Bill Text: IL HB5393 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Creates the Mental Health Screening in Schools Grant Program Act. Sets forth findings. Provides that the purpose of the Mental Health Screening in Schools Grant Program shall be to provide funding and resources to allow school districts to implement depression screening programs to identify students in grades 7 through 12 who are at risk of depression. Provides conditions for school districts to meet when implementing its depression screening program. Provides that to assist districts in selecting a research-based screening tool to use as part of depression screening programs, the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Department of Children and Family Services, may develop a list of preapproved research-based screening tools that are validated to screen depression in adolescents. Provides that the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Department of Children and Family Services and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, shall within 180 days of the effective date of the Act develop guidance and resources for school districts to establish partnerships with organizations or health care providers specializing in pediatric and adolescent mental health to conduct depression screenings. Creates the Mental Health Screening in Schools Grant Program Fund. Provides that money in the Fund may be used by the State Board for operational expenses associated with the administration of Mental Health Screening in Schools Grant Program and for the payment of costs associated with providing grants to school districts in accordance with the Mental Health Screening in Schools Grant Program. Provides that the State Board of Education shall develop a report, or contract with a research institution to develop a report, to evaluate depression screening programs in school districts participating in the Mental Health Screening in Schools Grant Program as well as other school districts that have developed depression screening programs. Makes a corresponding change in the State Finance Act. Effective immediately.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-04-11 - Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB5393 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2021-HB5393-Introduced.html

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102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2021 and 2022 HB5393 Introduced , by Rep. Deb Conroy SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
New Act
30 ILCS 105/5.970 new
Creates the Mental Health Screening in Schools Grant Program. Makes findings. Provides that the purpose of the grant program shall be to provide funding and resources to allow school districts to implement depression screening programs to identify students in grades 7 through 12 who are at risk of depression. Provides conditions for school districts to meet when implementing its depression screening program. Provides that to assist districts in selecting a research-based screening tool to use as part of depression screening programs, the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Department of Children and Family Services, may develop a list of preapproved research-based screening tools that are validated to screen depression in adolescents. Provides that the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Department of Children and Family Services and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, shall within 180 days of the date of enactment of this Act develop guidance and resources for school districts to establish partnerships with organizations or health care providers specializing in pediatric and adolescent mental health to conduct depression screenings. Creates the Mental Health Screening in Schools Grant Program Fund. Provides that funds in Mental Health Screening in Schools Grant Program Fund may be used by the State Board for operational expenses associated with the administration of Mental Health Screening in Schools Grant Program and for the payment of costs associated with providing grants to school districts in accordance with the Mental Health Screening in Schools Grant Program. Provides that State Board of Education shall develop a report, or contract with a research institution to develop a report to evaluate depression screening programs in school districts participating in the Mental Health Screening in Schools Grant Program. Makes a corresponding change in the State Finance Act. Effective immediately.
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A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning education.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Mental
Health Screening in Schools Grant Program Act.
Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds that:
(1) Depression is the most common mental health
disorder among American teens and adults, with over 2.8
million young people between the ages of 12 and 17
experiencing at least one major depressive episode each
year, approximately 10-15% of teenagers exhibiting at
least one symptom of depression at any time, and roughly
5% of teenagers suffering from major depression at any
time. Teenage depression is 2 to 3 times more common in
females than in males.
(2) Various biological, psychological, and
environmental risk factors may contribute to teenage
depression, which can lead to substance and alcohol abuse,
social isolation, poor academic and workplace performance,
unnecessary risk taking, early pregnancy, and suicide,
which is the third leading cause of death among teenagers.
Approximately 20 percent of teens with depression
seriously consider suicide and one in 12 attempt suicide.

