Bill
HB 2960
Requires districts offering middle/high school health education to include age-appropriate mental health instruction, covering signs, supports, help-seeking, and stigma reduction.
Status note: The document provided mixes a state “budget implementation” bill text with a House Floor Amendment (filed 4/7/2025) that inserts a new mental‑health education requirement into the School Code. The amendment (labeled Section 3.2 / new Sec. 27‑9.1c in the School Code language) is the source of the “SCH CD‑MENTAL HEALTH ED REQ” title. Procedural entries in the record are extensive and partly inconsistent; verify final enactment status with the official legislative record for your state.
Purpose
- Require that any school district offering middle‑ or high‑school health education include specified instruction on mental health so students receive age‑ and developmentally‑appropriate education about mental health, supports, warning signs, help‑seeking, and stigma reduction.
Key provisions
- Applicability: Any district that offers one or more health education courses to middle school or high school pupils must include the required mental health instruction. Districts may offer more than this baseline.
- Required topics (to be age/developmentally appropriate):
- Overarching themes and core principles of mental health.
- Signs and symptoms of common mental health challenges (examples include depression, anxiety including PTSD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, eating disorders)—content scaled to pupil age and development.
- Evidence‑based supports, services and treatments that help manage mental health challenges.
- Promotion of mental health wellness and protective factors (resiliency, self‑esteem, positive home/school environment, coping and problem‑solving skills, supportive relationships).
- Identification of warning signs of mental health problems and early intervention steps so students know how to act before a crisis.
- How to seek help — including on‑campus resources (school counselors with appropriate credentials, school psychologists, school social workers) and community services.
- Connection between mental health and overall academic/physical health and co‑occurring conditions (chronic physical illness, substance use/chemical dependence).
- Awareness of prevalence across populations and the effects of race, ethnicity, culture, socioeconomic status on experience and treatment.
- Addressing stigma; promoting acceptance and awareness — may include trained peer presentations or narratives where appropriate.
- Instructional materials standards:
- Materials must be appropriate for pupils of all races, genders, sexual orientations, cultures, and pupils with disabilities (provide accessible formats and auxiliary aids).
- Materials must not promote bias against any protected class under state human‑rights law.
- Instruction should be coordinated with on‑campus mental health providers so students can be referred immediately when needed.
- Student privacy protection:
- A pupil receiving instruction under this section shall not be required to disclose the pupil’s confidential health or mental health information at any time in the course of the instruction.
Who is affected
- Public school districts that offer middle‑ or high‑school health courses (must revise curriculum).
- Students (middle and high school) who will receive mandated instruction.
- Teachers, curriculum developers, and on‑campus mental health staff (training, coordination and referral procedures likely needed).
- Potential indirect effects on community mental health providers (referral pathways).
Implementation and fiscal considerations
- The amendment sets content and accessibility standards but does not include dedicated funding, training programs, or specific implementation deadlines in the text provided. Districts may require curriculum updates, teacher professional development, and coordination with school mental health staff — which could create local resource needs.
- The measure emphasizes use of evidence‑based practices and cultural responsiveness; districts will need to select or develop compliant curricula and materials.
Procedural/timeline notes
- House Floor Amendment No. 1 (which adds the mental health education section) was filed 4/7/2025 per the record provided. The bill and amendment moved through committee and floor actions; the provided legislative history contains mixed or contradictory final entries. Confirm current enactment and effective date with the official state legislative website or clerk for the authoritative status and any effective date if enacted.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
Sign in to ask a question.
