yes
When I was in high school the students' mental health was never taken into account, unless it reached the extreme of a student breaking down in the school building. Giving them a couple of days to take care of their mental health is something that school should allow and encourage. I suffered from social anxiety at that time and on days when going to school and facing my classmates felt like too much I had to fake an illness to stay at home, which in turn made me feel guilty about lying to my mother. Having the option to openly say that I needed a mental health day would have given me the opportunity to focus on myself and be open about this topic with my mother. It is unavoidable that some students will take advantage of these mental health days and use them to have more free days, but it is no different to faking a stomach ache or a big headache to skip school. The school and the parents will have to teach them how important these mental health days are and to use them responsibly. This will also include school to talk about mental health, and teach the students how to recognize mental health issues in themselves or friends, and how to deal with them. Mental health problems can start from a very young age and accompany students all their life, so it is important that school teaches how to face them and supports the students when they need time to take care of themselves.
Mental health days should definitely be allowed. If people are now saying that mental health is as important as physical health and inherently tied to it, why can we take sick days and spend time away from school if we are physically injured but not if we're mentally hurting? If the concern is children abusing the ability to use a mental health day, maybe you should be just as concerned about a child faking sick. As someone considered an extremely good student, but is secretly struggling quite a bit mentally, I think the trust should be there for me to take a day off. If I do go to school instead of taking the day off, I feel drained and unfocused and it carries over into the rest of the schoolweek. It would help immensely to take a day to recover and go back able to better perform my work. If you want a child to be successful, I think you should let them take care of themselves. There could even be education around mental health in the curriculum to teach kids about when it is appropriate to use these days.
Some are arguing the fact that students should be allowed to take a certain amount of days off if needed. Lots of students struggle with anxiety due to outside factors, and it it something that grows worse. I think most have realized that the environment in most schools is draining, and we have gotten to a point where we know something needs to change. So by giving students the option to take the day off if not physically unwell, is a huge first step in the right direction. Some parents argue that kids will take advantage and fake a lot of it, which is possible, but kids need time off from school anyways. Giving them the option to do it on their own time is something that will serve the mental health of students.
Personally students shouldnt because all they do is complain so they dont deserive it.
@EMilop dm What if a relative died? Sometimes kids complain because they need a break. mental health is more important then school
Personally, I don't think we should get a day off. It states that students are tackling problems beyond the classroom so we should focus on the outside instead of the inside of school. I believe if we are to do something proactive that is not stressful will fix the problem. For instance playing your favourite sport, exercising, listening to music or maybe just sleeping might be the answer. Students should not get a day off because the way they spend will determine their mental and physical health and we are not guaranteed it will be good.
I absolutely believe that students should get mental health breaks. We are expected to go to school 180 days out of the year with only a short break in the spring and breaks for holidays. Other than that, students are constantly expected to be at school and give 100% each day. We spend over 7 hours at school every single day, not including school sports or other activities. I play soccer and we usually practice until 5:30PM, so I normally don’t get home until 6PM. By the time I shower and eat dinner, it’s already 7. In order to get a healthy 8 hours of sleep, I have to be in bed by 10PM. This only gives me 3 hours out of my day to do chores, homework, relax, see my family, talk to my friends, watch TV, and read books. I have to do this 5 days a week, 9 months out of the year. Going through this routine every day eventually becomes monotonous and exhausting. Some days, I just want to go home and lay in my bed and think about nothing. This is why I feel that mental health days would be very beneficial to students. If we have a day off every once in a while to just settle down and catch up on any assignments or activities, we won’t get as stressed during the school year and will be more productive with our time. I have experienced becoming burnt out and it not only affects my grades, but also my mental health.
@Lizzie, Block 4
I think it’s interesting that the article brought up the topic of mental health and anxiety. It’s incredibly sad to me that a girl’s life could’ve been saved if we had just focused more on mental health and less on the number of days that kids have to be at school. The article describes how a teenager named Chloe Wilson committed suicide because she was struggling with bullying and her mental health. She pretended to be sick in order to stay home from school, so her parents never assumed that she was dealing with tougher issues. If she had days off from school, she might’ve had a chance to sit down with her parents and tell them what had happened or even just gotten a break from the bullying going on at school. The school system often prioritizes things over students’ mental health, but I think there needs to be a stronger push for breaks and mental check-ins. At school, there is a certain expectation that everyone should be pushing themselves to their limit and competing against other students; I think that if we all just slowed down a little and took well-deserved breaks, we could realize what we’re truly capable of.
Yes, mental health is one of the largest crises affecting the teenage community. In the modern era, with technology ruling the battlefield, with bullying being a tap away, with schools turning to technology instead of the “old school” books, life as a teenager can be exhausting. I personally can attest to the fact that these issues of depression, anxiety, and suicide are a real problem. I have known people in my area, kids I have grown up with, who deal with these issues, unable to be heard until you see them on the news, and you knew it was too late. These issues plague high schools and universities, giving students the chance to at least be heard, and letting them know that mental health is a serious issue, that it can be an illness, as the Utah governor stated.
Yes, I think we can all agree some kids will take advantage of the matter, just taking days off to take days off, but that should not stray the people's votes for the matter. The good outweighs the bad, and giving the students a chance to be heard, and letting them know it is okay, that maybe they would open up to their parents, something that the parents of Chloe Wilson expressed in the article.
Adults may think they know all that is going on in a kid's life, but more often than not, they know just the surface. An iceberg to me is an accurate representation of adults' knowledge of their kids' mental health. They see the tip, but under the surface there is much much more, not always good.
@Jonah Harker Block 4
It is good that students are advocating for these issues, advocating for a larger cause, not just themselves. Derek Evans says “The difference one day makes is honestly life-changing.” That is all students need, just a day here and there, to catch up on work, to not have to worry about school. Just for one day. Just one. It could be the difference maker between a seemingly happy kid, to an actual happy one.
I think that yes we should have mental health days because I cannot count the number of times I have felt completely burned out or just not well enough mentally that it affects me physically causing me aments pain all through my body from soreness to migrants, etc... I wake up in the morning feeling like I was hit by a truck of negative emotions but still had to get up and got to school because that is what is expected of me as a student. I also believe this should apply to teachers and staff because just like us students, they can also be mentally unstable and need a rest day.
Mental health is also an important aspect of our life as well as physical health. Despite knowing that mental health care is necessary, most of us don't want to accept it.
As psychological health can impact the life of a teenager, so we should take it more cautiously. If any student has to attend their classes in a depressing mental condition, maybe it can tremendously worsen their mental health. As a consequence, they can try to hurt themselves and even can be suicidal too.
Taking the above things into consideration, I think allowing sick leave for mental health care would be a great decision.
Students should have a mental health break from school because school can many times make you overwhelmed and anxious and the way things are quickly moving these days it's nice to have a break and have time to catch up on missing work and catch up with friends and family. A mental health day of can help students in many ways it's just a time to take a break and reconnect and get organized and prepared.
1
@Liana i agree
The school should give students to get meatal healthy. Nowadays many students used social media which makes them very easily impact their network. And that has many other questions. They also can make deep stress on their family. The family relationship will impact then the growth. This should the school help them. Mental health is important in the student's life. The student should get exercise and study and make friends in the school. A school is a place, it makes people can learn, can be there avoid family impaction.ALL about will impact the thechildren'sn mental health.