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Untreated teenage depression can also result in adverse
consequences throughout adulthood.
(3) Most teens who experience depression suffer from
more than one episode. It is estimated that, although
teenage depression is highly treatable through
combinations of therapy, individual and group counseling,
and certain medications, fewer than one-third of teenagers
experiencing depression seek help or treatment.
(4) The proper detection and diagnosis of depression
is a key element in reducing the risk of teenage suicide
and improving physical and mental health outcomes for
young people. It is therefore fitting and appropriate to
establish school-based depression screenings to help
identify the symptoms of depression and facilitate access
to appropriate treatment.
Section 10. Mental Health Screening in Schools Grant
Program.
(a) There is established within the State Board of
Education the Mental Health Screening in Schools Grant
Program. The purpose of the grant program shall be to provide
funding and resources to allow school districts to implement
depression screening programs to identify students in grades 7
through 12 who are at risk of depression.
(b) A school district that receives an award under the
grant program shall make available to each student in grades 7

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through 12 an annual health screening for depression. The
school district shall meet the following conditions when
implementing its depression screening program:
(1) The school district shall use a research-based
screening tool in its depression screening program
conducted by a licensed mental health professional or
through a partnership with an organization or health care
provider specializing in pediatric and adolescent mental
health to conduct the screenings. Nothing in this
subsection shall prohibit a school district from using a
self-administered screening tool as part of the depression
screening program.
(2) The screenings shall be conducted in a manner that
permits real-time evaluation of the screening results and
same-day intervention by a licensed mental health
professional as indicated by the screening.
(3) The school district shall ensure that the
screenings are conducted in a manner that accommodates
bilingual education students, students with disabilities,
and students with low reading proficiency.
(4) The screenings shall be conducted in a manner that
ensures the privacy of the student during the screening
process and the confidentiality of the results, consistent
with State and federal laws applicable to the
confidentiality of student records and mental health
records.

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(5) The school district shall obtain written informed
consent from a student's parent or guardian prior to the
screening.
(6) The school district shall develop a form to obtain
permission from a student's parent or guardian to conduct
the screening.
(7) The school district shall forward data collected
from the screenings to the State Board of Education and
the Department of Children and Family Services in a form
and manner to be determined by the State Board of
Education. The forwarded data shall be aggregated and
shall not contain any identifying or confidential
information with regard to any individual.
(c) To assist districts in selecting a research-based
screening tool to use as part of depression screening
programs, the State Board of Education, in consultation with
the Department of Children and Family Services, may develop a
list of preapproved research-based screening tools that are
validated to screen depression in adolescents. The list shall
be posted on the websites of the State Board of Education and
the Department of Children and Family Services.
(d) If a school district chooses to partner with an
organization or health care provider specializing in pediatric
and adolescent mental health to conduct the depression
screenings, the partner organization or provider may also
provide mental health services as deemed necessary by the

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organization or provider and as consented to by a student's
parent or guardian. A school district partnering with an
organization or health care provider specializing in pediatric
and adolescent mental health may develop a form to obtain
parental consent and student health insurance information as
necessary to satisfy the provisions of any partnership
agreement.
(e) The State Board of Education, in consultation with the
Department of Children and Family Services and the Department
of Healthcare and Family Services, shall within 180 days of
the effective date of this Act develop guidance and resources
for school districts to establish partnerships with
organizations or health care providers specializing in
pediatric and adolescent mental health to conduct depression
screenings.
(f) A school district seeking to participate and receive
funding under the grant program shall submit an application to
the State Board of Education, in accordance with application
procedures and requirements prescribed by the State Board. An
application submitted by a school district shall include, at a
minimum:
(1) a description of the depression screening program
to be implemented by the school district and an
explanation of how the school district will make available
to each student in grades 7 through 12 an annual health
screening for depression;

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(2) a description of how the school district will meet
the conditions of paragraphs (1) and (3) of subsection
(b);
(3) details concerning the research-based screening
tool that will be used by the school district or whether
the school district will partner with an organization or
health care provider specializing in pediatric and
adolescent mental health to conduct the screenings;
(4) a request and justification for the amount of
funding sought by the school district under the grant
program;
(5) a description of how the grant funding will be
used to further the purposes of the depression screening
program, including hiring additional personnel, purchasing
materials, or contracting with outside entities;
(6) a description of how the depression screenings
will be conducted in a manner that permits real-time
evaluation of the screening results and same-day
intervention by a licensed mental health professional if
required by the results of the screening;
(7) as applicable, the details of any partnership with
an organization or provider specializing in pediatric and
adolescent mental health services, including, but not
limited to, the name of the organization or provider, the
number of students being served by the organization or
provider, the expected timeframe to screen the students,

