In the attendance office, a note for an absence due to the flu is pretty routine. But a note for a panic attack? Much less common. As mental health becomes a bigger part of teenagers lives, the debate over excused mental health days is growing.
Right now, only 12 states in the U.S. allow students to take mental health days as an excused absence, according to CNBC. That leaves students in the other 38 states wondering why their mental health isn’t treated the same. Two of those 38 states have pending bills, including New York, according to Education Week, and Michigan, according to Verywell Mind. Aside from that, other states don’t have a bill publicly for this.
Colorado is one of the states that does count mental health days as an excused absence, but that law only went into effect in 2020, during the height of the COVID pandemic. In Colorado, it’s called SB 20-014; in each state, it varies by name. In simple terms, this bill means that if students are struggling with their mental health, they can take time off, just like they would for a physical illness.
What is happening to the other 36 states without this law? Some states are Alaska, Wyoming, and Idaho. These three states also have the highest suicide death rates in the U.S according to America’s Health Rankings, ranging from 23% to almost 30%.
Looking at other states that have a bill allowing mental health days, they also have lower suicide death rates. Connecticut, Virginia, and Illinois are evidence of this; their youth suicide death rates range from 9% to around 12% according to America’s Health Rankings, which is significantly lower than the rates of other states.
Licensed clinical social worker and school-based clinician at Arvada West, Clara Wille, shares her take on mental health days: “Mental disorders are just as serious; there are plenty of mental health disorders that are life-threatening. So in some situations, taking mental health days or taking a step back from responsibilities can be life-saving.”
Students seem to feel the same way. Statistics show that from a recent Youth Trust Survey of 500,000 students, nearly half (48%) reported that depression, anxiety, and stress are making it difficult for them to do well in school, a substantial increase from 39% in 2020.
Leaving a last thought, Wille says, “High school is important, and grades are important, but they’re not worth losing our lives over.”
Riley Weber, a social worker at Arvada West, adds, “I wish that our society was set up better so that students and I wouldn’t be in the same place for 40 hours a week. I think that’s just not great for humans.”
Wille’s and Weber’s point suggests that mental health days may help prevent some students from reaching a breaking point. However, in states where mental health days are not excused, students still may face high levels of stress over time. This raises the question of how school schedules and expectations might influence students’ mental health daily.
Weber explains the idea further and adds, “I think it would be nice if kids and everyone got more mental health days because at a certain point you also have to grow, and know when to push yourself and when you are pushing yourself too much.”
Other people might say that mental health days don’t help students at all and are an excuse to get out of school, or for students to avoid schoolwork. Or that persevering or “gutting through it” will help them be able to deal with stress better in the future. A popular saying that is heard around this topic is that mental health days are a band-aid solution, and not a cure.
However, after hearing from Wille and Weber and analyzing patterns from across different states, it becomes clear that mental health days aren’t just a free day; they are a support system for students. When kids are allowed to stay home and take care of their mental health, they can reset before things get too overwhelming. All states should allow excused mental health days so that every student, no matter where they live, can care for their mind and body instead of worrying about getting in trouble for needing a break.
In the end, mental health days aren’t about escaping or avoiding school; they’re about resetting and making the school experience healthier. High school students, and students in other grades as well, shouldn’t feel like they have to hide when they’re struggling. As more people open up about mental health, our laws and school policies need to keep up to keep students safer. Homework can be made up and tests retaken, but giving students the chance to rest might be what helps turn school from something students endure into something they can enjoy.