I think students should have the option to take mental health days when they need them. Mental health days should be chosen and handled wisely by students, and when it is allowed by the school system, it can offer many benefits to the mental wellbeing of our students today. As mentioned in the article, just a few days off from school to take time for a student’s mental health could have immensely powerful effects. Though some parents disagree with this claim, concerned that certain people will take advantage of the opportunity, many other parents are set on the idea. There would be less lying and more openness about how our brain is functioning itself. This spreads awareness about our mental health and could even be so beneficial that it could save lives.
Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and sadly, it is common for teenagers to consider it at times. It’s important to give students a break, even if it’s just a day, to lessen their anxiety and help them grow. This could save some teenagers from developing severe mental illnesses and the benefits could be endless. It’s important to inspire change in the school system, even if it may seem intimidating at first because it’s how we can grow and change it for the better.
I believe that having a mental health day off from school is immensely helpful and almost crucial in terms of the mental safety of growing students. School environments and school work can be very overwhelming for some students. As students grow older and move up to higher levels in school, the demand for work increases and is expected to be turned in at higher levels than were ever expected in the past. This demand and these expectations can really take a tole on a young student and their mental health. As well as schoolwork, just being at school and being around other peers can be really stressful for some students. This could be because of bullying, social anxiety, gossip, personal issues, and so many more. Sometimes it simply feels like such a relief to get a well deserved break from school, school work, and even other peers. Hopefully, other schools in other places around the world will take this law into consideration. When making this decision, the only thing on the country/school administrators minds should be the benefits that this option would have on their students. In the end, that's all that should really matter.
@Charli I agree with your last statement, that that is really all that should matter in there eyes. I also like your inclusion of the demand for work, and difficulty of classes, and how that can affect a students mental health. I also enjoy you talking about other factors in school that can cause mental illness, such as social anxiety and gossip. I think many people look at the bullying, and rightfully so, but fail to look at the other causes for mental illness in teens. You made great points and I really enjoyed your last sentence, because our best interest should be on their mind. Our best interest is the option to take a mental health day.
I think that the schools in Oregon have improved students' mental health. By giving them a mental health day they can use that day to help them instead of going to school where it would make their health worse. With all of the things going on in someone's life, globally or personally, it can mentally affect them and going to school does not make it much better with its overwhelming and stressful environment.
These schools almost act like the role models that other schools should follow. If this was the law globally it would positively affect students all around the world. Students would get the time that they need to help themselves to improve their overall mental health.
I think it is a great idea that schools, like in Oregon let students take mental health days off from school. With Covid-19 and many other things happening in the World or even just in their daily life, you don't know what others are going through in their mind. School can be overwhelming for students and can take a huge toll in their mental health.
By letting students take mental health days off from school, it will have a huge positive impact. Stigma is around mental health and so this is a beneficial way to spread awareness and also help students at the same time. This will save lives.
I'm writing an editorial for class and I can't find a counterclaim for the argument that schools should support and be aware of their students' mental health can anyone help? I've been looking at the comments of related articles and can't find anything...
@Med I am also doing this for school and I found a counter claim on National Review called “The Problem with ‘Mental-Health Days’ at Schools” it made some interesting points and it was written by a teacher so you get that type of view. Here is the link https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/11/the-problem-with-mental-health-days-at-schools/
Nerf miner
I think it is great that lawmakers in Oregon took into consideration the students and their mental health, due to everything that happens in the world or at school. You never know what someone goes through or what they have on their mind, as balancing personal life with school can be exhausting. Being able to take a break is such a relaxing and good thing especially for overwhelmed students.
I have felt really overwhelmed lately, especially during sports season because I have practices every day plus school work. I sometimes feel like I need a mental health break because of all the things I do but I don’t want to take the day off school because I will get so behind. Especially in my AP classes, because if I miss a day I will become so behind and it will start to snowball. Some days I feel so tired and it is hard to get my work done and do sports and extracurriculars all at once. If my state started to do mental health days I would not be opposed and I feel like it is a great idea for the students. My performance in school would also do so much better if I was able to have some days to rest mentally. This would help limit the amount of kids who fake being sick to there parents to stay home from school but then miss school. These mental health days would help students mentally and physically.
Lawmakers in Oregon are setting a precedent that will benefit and save a lot of kids. The expectation for kids to be mentally and physically active for five days a week, eight hours a day, is unrealistic and harmful. While kids should receive and require a basic high school education, it shouldn’t take priority over their lives and mental health.
A stigma has been created that those who prioritize themselves over their responsibilities are lazy, but I disagree. I think those who can prioritize themselves have achieved a new level of maturity and success in life. Life is short and without the breaks and vacations that make it worth living, there is no point in working. I think true happiness and mental strength come from the luxury of laziness.
Kids attend primary school to learn the basic information needed to begin an in-depth higher education, but while kids are attending primary school, they are also learning to be human beings. If schools and teachers set the precedent that kids need to continuously work to achieve basic funds to live, people will burn out by their early thirties. Giving kids the room to make mistakes as they mature and evolve is essential. We want an industry of responsible, dedicated, and well-rounded individuals in our future, not a generation of chaotic, frantic maniacs running around attempting to check everything off their to-do list.
@Alex Avellino, Block 2
If public education continues at the rate it is, our society will never evolve past low minimum wage, workers on strike, and high-school dropouts. We can do better. Give the new generation time and mental health days.
@Alex Avellino, Block 2
Breaks are definitely essential to success, especially when it comes to school. How are we going to have any longevity if we're constantly working ourselves to death? I like how you said that we want our generation to be well-rounded and good people, not just hard workers. I agree that in order to really be productive and enjoy working, we must also pause and check in with ourselves. I think that the COVID pandemic taught people that life is simpler than we think. Maybe we should focus more on our relationships and our family, instead of working super hard all the time. Mental health days are important because they give us an opportunity to focus on things we might disregard when we're too busy. People truly are happier when they slow down and can enjoy their lives.
Part 1:
I think it is so nice that lawmakers in Oregon were thinking about students and their mental health, due to everything that happens in the world or at school. You never really know what someone goes through or what they have on their mind, as balancing personal life with school can be exhausting. Taking a break from everything, even if it is just one day, can feel so nice and relaxing.
Many times I have felt like I have needed a mental break from school. I do many activities after school, and keeping up with them plus having the time to do the heavy workload from school gets tiring really quickly. To be honest, I had a mental breakdown the other day over the piles of homework I had. I have been staying up until the early hours of the morning every single day to try to finish everything I had from all my classes, and to try and study for any upcoming tests to make sure I do well. It’s extremely exhausting and hard on me, and I don’t know how I even manage to get up to go to school every morning. Most days, I feel emotionless and extremely tired, emotionally and physically, and the days seem to drag on. My mind constantly races with a long list of things I need to do and prepare for in the future, and what I need to start on the moment I get home.
@Maria, Block 1
Part 2:
My school definitely needs to have mental health breaks throughout the year. I sometimes contemplate whether I should just stay home for once and allow myself to catch up on lost sleep and to feel like myself again, however, I cannot afford to miss anything from class or the workload will be even higher. My performance in school would also do so much better if I was able to have some days to rest mentally.
However, people would still find a way to abuse this and make up excuses to be sick and stay at home. But, like Oregon did, having a limited amount of mental health days would limit the number of days students stay at home, lying about being ill. Benefits of mental health days definitely outweigh the risks, as it allows students to deal with other problems outside of school. School performance would go up as well, as taking breaks are healthy for the mind.
