What Every Illinois School District Needs To Know About Universal Mental Health Screening
SB1560 is coming. Here's what you need to know.
Illinois is the first state in the country to require annual mental health screenings for students in grades 3–12. Under SB1560, signed into law by Governor Pritzker in July 2025, every public school district must be in compliance by the 2027–28 school year. But what does this really mean for your schools, and how should you start preparing now?
At Maro, we've spent years working with student support teams in 21 districts and 60+ schools across Illinois to implement universal mental health screening. The schools that have the most success start earlier than they think they need to and use this as an opportunity to create capacity for their staff and drive student success.
What SB1560 Requires
Here's what we know so far based on the law and available ISBE guidance:
Screening must be made available to every student in grades 3–12, at least once per year.
Districts must use a qualifying mental health screening tool. SEL screeners will not count. ISBE will publish a list of approved tools by September 2026.
Screening tools will be provided to districts at no cost, so long as the state has approved funding.
Staff who administer and review screening results must receive appropriate training before screening begins.
Families must be informed about the screening program, which tools are being used, and how results will be used. Parents have the right to opt their child out.
Districts must have a documented plan in place for responding to students who screen positive, including how families will be notified and how students will be connected to support.
It's worth noting that the law does not simply require districts to hand students a questionnaire. The expectation is a complete program: consent, screening, results review, and follow-up. Districts that treat this as a checkbox exercise will struggle. Those that build real infrastructure around it will be in a much stronger position, and will see better outcomes for students.
What the Timeline Looks Like
The 2027–28 compliance deadline can make this feel far away, but the preparation timeline is shorter than it appears. ISBE has until September 1, 2026 to publish model procedures, approved screeners, and implementation guidance for districts. That means the window between guidance dropping and the first required screening year is less than 12 months. Districts that wait for ISBE guidance before doing anything will be scrambling.
The practical steps — selecting a screening tool, setting up a parent consent workflow, training staff, building follow-up protocols — all take time. The districts we've seen execute this well typically start building their program 12 to 18 months before they plan to screen. For many Illinois districts, that means now.
Common Questions About SB1560
When does SB1560 go into effect? Districts must be in full compliance by the 2027–28 school year. ISBE will release implementation guidance and approved screening tools by September 1, 2026.
Can parents opt their child out? Yes. SB1560 explicitly preserves the right of parents to opt their child out of screening.
Will districts have to pay for screening tools? No. The law stipulates that qualifying screening tools will be provided to districts at no cost, contingent on state funding approval.
Do SEL screeners count? No. According to ISBE’s Assessment of School Screening Readiness, tools used for social-emotional learning assessments are not the same as validated clinical mental health screeners, and they will not satisfy the SB1560 requirement. Districts currently using SEL tools will need to add a qualifying mental health screener to their program.
What happens when a student screens positive? Districts are required to have a follow-up plan in place. At minimum, this means notifying the family and having a process to connect the student to appropriate support, whether that's a school counselor, a referral to a community provider, or another intervention. The law doesn't prescribe a single approach, but it does require that districts have a documented plan and follow it.
How Can Illinois Schools Get Free Mental Health Screening?
Maro provides free mental health screening implementation for eligible Illinois public schools. This includes screeners, digital parent consent, counselor dashboards, follow-up workflows, staff training, and reporting tools — everything a district needs to run a complete, SB1560-compliant program.
Check eligibility and nominate a school/district to receive free screening at meetmaro.com/illinois
This article was written by Maro to help Illinois district leaders navigate SB1560 implementation. It reflects our interpretation of the mandate and the ISBE guidance available at time of publication. Because implementation guidance continues to evolve, we recommend verifying current requirements directly with your regional ISBE office. This article is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Illinois State Board of Education.