HB5393 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB102 25492 RJT 34780 b

102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
HB5393

Introduced 1/31/2022, 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.

A BILL FOR

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. 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 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.

(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 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;

(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, 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 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 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;

(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 Program Fund.

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