I recently watched a TED Talk on “Why students should have mental health days”, and it really made me think about the pressures that some of our students struggle with daily. Some students are academically stressed, while others have stress they bring with them from home, but the one that is now beginning to come more to light are the true mental health issues that young people are being diagnosed with. We as educators know nothing about what our students are truly struggling with when they step foot in our classrooms. I remember when I was going to school for my undergraduate work and a professor of mine told us, if you are going to be teacher make sure you carve out some mental health time throughout your school year. As an adult that made sense to me, but I never thought about our students needing the same break. So, the question is, should students be given mental health days at school?

Hailey Hardcastle is from Salem, Oregon, and as she began her TED Talk she started with an early conversation that she had with her mother about being allowed to take three mental health rest days every semester as long as she continued to do well in school. This started when she was only six years old and her grade schoolteachers would call her a worrier, but later she was diagnosed with trauma-induced anxiety and clinical depression. According to Hardcastle (2020), “This made growing up pretty hard. I was worried about a lot of things that other kids weren’t, and school got really overwhelming sometimes.” Some semesters she would take full advantage of those days and other semesters she didn’t need them. What made her feel at ease was the fact that taking a day off was always an option if she needed it.

In the summer of 2018, legislation passed in Oregon that will allow students five excusable mental health days in a three-month period (Edutopia, 2019). With the pressures of school academics, friendships, home life, and the rising percentage of suicide rates and mental health, students should absolutely be given mental health days at school. It is our duty as educators to make sure that all our students are well taken care of and that also includes their mental stability. According to Cassata (2019), “Mental health days are not only good for the practical aspect of giving young people a break, but they also validate that the community and society are saying, ‘We understand and we’re supporting you in this way.’” The data shows that a sizable number of U.S. students could benefit if other states pass similar laws. If schools were to change their policies would that help student’s mental health? According to mental health advocates, the changes in school policy, along with other efforts have been big steps in reducing the stigma around mental health and suicide. The new legislation in Oregon follows the heels of other recent state efforts that push schools to ramp up supports and resources for student wellness. My hope is that California will follow suit and we can begin to support the social and emotional needs of all our students no matter what age.

References:
Cassata, C. (2019, November 23). Yes, Children Need to Take Mental Health Days Too – Here’s Why. Retrieved June 27, 2020, from https://www.healthline.com/health-news/mental-health-day-for-kids

Fleming, N. (2019, August 09). Students Can Now Miss School for a ‘Mental Health Day’. Retrieved June 27, 2020, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/students-can-now-miss-school-mental-health-day

Hardcastle, H. (2020, January). Why students should have mental health days. Retrieved June 27, 2020, from https://www.ted.com/talks/hailey_hardcastle_why_students_should_have_mental_health_days/up-next?language=en