Chicago City Wire

America First Legal (AFL) has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, urging an investigation into Illinois' new law mandating annual mental-health screenings for children without parental consent. The announcement was made via a social media post on X.

Illinois’s Public Act 104-0032, signed into law in 2025, requires that starting with the 2027-28 school year, all public schools provide annual mental-health screenings for students in grades 3 through 12. The law tasks the Illinois State Board of Education and the Department of Public Health with developing and implementing the screening program.

According to a 2023 statewide "landscape scan" by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), approximately 71 percent of Illinois school districts already conduct some form of mental, behavioral, or social-emotional health screening for students. The ISBE report noted significant variation in how screenings are administered and their frequency.

The new Illinois law makes it the first state in the nation to mandate universal annual mental-health screenings for students in grades 3 through 12 under Public Act 104-0032, set to begin in 2027. Supporters argue that the law aims to address rising youth mental-health challenges, while critics warn it expands state control over children’s personal information.

America First Legal is a nonprofit legal foundation established by former White House officials to defend the Constitution, promote individual liberty, and challenge government overreach. AFL frequently files lawsuits and administrative complaints to protect parental rights, free speech, and equal protection under the law.