A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning education.
HB 1075 requires every Indiana school corporation and charter school to create a plan to conduct developmentally appropriate, evidence-based mental health screening and substance use disorder screening for students in kindergarten through grade 12. The bill specifies that mental health screening must include screening for high risk for later violence and resilience, and it directs the Indiana Department of Education to make screening tools and related resources available, in consultation with the Division of Mental Health and Addiction.
The bill also sets out notice, consent, privacy, and follow-up rules. Parents of unemancipated minors must be notified in advance of the screening plan, including its purpose and approximate timing, and screening may not occur without consent from the student or parent, depending on age and emancipation status. Results must be shared with the parent or student, along with resources if appropriate, but schools are prohibited from using screening results to make decisions about instruction, academic opportunities, or discipline. The bill further limits school responsibility for providing additional care, requires compliance with federal privacy laws, and directs that screening data be destroyed within 60 days or sooner after results are communicated, unless federal law requires otherwise.
HB 1075 would add a new chapter to Indiana Code chapter 20-26-22, creating statewide requirements for school-based mental health and substance use disorder screening plans in public school corporations and charter schools. It would impose new duties on schools to notify families, obtain consent, protect records, and destroy screening data on a short timeline, while also requiring the Department of Education to supply approved tools and resources. The bill affects students in grades K-12, parents of unemancipated minors, school administrators, and state education and mental health agencies.
Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears to be framed as a student-support and early-intervention policy, with safeguards designed to address privacy and parental consent concerns. No committee transcript or vote record was provided, so there is no documented floor or committee sentiment to assess beyond the bill’s structure. The overall tone of the legislation is preventive and supportive, with an emphasis on standardized screening and limited school use of the results.
The main likely points of contention are parental consent, student privacy, and the role of schools in mental health identification. Supporters would likely emphasize early detection of mental health and substance use concerns and the availability of evidence-based tools, while critics may worry about screening children for sensitive issues such as violence risk, data handling, potential stigma, and whether schools should be involved in this type of assessment at all. Another possible concern is the bill’s disclaimer that schools are not responsible for providing additional care, which may raise questions about what happens after a positive screening.