UPDATE: Mental Health Screening Background & OPT OUT FORM

Awake IL
Jun 20
3 min read

Updated: Aug 4

Summer 2025: In light of the latest mental health screening bill SB1560, these resources are being reshared as is background on the mental health screenings that could be coming to a school near you. Per the bill, schools will be required to offer mental health screening for free starting in 2027. Yet some schools ALREADY ENGAGE IN THESE SCREENINGS. YOU MAY OPT YOUR CHILD OUT same as hearing or vision opt out is recognized in Illinois.

If you choose to turn over your child's mental health to a school, you need to know who is involved in this agenda: Non government organizations and data-mining for profit survey companies like Panorama. We support parental rights to opt out!

MUST WATCH BACKGROUND ON THE MENTAL HEALTH SCREENING AGENDA THAT WRONGLY PRESUMES SCHOOLS SHOULD AND COULD EVER BECOME PROPER CLINICAL SETTINGS:

SHARE with your parent networks.

NEW FORM ADDED TO THE OPT OUT BUNDLE:

KNOW YOUR PARENTAL RIGHTS. Ask the school principal for the mental health screening opt out process/forms they use and/or submit our PDF forms as supplement.

DOWNLOAD OPT OUT FORMS HERE

WATCH Awake Illinois founder Shannon Adcock's August 1, 2025 presentation given at Networking the Networks regarding this mental health bill and why the fittest families who know their parental rights will be able to best protect their kids:

On Friday January 19, 2024, Awake IL President Shannon Adcock shared information and resources on the IL Youth Survey and Illinois' plans for a K-12 student mental health screening program.

Watch the recording in its entirety to understand the resource links and implications of the topics discussed. Timestamps of presentation with quick links are listed below. Click here or scroll down for the presentation slides and links. SHARE with your school leadership and community networks.

KEY TAKE AWAYS:

Click here or graphic below to download the list of participating schools.

Download OPT OUT FORM HERE.

The IL Youth Survey may be administered to middle and high school students and public AND private schools. The survey asks very invasive questions about gender, drug use, suicide and family dynamic. The data is collected by a University of IL research team. OPT OUT is available for all parents.

DOWNLOAD SURVEY OPT OUT FORM

The new mental health screening is a government expansion program being phased in this Fall 2024. With ESSER funds expiring in Sept. 2024, the timing of this roll out is interesting. There are many red flags in the build up to this program and parents and school leadership need transparent discussions with all stakeholders. This mental health screening is illustrative of the (worrisome) CDC W.S.C.C. model known as whole school, whole community, whole child where schools and communities become robust government networks and healthcare settings.

DOWNLOAD MENTAL HEALTH SCREENING OPT OUT

If you are a clinical social worker who has concerns with this program and would like to speak publicly on this issue, please contact us at media@awakeIL.com

LIVESTREAM PRESENTATION SEGMENTS:

02:15 What is the IL Youth Survey?