Part 1:
In my opinion, Oregon made the right choice by giving students mental health days. I respect the lawmakers who allowed this to pass. There will always be people who don’t believe that students need a day like this, but I know that a lot of students like myself appreciate a small act like this because even one day can make a difference. There’s so many things impacting our lives every day on top of school and constantly having to balance that can exhaust any human out, not just teenagers.
Mental health days would not only benefit teenagers, but also the education system. Everyday, we come to school, tired and burned out, thinking of nothing but the hours until we can go home. We barely focus because of the tremendous amount of pressure being put on us, whether it’s from school or from just our lives in general. Having a mental health day may seem like a pointless 24 hours to some, but even 20 minutes of no stress can seriously help someone get back on their feet.
That being said, I think the power of mental health breaks can easily be abused by many people, whether they mean to or not. Having limitations like only a certain number of days during a period of time like Oregon did is what can make an idea like this truly effective for teachers and students.
Part 2:
Honestly even as I’m typing this on my computer right now, my brain is circling with the million other things I have to do for school. I feel like we never catch a true break even if some may consider vacations a break. Something is always distracting us, whether it’s something like ACT Prep or just simple math homework. There is always something to worry about. A day to truly just focus on myself and nothing else is exactly what I need to get my motivation back, not only for school but all aspects of my life.
@Rahi Patel, Block 2
Teenagers get so much stress and responsibility put on them at such a young age. It's honestly not fair. We are only 15-17 years old and are worrying about missing out on opportunities that may or may not affect our future. Kids need breaks.
I think so many kids especially during covid times have faced loads of mental health battles. When we started going back to school the workload quickly became overwhelming. It was hard to get back into the swing of going to school every day. Mental health days are so important to take a break to manage stress and workloads. I think schools should explain how to take care of your mental health to help students coming back to school after a time of such destress, during covid.
@Maddy K
I agree Maddy, I have felt really overwhelmed lately with all the school work and sports that I do and need a break somedays but don't want to miss school work and have to make it up later.
Mental health days are so important for kids. Anxiety and stress take a toll on many students. Taking days off allow the students to reset their minds and focus the next day. The days off allow these kids to get extra sleep that they need, make up assignments that are stressing them out, or simply just relaxing. Going to school 5 days a week for 6 hours is a lot and we all need breaks. I'm glad people are talking about the affects that mental health has on so many students daily and what we can do to fix it.
I think that mental health days are needed in school because they will be better in school and work hard and stop fights. “Dealing with anxiety throughout middle school has always left me tired, exhausted up against some weeks, and the difference one day makes is honestly life-changing. this is why I think that students should get mental health days off of school.
Wow, it is so nice to see lawmakers think of the mental health of students and give them time off for it. School and many other events that are happening in our lives at this moment are very tiring and gets worse and worse as it goes on. I think that it would be better to implement it as a break for all students rather than it being a sick day situation where only one student misses school. This would likely lessen the load of work and stress on everyone and make it so students wouldn’t be behind and even more stressed. I feel like even if some students don’t need the mental break from school like others do, it would be good if kids still got breaks from school that were stress free without having to worry about work or expectations. However, I think in general schools should address mental health more without simply focusing on things like bullying; while it is a problem there are other things that equally affect students negatively like unrealistically high expectation, high work-load, and family/personal matters that aren’t talked about as much as they should be at schools. And the fact that parents say that taking things like mental health days “coddles” children shows that they have no idea some of the things that their kids may be dealing with since they have never talked about mental health with them.
(Part 2) I think that for the most part the positives outweigh the negatives especially since these days would allow students to get therapy if needed or talk about their mental health with others or maybe simply take a break that can be few and far between in the average school year.
I highly respect the lawmakers passing the law to allow mental health days in school. Sometimes school is very overwhelming, and some weeks just get worse and worse as the days go by. I think having 5 mental health days every 3 months is very smart. This will allow students to take a break when they need to, and not stress about being absent or missing anything. Sometimes skipping school for my own mental health can be just as stressful as going, so I think mental health days are a very good idea.
With the option to have reset days, students will be more ready to learn after taking the time to focus and catch up on themselves first. Even as I write this, I feel tired and unmotivated. If I could have at least a day where I could do no work at all and focus on my own mind and body, I think I would be doing a lot better and find it easier to keep up with my work load.
I don’t see any negative effects of taking a mental health break, as long as they are limited. This power could be abused or even lied about by some students if not given limitations, but even if some students use it to simply skip a day of school, it will be helping many more students deal with real life problems that the school system tends to not recognize.
@Morgan Steiner, Block 4
I completely agree with that last paragraph. Sometimes students will take advantage of ideas like these and that's why discipline and limitations are needed to help improve the idea of a mental health break.
As someone who struggles a lot from anxiety and depression I wish my school let us have mental health days. A lot of my anxiety comes from school and there has been multiple occasions where I've had to leave early or not come to school because of how bad my anxiety is. I have struggled with anxiety basically my whole life, it was never this bad until the beginning of 2021, it gets so bad I make myself sick and I constantly feel bad. I think anxiety is something that should be more talked about. If teachers made their classrooms feel like a “safe place” and told their students helpful things and reminded them they're ok, and if teachers or school counselors taught students what to do if they feel anxious it would be very helpful. Mental health needs to be talked about more, it isn't something people should be ashamed of. I used to be embarrassed when people asked why I looked so sad or angry because I didn't want to tell them I was anxious. A lot of the time I personally don't know exactly what's causing my anxiety. So that being said I think it is so important for people to be KIND to everyone because you never know what's going on, to go along with that, schools should take into consideration giving students mental health days. Even if it's just two Fridays off a month, or every other Wednesday, it could really help young people have at least a little bit of clarity.
2
Mental Breaks - Yes, I do believe ALL students should get a few mental breaks off from school. As someone is is dealing with anxiety, ADHD and overwhelmed, it will be good. Bullying and fighting is a factor amongst most schools, by having Mental Breaks off School, this gives students time at home to relax, focus and refresh their minds. I think all STATES need to implement something like that. It can go for teachers and school staff aswell. Its very important that students get a Good rest, and fresh mind every day. Its very important. Now saying that, it could put students behind, now if Homework was not a thing and it was classwork it would be way better for all STUDENTS. If this ever happens I think bullying and fighting will be toned down, and you wont see as much of it.
@AnonymousUser(01).
I agree! The only stressful part about taking a day off is the homework or notes you've missed. Eliminating homework would be the most efficient way to relieve stress in the school system.
I think that mental health days are needed in school because they will be better in school and work hard and stop fights. “Dealing with anxiety throughout high school has always left me tired, exhausted up against some weeks, and the difference one day makes is honestly life-changing. this is why I think that kids should get mental health days off of school.
Having a stable mental health is something I believe everyone wishes to have. Being able to stay joyful consistently is at the top of my wishlist. However, unfortunately we all have off days where we don’t feel like doing anything. I know when I’m feeling down or even worse, I just want to stay in bed all day and sleep. Going to school is the last thing I want to do when I feel depressed. Just as the article states, we all go through times where we just need to recharge and take a day off.
Taking a mental health day is something I believe all schools should offer to students. When students come to school and they’re feeling off, they most likely will not be putting forth their best work. As a result, the student may not be getting the best grades. School is far down on my list of priorities when my mental health is off or unsteady.
