Mental health screenings for children in grades three through 12 are being mandated in Illinois for the 2027-28 school year (SB1560)—after research, and much discussion, has shown that the screenings can help identify potential mental health issues in young people.
While it’s easy to lay the blame on the evolution of digital devices and social media, for many of the mental health issues youth are experiencing now, Paula Kennedy, DuPage Regional Office of Education (ROE) director of School Culture, Climate and SEL Site and Area 1 SEL Hub, says there’s another factor as shown by the research.
“The biggest push [for screenings] is because the suicide rate is climbing,” she said, adding, “Our underprivileged population gets the brunt of that.”
In part, Kennedy continued, because they experience “a higher proportion of violence, suicide and trauma.”
She did point out that digital devices and social media have “exacerbated the issue.”
Kennedy related that “One in five [youth] will experience a mental health challenge,” which she said comes from statistics compiled by Lurie Children’s Hospital, which has partnered with the DuPage ROE.
The Center for Childhood Resilience, launched in 2004, is the public health arm of Lurie’s Pritzker Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health.
The center’s data also shows that there are 3.85 million children in the United States with “unmet” mental health needs.
In fact, according to Lurie, “Each year, approximately 1 in every 15 high school students will attempt suicide. Younger children experience suicidality, too. Research shows that 12 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 12 have suicidal thoughts.” (www.luriechildrens.org/en/specialties-conditions/suicide)
The DuPage ROE is expanding its student health and wellness support through an initiative to provide mental health screenings through Maro (meetmaro.com/illinois), which is “a computerized mental health screening platform that helps schools identify students who may need additional support,” as described in a DuPage ROE news release.
This tool is “helping districts strengthen student mental health support through training, partnerships and expanded access to early-identification tools,” the release also states.
Kennedy said that earlier attempts to address students dealing with stress, bullying, mental health and other issues came in the form of social-emotional learning, or SEL, being incorporated into schools.
The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, or CASEL (www.casel.org), says the concept was introduced to schools in 1994, and that the components of SEL, for both youth and adults, include developing healthy identities, managing emotions and achieving personal and collective goals, feeling and showing empathy for others, establishing and maintaining supportive relationships, and making responsible and caring decisions.
Fast forward, and Kennedy maintains that the current mental health screenings are another effort to address anxiety, depression, bullying, situational conflict and school avoidance, and that “social-emotional learning and mental health support are not separate from academics; they are essential to helping students feel safe, attend school and remain engaged in learning.”
She said the Illinois State Board of Education and legislators have spent several years collecting information and creating the resulting legislation, adding that Illinois is “the first state to implement this.”
Kennedy, a parent and former middle school teacher, admitted that in the past she had concerns about the use of mental health screenings, but now views it as being similar to a hearing or vision screening the schools conduct—to detect possible issues proactively. She emphasized that parents will have the right to opt out of the screenings.
However, according to the release, the DuPage ROE encourages parents to “contact their child’s school early when concerns arise.”
Kennedy sees the benefits of mental health screenings for school-age children, saying affirmatively that it is not a diagnostic tool but instead looks at “risks and assets, strengths and needs … to identify early where kids are struggling.”
Families who need further support can then reach out to Behavioral Health Care and Ongoing Navigation, or BEACON (beacon.illinois.gov), a service provided by the Illinois Department of Public Health which helps families find behavioral health services—including local community-based resources and state-funded assistance for which a child might be eligible.
“Every student deserves to enter the classroom knowing there are adults who see them, value them and are ready to support them,” DuPage ROE Superintendent of Schools Amber Quirk commented in the release. “Learning is most effective when we care for the full range of a child’s needs, which not only includes academic growth, but also emotional well-being, healthy relationships and a sense of belonging.”
“The State Board of Education has worked hard to understand what supports are needed by the school districts to identify and respond to mental health challenges,” said Illinois’ Chief Behavioral Health Officer Dana Weiner in a release on illinoissenatedemocrats.com.
For Kennedy, she sees the screenings as one way to “demystify mental health,” adding that now, “At least we’re talking about it.”
“The conversation is so important,” she summed up.
Due to funding for Maro secured by the DuPage ROE and West40 Intermediate Service Center (west40.org), there will be no cost to taxpayers.
The DuPage ROE will be offering webinars, guidance on implementing Maro, parent opt-out templates and district case studies to help the schools “plan for universal screening and strengthen their Multi-Tiered Systems of Support,” the DuPage ROE release reports.
Visit www.dupageroe.org for more information.
