Students in Naperville's District 203 and District 204 schools will be offered annual mental health screenings starting in fall 2027 under an Illinois law that makes the state the first in the nation to require them, according to the Times of India.
The mandate, Illinois Public Act 104-0032 (P.A. 104-0032), requires every public school district in the state to offer yearly mental health screenings to students in grades 3 through 12 beginning with the 2027-28 school year. Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the law on July 31, 2025, at Chute Middle School in Evanston, according to The Navigator News.
For Naperville families, that means students at Naperville North High School, Naperville Central High School, Neuqua Valley High School, Metea Valley High School and all District 203 and 204 elementary and middle schools will be eligible. The screenings may carry particular weight for families of students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 plans across both districts, where early identification of mental health needs can shape the support a child receives. Parents and guardians can opt out.
The screenings do not diagnose conditions. They flag potential concerns early and connect students with professional help.
DuPage ROE workshop on Oct. 21
To help local schools get ready, the DuPage Regional Office of Education (ROE 19) is hosting a half-day workshop on Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. The session, titled "Supporting Your Students' Mental Health: An MTSS Perspective," will be led by Dr. Patricia Graczyk, according to the DuPage ROE website.
The workshop introduces a three-tiered Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) approach to student mental health. MTSS is a framework that organizes school supports into levels, from universal prevention for all students to targeted help for those showing signs of need.
Registration is open through the DuPage ROE.
What the ROE is offering beyond the workshop
DuPage Regional Superintendent Amber Quirk said in an Aug. 17 post on Instagram that the ROE is providing monthly webinars, implementation guidance, parent opt-out templates and district case studies. The office is also offering access to MARO mental health screening at no cost to districts.
"Every student deserves to enter the classroom knowing there are adults who see them, value them, and are ready to support them," Quirk said in the post.
State guidance now available
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released a new framework around Aug. 25 to help districts prepare, meeting a Sept. 1 statutory deadline to publish resource materials, according to an ISBE Facebook post. The law required ISBE to consult with the Children's Behavioral Health Transformation Team before issuing the guidance, according to a legal analysis by Franczek P.C..
The law also encourages schools to connect families with mental health resources through the BEACON portal, a digital platform for finding behavioral health services.
Neither District 203 nor District 204 has publicly commented on its preparation plans for the mandate. Families can request district preparation details through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) portals at naperville203.org and ipsd.org.
School week ahead
- Wednesday, Oct. 21 | 8:30–11:30 a.m. | DuPage ROE 19 workshop: "Supporting Your Students' Mental Health: An MTSS Perspective," led by Dr. Patricia Graczyk. District 203 and 204 administrators can register through dupageroe.org.
