pencil, or a teen might exaggerate home issues out of frustration. Misinterpretations could lead to overreactions—think a parent getting a knock from DCFS over a kid’s bad day.
The state promises privacy and follow-ups by professionals, but with thousands of kids screened, who’s ensuring every case is handled right? One slip-up, and families could face real consequences. Another slip-up: a school could let a child slip through the cracks.
A true psychologist must investigate these issues to get to the root of the problem and that takes time. We’re asking teachers and staff to add to their workload and that is not feasible. Also, there has been a shortage of mental health professionals in this country. Look at the Uvalde, Texas shooting in 2022—mental health professionals were in short supply then, and the American Psychological Association reported a nationwide shortage of school psychologists as recently as 2024.
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Illinois schools are already stretched thin with counselors; who’s handling the fallout when a kid is flagged? Teachers? They’re not trained for this, and piling on more work isn’t fair or feasible.
The data angle is another red flag. These screenings will churn out sensitive info—moods, behaviors, maybe family dynamics. In today’s world, information is power, and this data could be sliced up by race, gender, or income to spotlight disparities. The state’s push for health equity, as seen in its BEACON Portal, suggests they’ll use this to argue certain groups need more help.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks at the office of The Center for American Progress (CAP) Action Fund on March 18, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The problem with disparities is that race and other immutable characteristics are always blamed — it is never based on the individual but on the group. This could spiral into a mess that leaves the mental health issues of the individual student unsolved. Parents already worry about schools overstepping; handing over this kind of data doesn’t build trust.
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Mental health is deeply personal. No two kids are alike, and a one-size-fits-all tablet quiz can’t capture that. Schools aren’t therapy offices. They’re not equipped to dig into the root of a kid’s struggles, and with professional shortages, many kids flagged by screenings might not get the help they need.
Here’s a better way: use the state’s budget to boost academic programs that build kids’ confidence alongside targeted mental health support for those who need it. That respects families, eases the burden on overworked schools, and avoids the risk of sensitive data being mishandled or misused. Illinois can’t afford to get this wrong. Do you trust a system that’s failing at education to handle your kid’s mental health?
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