Taking a mental health day will give you time to recharge. Recharging will allow your energy, concentration, and normal work ethic to be restored, according to the article. On your mental health day, take time to do what makes you happy. Do something that’ll help get you back into the groove. The article suggests doing things that bring pleasure and meaning in your life/ day. Doing the things that make you happy will bring a sense of joy back into your rough days.
@Cuyler McElhinney, Block 4 I can relate to this, because sometimes I just feel so tired and down that I don't want to get out of bed and actively think that I can't last through the school day.
I think that having mental health days off of school is one of the best improvements health wise that can possibly be made for the Ohio school systems could possibly make. I can safely say from personal experience that it could improve everything tremendously.
1
Students should get mental health days off of school in order to better themselves and take a break away from the stress or fear school brings. A way to show this when the article said “Dealing with anxiety throughout high school has always left me tired, exhausted up against some weeks, and the difference one day makes is honestly life-changing,”. This shows that school brings a lot of stress and damage a student mental health but one day would be able to make a big difference to a student.
Students should be able to have mental health days off to lower stress and depression in students that are caused by work or other students. According to the article, "The parents of Chloe Wilson, who died by suicide in 2018, told The Associated Press that their daughter, who had faced bullying after coming out as bisexual, had pretended to be sick in order to stay home from school.“Because she lied to get her absences excused, we didn’t get to have those mental health conversations that could have saved her life,” her mother, Roxanne Wilson, explained to the press." By this section of the article, it shows how the high school student, Chloe Wilson, tried her hardest to not go to school because of the pressure of not being excepted and not being able to talk to someone about her issues. It seems that even though she tried to stay home, she had lied to stay home and you could tell from her mother's response that she was unknown of what was happening with her daughter and she was never able to talk to her daughter, never able to help her daughter. The stress and bullying from the other kids pushed her to her breaking point which lead to her sadly ending her life.
1
Students should get mental health days off of school in order to get enough rest to be successful in school, kids could be depressed and they have to drag themselves around school all day,I say This because I’ve gone into the bathroom plenty of times and have seen people Having mental breakdowns in there all the time this is also coming from someone that’s had one today:)!
Student should get mental health days off because hearing about chloe wilson is sad how a human being had to pretend to be sick in order to avoid bullying that happens in school because she came out as bisexual, and because her feelings isn't a valid reason to stay home says a lot. mental health should matter more so that way a student can have energy and feel welcomed at school. One day of rest for a mental health could make a big change just like derek evans said.
¨The parents of Chloe Wilson, who died by suicide in 2018, told The Associated Press that their daughter, who had faced bullying after coming out as bisexual, had pretended to be sick in order to stay home from school.¨ this part from the text shows how harsh condidtions of school can be for kids, some people and myself as a example have dragged there self to school, out of bed, through the day. its not uncommon for kids to have mental breakdowns at my school and kids to bully,be distractions, its not uncommon for kids to have bad grades. then the enviorment for the kids dont help it makes there mental 1000 times worse. we need to help kids like me, like us.
Mental health struggles are extremely strenuous to undergo and require proper care and support. As someone who has struggled with anxiety in the past, I must say that schools should provide provisions for mental well-being. I remember days when I felt too tired to even talk to someone in my class. I was deep in depression and school felt like too much of a social burden for me. Society's opinions had also led me into stigmatizing mental health and I had refused to admit my problems for quite a long time. Chloe's story is beyond tragic. The fact that a simple leave of absence could have saved a life is so heartbreaking to even think about. Thousands of other teenagers like her, all around the globe, struggle with mental health issues and bullying on a regular basis. But communities often preclude them from reaching out for help. Parents who oppose the provision for mental health leave must reconsider their opinions. While some students might misuse the opportunity by staying home for no reason, the vast majority of children suffering from anxiety will immensely benefit from a refreshing break from their schools. But a mere medical-leave provision is not enough. Students might speculate peer criticism and be reluctant to take leave. Hence, school counselors should actively campaign for mental health issues and educate students about the consequences of suppressing themselves. The scientific reasons behind depression should be discussed in order to de-stigmatize mental health.
1
@Riddhiman Roy
I really relate to the fact that I am too tired to talk to people at my school sometimes, and it can come off as rude. I try not to, but sometimes my emotions get the best of me. School has also become a social burden for me, and my first though whenever I wake up is that I don't want to go to school, I don't want to talk to anyone or see anyone.
I agree that many others like Chloe are struggling with heir mental health and by giving them mental health breaks, they can deal with their other problems, or simply be given a rest, which could definitely benefit them and be refreshing.
Here in Argentina, anybody gives mental health the priority and importance it deserves. This is clearly noticeable when we realize that we do not have a mental day off and there are not even discussions to start implementing it. Mental problems need to be made more visible since there are many students (and I include myself when I talk about those students) that really need to relax from some situations that are very stressful and provoke high levels of anxiety.
I have particularly experienced some days that I felt were really difficult for me in which the only thing I needed was to rest and do not think about anything. But guess what? I couldn't give myself the opportunity to unwind and take my mind off work because I had to study, do so much homework, and had a social life apart from all the other activities.
For this reason, I really support the idea of having a mental health day off. It is essential for students to study without stress. Otherwise, their minds will not work properly!
1
It would not even help because you would just have to catch up on what you have missed that day which would cause more stress.
1
@Seth M You're not wrong
@Seth M Actually if you go to my school they give way fewer assignments for that day considering your health
1
@Seth M true unless you was to talk to your school about it and see if they can excuse you for mental health days.
In Argentina, we do not have a thing such as a mental health day off, which is a pity because I feel it's something many students are in dire need of. Most students just skip school, claiming they're feeling sick. And this does nothing but to reinforce the current stigma mental health carries. Students are sometimes so ashamed of admitting they need a day off to unwind and relax that they fake physical ailments to make their situation more valid.
If we are to really address this issue, we should remember that adolescence is a crucial period in life. Anxiety and self-consciousness are at their peak and, if not tackled correctly, they could cause significant problems in the long run. So, apart from making mental days off a reality, schools should redesign their syllabuses so that mental health becomes a cross-curricular topic.
Schools are supposed to prepare students to face the world "out there". But to really do so, mental health must be a priority.
1
Conditions that are mental health related continue to be stigmatized today. Countless adults disregard the seriousness of mental health disorders because of a lack of awareness or education, particularly when it comes to pre-teens and teenagers. In reality, early adolescence is a crucial stage of development, where anxiety is at its peak. The measures taken in America help to stimulate the discussion about mental or behavioural health. Having days off available at school will certainly alleviate teens and children who are susceptible to stress, exhaustion and depression.
I understand how parents can be sceptical of the possibility of skipping class to avoid responsibilities by pretending to be sick. But this has always happened with other, perhaps more trivial ailments, such as a stomachache, and most of them would not argue against having a day off in those situations. It is important to point out, however, that having a day or two of rest will not lead to permanent recovery from any mental health illness. Schools should be ready to provide assistance and facilitate access to professionals in the field to help students who might be struggling in silence.
I like the idea of having a day off but I don't think it would be a good idea because kids would just use that to their advantage so they can skip school for no reason.
