HR0052 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0052 LRB103 29660 ECR 56062 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Student access to mental health care and resources is a top educational priority for Illinois parents, and a recent survey by the Centers for Disease Control found that 37% of high school students regularly struggled with mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic; and

WHEREAS, Students learn best in an environment where they feel safe, valued, and capable; it is in the vital interest of students to ensure that they have staff members who care about them and their mental health; and

WHEREAS, School age children experience critical emotional growth and develop social skills that will provide them benefits for a lifetime, and this growth is best fostered by trained mental health professionals; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to expand mental health care and access for Illinois students; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the ISBE to pursue recruiting people for the school mental health profession; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge ISBE to pursue providing enough access to students so that, by the end of the decade, every high school student in Illinois can have one hour of mental health counseling per semester; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to Dr. Steven Isoye, the Chair of the Illinois State Board of Education.