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the costs associated with engaging in a partnership with
the organization or provider, and the location where the
screenings will take place. A school district shall detail
whether student health insurance information will be
required under its agreement with a partner organization
or provider, how it will obtain that information, and what
accommodations will be made for uninsured or underinsured
students whose parents or guardians have consented to the
depression screening;
(8) a description of how the school district will
ensure that the parent or guardian of a student whose
screening for depression detects an abnormality is
notified of such abnormality and how it will advise the
parent or guardian of the services available through a
partner organization or provider or supply the parent or
guardian with resources to assist in the acquisition of
the services of a health care professional in order to
obtain further evaluation and diagnosis; and
(9) a description of how the school district will
obtain written informed consent from a student's parent or
guardian prior to the screening.
(g) Awards under the grant program shall be allocated to
school districts in a manner determined by the State Board of
Education from a cross-section of school districts from urban,
suburban, and rural areas of the State.
(h) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect a

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school district's ability to provide additional or
supplemental services to a student as required by, or as
consistent with, any applicable provision of State or federal
law.
(i) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
implement this Act.
Section 15. Mental Health Screening in Schools Grant
Program Fund.
(a) The Mental Health Screening in Schools Grant Program
Fund is created as a special fund in the State treasury. All
money in this Fund may be used, subject to appropriation, by
the State Board for operational expenses associated with the
administration of Mental Health Screening in Schools Grant
Program and for the payment of costs associated with providing
grants to school districts in accordance with the Mental
Health Screening in Schools Grant Program.
(b) A school district may seek to secure funds or other
resources from the federal government or from private
nonprofit or for-profit sources as may be available, to
supplement funds received pursuant to the Mental Health
Screening in Schools Grant Program Fund. These funds shall not
have any impact on the availability of funding received under
the Mental Health Screening in Schools Grant Program.
Section 20. Depression screening programs; report and

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evaluation.
(a) The State Board of Education shall develop a report,
or contract with a research institution to develop a report,
evaluating depression screening programs in school districts
participating in the Mental Health Screening in Schools Grant
Program established pursuant to this Act as well as other
school districts that have developed depression screening
programs. In developing the report, the State Board of
Education or contracted research organization or institution
shall analyze the data forwarded to the State Board of
Education and the Department of Children and Family Services.
The study shall include information on:
(1) the costs of the programs to the school districts
and to parents or legal guardians of students, as well as
any copayments received by practitioners as part of the
depression screening programs;
(2) the number of students identified as at risk of
depression by the depression screenings in each school
district;
(3) the number of students who were provided mental
health services as a result of the screenings;
(4) the number of students who were identified as
needing follow-up services;
(5) the number of school staff members involved in the
depression screening process and the time spent
administering the screening;

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(6) best practices used by the school districts or
mental health providers in implementing the depression
screening programs;
(7) the health, academic, and safety benefits
associated with establishing a depression screening
program and an evaluation of any potential negative
impacts on school districts and families that may be
associated with implementing a depression screening
program; and
(8) findings and recommendations concerning additional
resources that may be necessary to screen adolescents for
depression and to provide follow-up services to
adolescents who have exhibited abnormalities in depression
screenings.
(b) Within 300 days following September 1 of the first
full school year following the effective date of this Act, the
report developed pursuant to subsection (a) shall be submitted
to the State Board of Education, the Department of Healthcare
and Family Services, the Department of Children and Family
Services, and the General Assembly.
Section 90. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
Section 5.970 as follows:
(30 ILCS 105/5.970 new)
Sec. 5.970. The Mental Health Screening in Schools Grant

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Program Fund.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.