@Axell Hodges you are right people would just used the days to skip school for no reason but i do wished that they could do that for all the high school or all the schools because some people are dealing with things and some other people may not know what they are going through
@Axell Hodges I agree I definitely know of people who would abuse this mental health day. However I do think it is necessary for those who need it. Those who would abuse the mental health days would abuse it would skip the school day anyways whether they had the excuse or not. The mental health days would not be unlimited either. What would also be helpful are the conversations that would happen with the student after they take a mental health day. As Ms. Roxanne Wilson mentioned in this article, those conversations about mental health could have saved her daughter’s life. That is very powerful and I believe that schools should take into account students mental health. Mental health is often overlooked because it is not seen as detrimental as physical illnesses and injuries. This is false and letting kids take these mental health days would normalize having issues with mental health to a degree, enough so that people could feel confident having people know they struggle with mental health just as others struggle with illnesses. This normalization of struggling with mental health promotes healthy coping mechanisms and decreases the stigma around mental health which could save countless lives.
I do understand the view of those who state that people should not evade their responsibilities, nonetheless, having a day off should not be considered as a waste of time or an excuse to miss a day of school. Mental health is of utmost importance and it is high time to talk about this topic.
Emotional disorders often emerge during adolescence, thus it is the right moment to do something about it. If schools give this option to their students, they will help to cut through the stigma that mental health has been carrying for decades. Simply by offering them some days off per 3-month period, students will feel free to take them with no need of lying about the reason for absence. Moreover, it will be easier for youngsters to talk about their problems and concerns without the fear of being judged or criticized by others.
Finally, I find it relevant to add that nowadays, the pandemic situation has worsened the challenges that those with mental illnesses usually face. And even though the majority of us do only attend online lessons, that does not mean that problems had disappeared. In fact, they are still there, probably aggravated. Thus now, more than ever, mental health must be put into the limelight.
Firstly, I find it wonderful that mental health issues are being addressed since it is a highly sensitive topic and, in some circumstances, still stigmatized. Having said that, I understand the implementation of one or some days off of school but, is it the solution? Suppose you miss school today. What about tomorrow? Insecurities, situations, or persons that trigger your anxiety and personal problems that each of us has will be standing next to our bed the next morning when we get up. Personally, it helps me a lot when I take a break from school or work and give myself time to relax and calm down, but by doing that I don’t solve, overcome or confront anything. Instead of a free day, I think that educational systems should raise awareness about mental issues, share information about them, and facilitate access to specialists in the field. No need to mention that some students may take advantage of these “free days” and pretend to feel down just to continue sleeping or avoiding classes. By having the proper information and help, students will learn more about themselves and how to cope with their illnesses. And finally, although already full of responsibilities and burdens on their shoulders, teachers should be ready to identify mental illnesses in their students, learn how to act in front of certain situations, and know when to take action if red flags start to appear.
1
I completely understand the purpose but once you are an adult with children and responsibilities you cannot simply take days off to 'reset you just have to learn to carry on. So if these mental health days are introduced and children get used to them it will be harder for them to get used and accept adulthood. As per example if you are an adult with two children and an average workplace, you have to cook and clean for the day while picking up and dropping off the children at school and going to work. You cannot just drop everything and 'reset' you have to learn how to cope with the problem.
I accept as true with college students have to have the choice to have a handful of intellectual fitness days at some point of the college year.
This would no longer be coddling them. A guardian whose toddler has a fever would no longer pressure the toddler to go to school. Why? Because the toddler will be unable to relaxation sufficient to heal and will now not be focusing on the schoolwork. It is the equal with intellectual fitness days. A baby who is feeling mentally ill and worn-out will no longer be in a position to pay interest in school, simply like with the toddler with a fever, and as such, will solely aggravate their situation for nothing.
Students Factory
Students Factory is a largest and longest running Educational Promotion. Students Factory helps to improve the English lingua to the international level by learning new concepts & developing correct usage with the post modern competitive level. We impart our linguistics expertise to provide the highest quality of educational programs to the global educational sector. Students Factory further adds its value with Professional/Corporate Training & Development, Team building sessions, Learning applications & CER initiatives. Our purpose is to inspire the students of today and yesterday for a better tomorrow.
I am 14, and I believe students should have the option to have a handful of mental health days during the school year.
This would not be coddling them. A parent whose child has a fever would not force the child to go to school. Why? Because the child will be unable to rest enough to heal and will not be focusing on the schoolwork. It is the same with mental health days. A child who is feeling mentally unwell and tired will not be able to pay attention in school, just like with the child with a fever, and as such, will only worsen their condition for nothing.
With mental health days does come the risk of students faking being ill in order to skip school; however, this also occurs with sick days for physical ailments. It is a classic trope: a student pretends to be sick to avoid school. Yet, no one is arguing against those sick days.
There is a very large stigma around mental health, especially when it comes to teens. There is this idea that because teens are so young, they do not “deserve” to be mentally ill, which is so wrong. Middle and high school are incredibly stressful times, and the current world climate does not help matters. Every minute, teens are exposed to everything that is awful in the world, from the climate crisis to genocides. And that does not even cover the pandemic and how that is affecting teens. By allowing for mental health days, schools would do even a little to help destigmatize mental illnesses.
I'm 14 and while I may not have any mental health issues,I have taken days off of school to help myself when school becomes to much of an issue to add to my daily life.I wholeheartedly belive that children that are growing up now,and especially in a pandemic,all have some days when we need to take a break and there should be days for that.My school doesn't do as much as it should for people struggling with mental illnesses,our guidence consulers focus on school rather then feelings.I think that if people start to see the problem with school and our mental health,then changes should be made.School used to be my favorite part of the day,and I now dread getting up and going online to do work.While the weekend may be considered "mental health" days,I think we should get a choice to take off during the school days,as your mental health doesn't choose a time to come.
I am 14 and have suffered from anxiety and depression for the past 4 years and some days it feels so overwhelming and scary.
My school chooses to ignore mental health issues with students so that has not helped my situation. My home life also causes stress which adds to the anxiety which leads to depression. In my opinion, I think schools should offer mental health days. I also think that the schools should offer mental health screening that can be kept private. This could've helped many kids at my school because we have had a number of suicides, keeping that in mind though we only have about 300 kids in high school. So in summary schools should offer mental health days because this could help lessen some of my symptoms and make life more enjoyable. Thank you for listening to my story and opinions.
@Rodrigo Razo
same I also deal with agoraphobia witch is the fear of being around a lot of people or being in a place I cant escape, also I have ADHD and ADD which still does not help the situation, I have been to many therapy sessions. I also am not able to sleep that much and that is from the stress and i feel that schools should do mental health sreening because that would help alot
Students should definitely get mental health days off. Oftentimes I get really stressed because of school, and now since I can barely leave my house, It's a lot worse. School is really stressful for a lot of people, so I think there should be mental health days besides weekends.
