One Utah lawmaker thinks students in Utah should be able to take a “mental health” day from time to time without it being counted as an unexcused absence.
“We have some students who have challenges and may need a breather. We take care of our physical health, and this would put mental health on parity with that,” he said.
While it may give students a needed release valve due to academic pressures at school, there’s another benefit. Winder says officials in Oregon found that students will often skip school if they’re having a mental health crisis. This would give counselors and other adults tools to identify which of their students may be having a problem, so they can step in.
“If a school counselor sees someone missing three or more times in a semester for mental health, they could see that as a cry for help and would be able to get that student some extra health or resources,” he says. That’s a suggestion, though it’s not specifically spelled out in the legislation.
“Things like rejection, failure, death of a loved one, job loss of a parent, friend issues or even the pressures of school can have a huge impact on our mental health,” says Lee. “We need to be able to take the proper time to deal with those issues.”
Lee, who just happens to be Winder’s daughter, said the ongoing pandemic has really taken a toll on students in Utah.
“In order to have good mental health, you need to feel connected and you need a sense of belonging. With the pandemic, it’s hard to get that for many age groups. This could cause a mental health crisis, so it’s important to advocate for the mental health of our young people,” she added.
“Some of our youth are in some dark places at times,” says Winder. “If they know they can be excused from school for their mental health, that alone can relieve some pressure and help reduce suicides.”
