Prioritizing student mental health: New bill proposes excused absences for students
Did you know that more than a third of high school students reported mental health challenges during the pandemic? Not to mention that four-in-ten U.S. parents have expressed being worried about their child struggling with depression or anxiety. With this in mind, government leaders are taking action and proposing mental health days for students in their state.
Earlier this month, on April 12, Michigan state representative Noah Arbit introduced a bill allowing students to be excused from school for mental health-related reasons. Michigan isn’t the only U.S. state considering or offering mental health days for its students. In recent years, ten states in the U.S. have “passed laws allowing kids to take a day off from school not because they are physically ill, but simply to mentally rest and recharge.”
Wait, what are mental health days for students? Mental health days are days off for students to rest and recharge.
Okay, so what do students do on mental health days? There is no right or wrong way for students to spend their mental health days; however, students may spend time resting, in nature, with family, or doing mindfulness activities.
What does the bill entail?
In the United States, 12 states have passed bills allowing students to have excused mental health days. Now, Michigan is following suit. House Bill 4389 would amend Michigan’s current public school code to allow students up to five mental health days as excused absences. Students would also not be required to provide a medical note and would be allowed to make up any work they missed during their absence. Finally, if a student is absent for two or more days, the school can “refer the student to a school counselor or psychologist.”
While many people favor mental health days for students, some see it as a “band-aid” effort. One Michigan Public Schools Superintendent, Rick Heitmeyer, shared that he applauds the effort but believes more funding and access to mental health is what would make a difference for students. Alternatively, a clinical psychologist at Child Mind Institute says he is “a big advocate for mental health days” as long as students aren’t using them as procrastination days.
“Why students should have mental health days” by Hailey Hardcastle TedxSalem
Mental health advocate and student activist Hailey Hardcastle used her mic for good and gave a TedTalk on her experience with mental health days as a student. Like many students, Hailey struggled with her mental well-being throughout school. Her school allowed its students to have 3 mental health rest days per semester. Haley shared that in some semesters, she used each day to the fullest, and in others, she didn’t need any at all. But the fact that the option to use those days was there is what kept her a “happy, healthy, and successful student.”
Haley isn’t alone. Students around the country are advocating for mental health support and resources from their schools. Take Ciara, for example, a high school student at Milpitas High in California who shared that balancing school, social life, and her personal life has led to exhaustion. She suggests that even if a school can not offer entire mental health days, schools can still support student well-being by incorporating “small parts throughout the day where a student should pause and practice breathing exercises.”
TSI’s Take
The concern for students’ mental health has been widespread since even before Covid-19, leading educators, parents, and even other students to be concerned about student mental health and well-being. Since the pandemic, students have reported “feeling more anxious, depressed, fatigued, and distressed than prior to the pandemic.” That’s why it’s more important than ever to support students’ mental health and well-being. Whether or not your school allows students to take mental health days or has a bill in the works like Michigan, there are other ways educators can make an impact on their students’ well-being.
How educators can support student well-being and mental health:
- Follow high school student Ciaria’s suggestion and implement daily mindfulness breaks into your students’ schedules. Mindfulness breaks don’t have to be super complex or time-consuming either! You can start by teaching your students simple breathing exercises.
- Incorporate movement breaks or time outside in nature when possible! Movement and physical activity can improve students’ moods and reduce their stress levels.
- Encourage your students to express their feelings in a healthy way, whether that’s by journaling, exercising, meditating, or reaching out to someone they know they can trust and open up to.
Students these days are juggling everything from school work to at-home responsibilities to after-school jobs, which is why we empower them to handle the pressure of everything they’re juggling that could cause stress.
In our Grade 10 #WinAtSocial Lesson, Understanding and mastering our mind and body’s response to stress, students are able to…
- Recognize how stress affects your brain’s ability to make thoughtful decisions.
- Consider the benefits of stress and find ways to channel it in positive ways.
- Identify four self-care strategies for reducing stress.
Not a partner but interested in running lessons similar to this one? Request a demo today of our peer-to-peer technology to help your students’ well-being.
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The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in understanding student experiences and creator of #WinAtSocial, a gamified, online learning platform that equips students, educators, and families to navigate social experiences — online and offline — in healthy ways. Our unique, student-respected approach incorporates topics like social media, technology use, and current events that have a significant impact on student well-being. Lessons teach life skills for the modern day to inspire high-character decisions that support the health, happiness, and future success of students, while capturing data that provides insights to school leaders to inform school policy and communications, and enable high-impact teaching and a healthy learning environment. For schools, our turnkey technology allows for easy implementation and a comprehensive game plan to support the well-being of school communities. For schools, our turnkey technology allows for easy implementation and a comprehensive game plan to support the well-being of school communities.