i do believe saturdays and sundays are considered mental break days but thats just because i was raised to never give up and think ahead,whenever im sick i still have to go to school whenever i dont wanna go to school i have to go etc thats just how my household is if i miss one day it can affect a lot of things and sometimes set me back majorly and ive always though of school as a prison and i am its prisoner forced to wake up and start my daily routine go to school sit there. class ends go to next class sit there. class ends go to next class sit there. schools over go home do all the homework i have and than have my free time wich ends up being 3-4 hours than i go to sleep repeat that everyday and than it gets worse when theres tests ive now gone to the point where i no longer do homework as much because my mind just cant sit there nd do it,this was school in regular, now we have online school and now its the fact i now feel imprisoned in the comfort of my own home so now i am imprisioned 24/7 it feels like and because we are always home they tend to assign more assignments than if i regularly went to school wich leaved me to more missing assignments than i have to spend time doing those missing assignments im am slowly deteriating into nothingness i no longer want to do anyhthing i have over 60 missing assignments and the school has contacted my mom and now i am currently doing those assignments and now i probly wont have any free time of my own for the next week or 2
1
@angel machado I have honestly felt the same way the entire school life tends to easily blend in home life. I have often felt sluggish and felt very unmotivated at times, and often don't finish all my work, and I feel like I'm not the only one who is stressed it's also my family because we continuously have to deal with bad grades discussions and the many emails and calls from school for the lousy attendance and grades. In all honesty, I do wish the school system would change by fixing the way and techniques that they use to teach and establish a foundation of knowledge for us students. I strongly feel like the mental health in schools would change if the school system changed itself because even being allowed these health days that many of us already take by saying we are sick when in reality we weren't actually ill. Which often left us even worse than better since the school day doesn't stop for us and the workload often multiplies causing more stress and anxiety to a person.
i dont have depression so it wont happen to me
3
I believe this has never been more relevant than it has been. Students in quarantine are now isolated from their friends and often have back to back online classes which take a lot out of the student even before school is over. Taking a day off to regroup and collect your thoughts is great for students who are stressed, overworked, and running on small amounts of sleep. Speaking from experience, as a student in the 10th grade, the work can be overwhelming especially during a period of isolation, where social interaction is extremely limited. A law that allows students to take mental health days would be extremely useful and could help identify students who are struggling with problems but may not have the courage to take the first to get help.
2
@Cooper Ingoglia
I agree due to covid I wasn't able to connect with my friends a lot and a mental health day off can help people (students) reconnect :)
A mental health break is needed a lot nowadays. As you start growing up you begin to have more difficult tasks and homework, and it is tiring to do homework every day. At the moment I am in 10th grade and I'm getting constantly frustrated with the huge number of tasks I have to do. A mental health break would make me relax a bit more, with no heavy conscious of having to do homework every day. To all ages, it would be appropriate since we all think that we need a break from school now and then.
1
Students are not allowed to take a day off at my school if they are feeling mentally unwell. This determination seems very insensible to me since our mental health is significantly compromised during teenagehood. According to a research done by the Mental Health First Aid Organization, 1 in 5 children aged 13-18 have or will have a mental illness; the study also showed that suicide is the second leading cause of deaths for ages 10-24.
I have developed severe depression and anxiety in previous years, and my school did not seem to be so comprehensive about it. In all the anxiety attacks I have had at school, no one was there to help me, nor could I go home because of it. I really wish I could have taken a day off in those episodes. How many times had I felt that my heart would jump out of my chest and that I would faint, and 5 minutes later, I had to go to class and pretend nothing happened? This is inhuman, and students should definitely be allowed to rest when they feel their mental health is ill.
4
In advisory class, we were talking about it and how we should balance everything like school and friendship, remember saying, “ I wish I had this balance because it would be so much easier to manage things” I remember seeing a lot of my friends having straight A and hanging out and going to parties like every day and always thought like “how do they do that?”.
It would be excellent for the students to have some days or even one day off to clear their heads thing, for example. Now that we are having a pandemic and having online classes, teachers pass many assignments, and it’s hard to manage it all. I just think it would be good to have a day off.
2
Have you ever felt so overwhelmed, stressed, anxious or depressed that you thought you needed a day off from school to reset?
Does your school allow you to take a sick day when you’re feeling mentally unwell? If so, have you ever taken one? If not, do you wish you had the option?
The mental health day off is crucial for students and professionals. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), we can define health as a situation of perfect social, mental, and physical well-being. To speak of mental health is to talk about balance. Mental health is the ability to harmonize the emotions felt with the experiences of everyday life. When this aspect is fully developed, the person achieves a better quality of life and harmony in their interpersonal relationships. Situations such as bullying, pressure for high marks, difficulty in acceptance, and parents' and teachers' problems can become triggers for indiscipline at school and for disorders that mark adolescence and adulthood. The mind's power can increase your confidence, decrease cravings, and change how your body reacts to certain situations. According to neuroscientist Cori Bargmann, from Rockefeller University, to keep the brain active and healthy, it is essential to sleep. During sleep, memories are fixed, and some toxic proteins are eliminated. Students need to have one day off school for mental health every month, usually, on Fridays or Mondays, the mental health day off will help students, and it will also help teachers and workers. The school should also have a psychologist, where the psychologist will work with you and help you get to where you want to be.
2
My personal opinion is that students should have the option to take a mental health day. Especially during Covid where online school is significantly more stressful to some students and teachers. I just feel that we are all going through a really rough time right now and a mental health day her and there wouldn't be too bad
My school rarely address mental health. Other then having a suicide hotline on your school id card, they do practically nothing. They say that you can talk to the admin staff, but it doesn't REALLY feel like you can. Personally, I would change it in a way to where students feel more comfortable talking to staff. How would we do that? I have no clue.
1
most students love that feeling of when they are doing well in classes and are up to date with homework with no stress at all. you can say students love the feeling of no stress. teachers try to help students in the best possible way. they give them assignments, and provide evidence to help them succeed in that class. but sometimes, teachers forget that we have more then one class. they can go over-board with at home assignments that cause a lot of stress on kids that are trying hard to stay doing well in every class.
i dont think this should apply for every grade though. i truly believe that this should only take affect on kids who are in harder grades. for instance, i think this should only happen from 10th grade up, when the stress levels become very high. i think these mental health days would help with the overuse of your brain, and your sleep schedule. i think that these metal health days are essential for those reasons.,
1
@jake marr as an 11th grader with diagnosed depression and anxiety (and possible autism or ADD) I feel any grade from middle school and up should be qualified. 10th grade and up is not enough trust me. When I was in just 7th grade I had multiple friends who cut themselves and in 8th grade I had a friend attempt to kill herself. I was way behind on schoolwork and overwhelmed with everything that was happening in my life and became physically sick from all of the mental pressure in my life. 7th grade was the worst school year I ever had. Just know there are more pressures in someone’s life than just schoolwork because it’s way more than that. And not taking care of your mental health will also affect your schoolwork no matter what grade you’re in. I had decent grades in middleschool but I never did any of my homework the only reason I passed all my classes is because I’m a good test taker. Highschool I was able to work hard and actually achieve the honor roll after my mental health was repaired some. Than this pandemic happened and now as an 11th grader I’m falling back down. I don’t think it’ll ever be as bad as 7th grade... but yeah. Middle schoolers can have depression too. Keeping it only for 10th grade and up kind of defeats the purpose to me.
3
I wholeheartedly disagree with mental health days. Students that utilize these days will be looked down on for using them. They will be made fun of, seen as weak. This is just another way for kids to be bullied. The kids that don't need these days will take advantage of it and use it to get of school. You have to look at this like it's a job, we go to school at a set time, we leave at a set time, we have a set break time, and we have to come or will get in trouble just like a normal full time job. Just not coming in on days you don't feel good would not slide at work so it shouldn't at school.
