SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Illinois high school students have asked state lawmakers to pass a plan this spring to require age-appropriate mental health education in middle school and high school.

Health teachers could be tasked with teaching students about the signs and symptoms of common mental health challenges such as depression, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, and anxiety among others. 

Rep. Laura Faver Dias (D-Grayslake) told the House Education Policy Committee Thursday that the curriculum could also include promotion of mental health wellness, including social and cultural correctness, problem solving skills, self-esteem, and a positive school and home environment where pupils feel comfortable.

"We're making sure students understand the connection of mental health challenges to academic success, how mental health affects their physical condition, how it might impact substance use disorders," Faver Dias said. "So, it is broadening it and expanding it."

Students could also learn how to seek and find help from school counselors, psychologists, and social workers or providers in their community. The legislation states the instruction and materials should be appropriate for students of all races, genders, sexual orientations, and ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Faver Dias noted that this proposal would not limit a student's mental health privacy or confidential rights. Students learning the mental health information would not be required to disclose their own mental health diagnoses at any time during the course of the classes. 

House Bill 2960 passed out of the House Education Policy Committee on a partisan 9-4 vote Thursday. The proposal now moves to the House floor for further consideration.

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