Governor defends mental health mandate, rejects parental consent plan
[August 20, 2025]
By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributor
(The Center Square) – U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, who represents the 15th
Congressional district in southeastern Illinois, is reintroducing
legislation to “strengthen parental rights” following the state’s new
law mandating mental health screenings for public school students.
The Parents Opt-In Protection Act would require written parental consent
before schools conduct mental health or sensitive-topic surveys,
replacing Illinois’ current opt-out system under SB1560 starting in
2027–2028. Asked why she didn’t move to ban school-based screenings
outright, Miller pointed to constitutional limits on federal authority.
"I would love to see that, but I think it needs to be done at the state
level. My bill, the Parents Opt-In Protection Act, amends the existing
Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, which governs surveys and
evaluations covering topics like religion, sex, politics, and guns.
Since I’m working at the federal level, there’s a concern about
violating the 10th Amendment, so I’m revising an existing federal law,”
said Miller. “I fully support a state-level ban, but since that isn’t
happening, we can use this law to protect parents and get it passed
federally."
Pritzker’s office slammed Miller, accusing her of politicizing a
bipartisan effort to address the nation’s mental health crisis and
highlighting that she has “repeatedly voted to slash funding for public
schools.”
“As more students experience depression, anxiety, and other struggles,
Rep. Miller and her GOP allies are stigmatizing young people instead of
offering support,” a Governor’s spokesman told The Center Square. “While
Rep. Miller repeatedly voted to slash funding for public schools and
backed the Trump Administration’s cuts to stop schools from hiring
mental health professionals, Gov. Pritzker has been focused on giving
families more options and tools to help students succeed.”
Miller fired back, saying the governor should look closer at his own
record.
“It’s shameful that he is overseeing the state of Illinois, and our
schools are failing at their fundamental task, which is teaching
children to read,” Miller said. “Illinois’ literacy rates are 39% or
lower, pitiful. So why are we going to put them in charge of medical
oversight?”
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Illinois U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Hindsboro
Greg Bishop | The Center Square
Miller criticized SB1560 for its confusing opt-out system.
“I hate the opt-out thing because parents are always the last to
know,” she said. “Most parents, they’re super busy, and they think
their kids are in school being educated, not indoctrinated. My bill
is going to require the schools to get written consent from parents
before they conduct these screenings, which will be part of the
children’s permanent record.”
Supporters of Miller’s legislation argue it restores parental
authority where state leaders have overstepped.
David Smith, executive director of the Illinois Family Institute,
said the bill is “absolutely huge” because it flips Illinois’
opt-out law into an opt-in standard.
“There’s a lot of oblivious parents who are too busy to really take
notice of what’s going on in the classrooms,” Smith said. “Now, with
this law, it would require them to literally sign off on it before
subjecting their children to humanistic mental health screenings.”
Miller told The Center Square that existing Illinois law will lead
to “lack of medical oversight” and a potential for over-diagnosis,
wrongly labeling children.
Smith said he’s working with Debbie Kraulidis, vice president, chief
events officer, host of Moms For America podcast, to reach Secretary
of Education Linda McMahon because Smith fears Illinois will inspire
other states to adopt similar legislation.
“It’s the job of parents, and their priests and pastors, to care for
a child’s mental and physical well-being. The school’s job is
academics: preparing kids to be fruitful, productive members of
society who can read, write, and do arithmetic,” Smith told The
Center Square. |