@Caleb J Today I had one of the worst anxiety attacks I've in a very long time. It was so bad that I: had severe tunnel vision and heart palpitations that made me feel weak and faint, and had to be wheeled out of the classroom by the school nurse. The first thing that came to mind when she saw how distant and "flat" (as she so called it) I was, was that I needed to be brought home. She immediately contacted my mother and told her that I couldn't stay at school. Now, yes, the anxiety attack was brought on by my own actions, my ADHD and depression had put a major stopper on my motivation and ability to function, but it was also caused by a steady yet overwhelming flow of difficult assignments that my brain couldn't handle. I am in ninth grade, I turn fifteen in March. I am a child. When you get sick, what do you do? You stay at home and rest so that your body can get better. Your brain is organ, it gets sick too. It's just that sometimes you can't always see it. But it is there. Trust me. You can see it in the therapy sessions and academic counseling sessions that sometimes leave me in tears. You can see it in the medication that I've been taking since I was nine years old. You can see it in the countless doctors appointments I must go to. You argue that kids will take advantage of this and use it to get out of school, but what does that say about the education system. We are going to lead this country someday, do not take us or our struggles for granted. It will not slide. :)
6
A school is a fantastic place. It's your second home. You spend most of your young life there. In school, you learn the basics of literally everything, but sometimes all of this gets stressful, and you need a day off. That happens a lot to the students, and sometimes the best thing they need is a day to relax. This is important because I believe that mental health is even more critical than physical health. Mental Breakdowns can happen for many reasons, such as anxiety because of a test, stressed because of homework, or even just tired of having to do the same thing every day. That's why I believe that having a Mental Health day is essential, but it's not accessible to please everyone. Everyone needs their mental health day. It can be on a Tuesday, and for another person, it can be on Friday. Another massive problem with this is that not everyone is honest. For sure, a lot of people are going to use mental health day to skip school. As you can see, this is a crucial matter which has several problems, but we need to find a way to solve these problems and add Mental health day to everyone's calendar.
1
Most students face that well-known pressure of having perfect grades and being up to date with all the assignments, but that is not as easy as it seems. Teachers tend to forget that students have more that one teacher and more than one subject to catch up. Mental health days off would be essential for students, especially after test week and after stressful projects. Students should get together every two months and decide which days are best to take a quick break.
Students should only be able to have mental health days off after 9th grade since that's when the pressure gets higher, and students have more subjects, tests, assignments, and projects. These days out would allow students to get their minds off of school and relax dor three days and recover all the lost sleep.
@Maria Cecília Meira In the first semester of eighth grade, my grades had begun to slip. The constant rush of new assignments that I had to keep up with, as well as extracurriculars that I had immersed myself in, the ACTs, and the pressure to do well in my advanced classes was causing devastating problems to my mental health. I was constantly sprinting out to the bus, for I could never find a reason to get out of bed except to go to school. I was simply going through the motions I needed to go through to get stuff done. Before winter break, my parents and school counselor decided to take me out of Algebra and put me into Math 8. Of course this only put a Band-Aid on the real problem, since not even a month later, I suffered from a major anxiety attack. I was still in eighth grade, I hadn't even turned 14. My sleep schedule could terrify even Pennywise, my subjects had homework that took me hours to complete, and the pressure to do well was n itself enough to cause an anxiety attack. I ended the year with a failed Physics 9 final and a lot of regrets. I am in ninth grade now. And not only has the pressure gotten higher, but I get at most five hours of sleep, and I have an insane amount of missing assignments. Not to mention that, in this semester alone, I have had three debilitating anxiety attacks, two of which lead me to be wheeled out by the school nurse because I was too weak to even stand. Tenth grade isn't the threshold of pressure. Everyone has a limit on their stress.
As children, our minds and bodys are going through a tremendous amount of changes as we're being fed information every day. Taking mental health breaks is extremely important for students, it will not only help them want to do better in school but it can also do better just by taking that weight off of their minds.
I believe that students should choose if they want or when they want to have a mental day because every student is unique, and it would be better for them to choose the day they feel like they need to rest. Students who think that they do not need a day should also be able not to have this day off. In my opinion, mental health should be as important as physical health because students with poor mental health have a smaller chance of getting good grades or entering the right college.
Today, it is becoming more common for students to have mental issues like anxiety or depression. Schools should help these students because, with help, they can live an everyday life or even forget that they one day had those problems, and also should teach students how to deal with their problems and emotions. After all, when students cannot have a break, they need to know how to deal with their emotions. To sup up, I believe that schools should give a day off and mental health classes because it would help many schools and students.
When it comes to chilling or relaxing, there is not a thing a stressed student/adult enjoys the most. Taking a day off from school would not only be helpful to a student who has a lot to catch up on, as well as it would be beneficial to a student who has been doing school-related activities non-stop, giving them a time to relax.
I do think having this as an extra period or a type of "class" would be really essential not only in the current times but also during the period of face-to-face classes, in which even though I believe I was doing way better as a student, for me, you just can never be too confident.
A student that is in a foreign language can be very difficult and hard. This could make then overwhelmed and stressed. "Have you ever felt so overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious that you needed a day off from school. Like me, I get tired and very stressed with all the homework. This could cause a lot of mental problems and that can affect you a lot in real life.
So it would be better if they had a mental half-day because it would help them refresh their minds. This will help because we also need to have so family time and see friends.
I think that if they were really to give mental days off for the students, they would have to make sure that they are mature about it because I believe that a lot of kids will be like, "I want to stay home to play video games, so il send an email saying that I need a mental day off." So it would be very tricky. Maybe the solution would be asking their parents, but there are many spoiled kids out there, so deceiving their parents will be super easy. The article says, "Depression and anxiety. The state of the country. Climate change. Mass shootings. Today’s students are grappling with a variety of issues beyond the classroom." Not only this, but they might be having problems at home. Overall I think it depends on how much trust the school has for its students.
Being a student in a foreign language school can be challenging.
Sometimes, my classmates and I feel stressed and depressed from the hard work we have to face every day at school. The amount of homework leads the students to feel tired and overwhelmed.
The challenging number of tasks from school does not allow us to have the correct leisure time, and sometimes leading students to stress, and consequently, mental health problems.
In my opinion, all schools should give a mental health day off to the students, to have a better quality of life. I believe that studying is essential, but we also need to have time for leisure with our friends and family to have a better life.
In my opinion, mental health classes should be added to the school because there are students that are stressed with school and need to put out the stress in one way. So the mental health class should be one student alone with the teacher, so they can tell the teacher what their feelings and what they feel about school because sometimes, the students may be depressed because of a teacher. In mental health classes, students can put out all their feeling about school, teachers.
I feel that this class is very important for students because everybody gets stressed with school because of overloaded stuff, and it would really help to have mental health classes to distress.
I think that all students need to have some break from school and get mental health. Based on the article you can be, stressed, anxious or depressed you can be like that if you dont get a mental health. For example I alredy passed from a moment that I was very stressed and anxious with tests and work. In this quarantine for example I had a lot of these because we are having to much works and tests. Maybe my school could do something like one day my half of the class goes to online class and the other half do the homeworks and dont go to school and in the next day the opposite. But if this happens I think that would be better if each class had 20 more minutes.
I believe mental health is, sadly, a topic that, in school, doesn’t receive the attention in needs. Anxiety, depression, personality and attention deficit disorders. We all know or have at least heard of them — we are aware of just how much they can affect one’s day-to-day life — so, why are they, and a multitude of other mental health issues, so often overlooked by schools?
Mental satiability, a key concept when it comes to success, is constantly taken for granted. After all, why should one care for their anxiety when they can simply label it as a passing period of stress? Stress is, after all, both common and natural. Why worry about depression when it’s probably just a wave of sadness? Suicide, according to a 2017 Center for Disease Control and Prevention report, “is the second leading cause of death for 10- to 34-year-olds,” but that’s not something we should worry about, obviously. Right?
