Prairie State Wire

Shannon Adcock, president of Awake Illinois, said on X that every Republican state senator in Illinois supported a bill requiring children to undergo mental health screenings.

"All IL Republican senators voted for the mental health screening bill," said Shannon M Adcock.

Governor J.B. Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1560 in August 2025, making Illinois the first U.S. state to mandate annual mental health screenings for public school students in grades 3–12, starting in the 2027–28 school year. The bill aims to shift schools toward early intervention instead of waiting for crises, with guidance to be developed by the Illinois State Board of Education by 2026. According to Capitol News Illinois, supporters described it as a landmark move for student wellness.

Illinois Senate Bill 1560 mandates that every public school district provide at least one mental health screening per year to all students in grades 3–12, beginning in 2027. Screenings must be free to districts if state funds are available, and parents may opt their children out. Capitol News Illinois reported that the screenings will help identify risks of anxiety, depression, or trauma at an early stage.

The Illinois Senate passed the mental health screening bill unanimously with a 52–0 vote, while the House approved it with a vote of 72–36. Opposition largely came from Republicans who cited concerns about confidentiality, parental rights, and the program’s effectiveness. Supporters emphasized prevention and statewide consistency. Capitol News Illinois noted that the bill reflected bipartisan consensus in the Senate but partisan division in the House.

Adcock is the founder and president of Awake Illinois, a nonprofit advocacy group she launched in 2021 after involvement in her local PTA and a run for school board. A graduate of the University of Illinois and Naperville resident, she describes herself as an "accidental activist" after advocating for school reopening and parental rights during the pandemic. According to Awake Illinois’s official site, she now leads statewide advocacy on civic engagement and education.