This ignorant mindset has to stop.
Not only do I think students should be given days off to tend to their mental healths — to take a break from the stress that is school and slow down — but also I believe schools and teachers should stop treating it as a taboo. Mental health should be something discussed more often; instead, we’ve treating it like it’s nothing.
Students' personal life has a significant impact on how they handle schoolwork. If they have family problems or are having trouble sustaining a much-treasured friendship, they will not do as well in school as they usually do. When overwhelmed by these emotions, students can lose focus on their studies, as it's not their biggest priority.
I think students should get mental health days of school, so these bad feelings don't evolve into something worse, like depression. Schools should always have a professional in psychology available for kids to talk to when they feel troubled. If that professional sees that the student is not feeling well, they could suggest the school gives him one or two days off to focus on his mental health state, just like a nurse would do when someone isn't feeling well physically.
From my perspective, I think that students should have that opinion of having a mental health day because sometimes we are so exhausted that we need this time to relax and do whatever we want. But, if you think in other ways, mental health problems can cause severe damages in various ways. Some issues like depression are widespread by students, not just because of the excess of homework but also because other students sometimes say something or do any of these things that would hurt anyone.
I think that the most important thing is our brain no matter what we need our brain to be rested and not stressed to do something good and not to do many mistakes l, and I say that because I have already suffered with school because of this and we need to have at least one extra day to rest our brain and having one extra day is perfect to relax your head, but it wouldn't help this person if instead nod relaxing they just start playing video games you should just sleep more relax stay with your family and that will help. After you do that you will imidiatly notice that you will be better in everything that you do
I am very divided on this situation. I feel like there should be days where teenagers should be allowed to take off days when they have actual problems with mental health. There are a lot of teens and just people in fact that like to fake the symptoms of mental health issues. So i just think that would be a reoccurring thing we would see with the law being passed. But, if the law does get passed then i feel like there should be documentation of mental health issues for the people that actually need the days off. This would be because people would abuse the fact that they don't have these issues and then get a free day off instead of the person that actually need off. Now why i agree with it, this could be a very good thing to those who need it. This could lead to maybe a lower suicide rate for teenagers because they have a day or two to take off and clear their heads. In conclusion, i would have to stand with doing this because the good reasons for it outweigh the bad reason to not do it.
It’s just as easy to feel mentally drained as it is to feel physically. A lot of times people consider mental health days to be an excuse to skip out on a day of education, but in reality, it’s so that when a student returns to school they are able to fully immerse themselves in their school work. When you are mentally exhausted and just kind of drifting through whatever is happening in your head, being in a school environment isn’t exactly helpful, and you won’t exactly learn anything. If that cycle continues, one bad day leading to the next, school becomes something dreaded and upsetting, I know from experience. Sometimes a student needs one or two days off, so that they can be productive and push their mental state forward in the next.
Life as a middle/high schooler can be an emotional roller coaster. During secondary, many students feel stressed, depressed, and overwhelmed. They receive large amounts of tasks every day, which leads to anxiety, affecting the student's everyday life; this may interfere with their schedule, leaving the student exhausted and tired.
According to a research, the pressure to attend all classes, finish the much homework, leads many students to depression. Schools should be more flexible with tasks; otherwise, students will not have time to take care of their mental health.
In my opinion, schools need to care more about students' wellbeing and invest in psychologists to let students express their feelings without fear, and once a month, schools should give a day off for the students' mental health.
I believe that mental health is a topic that isn't stressed enough in school; which is unfortunate. Millions of kids and teens deteriorate under the abhorrent mental health issues that are present nowadays; and schools should be on guard and help anyone that is facing the discomfort of disorders such as depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia, and others. I personally feel like my school doesn't embrace the whole mental health situation as it should; consequently misleading teenagers down a dark and miserable path; making them drown in anguish.
Some of us, however, are extremely good at hiding our emotions and true sentiments, sometimes deceiving people into thinking we are fine. For that same reason, I affirm that schools should implement a more competent mental health/advisory system; truly guiding students into displaying their true sentiments, and hopefully leading them into a better mental state.
I think that this a great idea! I cant believe I've never heard of this. This could be useful to many people we all have those days were us students have too much on out mind and school just makes that 10x worse sometimes and you wont be able to focus as much as you want on your school work.
i think its a great idea students should. at my old school i myself have faked being sick because i was being bullied and i didnt want to go to school somedays. i fell down a bad hole missing a lot of school and not being able to talk about the bad things that were going on when i did come back my acidemics were suffering. i felt like i needed a break but no one was there to help me so i think being able to take a day off and getting help is a wonderfull idea. you have to feel ok phisicly and mentaly to be able to preform well in school.
Personally, school is a great place to interact, learn, and more. However, sometimes it can be really stressful. An example, my parents mostly care about my grades, this past days I cannPersonally, school is a great place to interact, learn, and more. However, sometimes it can be stressful. An example, my parents mostly care about my grades, this past day I'm not allowed to get my phone because I need to study. sometimes school makes me really anxious and mad at myself, sometimes I think I'm not enough, or something similar. School should be seen as a place where you learn, socialize, makes new friends...but most of the time, many cartoons socialize school to a place that we only study, get pressure, bullying, anxiety, and depression. Although, my school does an amazing job at learning, but i think sometimes we should have a break for our own mental health.
Shouldn't mental health be considered as important as physical health? Why is it that around 70 to 80% of children and teenagers have unmet mental needs and nearly any solutions to it? I believe that if students had the option to take a mental health day in school, there would be numerous positive consequences. To some, one day might feel like nothing changed, but it could save a life to others. The use of these mental health days shouldn't be necessary but just having the option to choose makes students feel more accepted and comfortable.
The management of emotions such as sadness, anger, envy, etc is essential and should be given more attention to in 2020 and the years to come. Sometimes psychotherapy isn't the answer to everything, and maybe all people need is a day where he/she can focus totally on themselves.
Shouldn't mental health be considered as important as physical health? Why is it that around 70 to 80% of children and teenagers have unmet mental needs and nearly any solutions to it? I believe that if students had the option to take a mental health day in school, there would be numerous positive consequences. To some, one day might feel like nothing changed, but it could save a life to others. The use of these mental health days shouldn't be necessary but just having the option to choose makes students feel more accepted and comfortable.
The management of these emotions is essential and should be given more attention to in 2020 and the years to come. Sometimes psychotherapy isn't the answer to everything, and maybe all people need is a day where he/she can focus totally on themselves.
I think the days off are essential for your mental health. Students are often very stressed by the excess of homework that schools go through daily. In this pandemic period, many teachers exaggerate their tasks, because they think that students do not have much to do because they are at home, but I think it is the other way around. The weekends are often not beneficial, as they are only two days. Even more, there are several tasks to do on the weekend. So I think that weekend should not have lessons, but days off from school. And, if necessary, also during the week.
As stated in the article, students often stressed about school; I get stressed so fast, when I put together a lot of school stuff, I feel overwhelmed, and I already want to do it all at once.
Many schools overlook the effects of mental health in students. The main goal they focus on is getting to an excellent college; they do not realize that this makes students anxious and makes them believe that failing to go to college makes them a failure. Whenever students get an underwhelming grade, they immediately think about college and how this grade can affect them in the future.
Students can possess mental health issues for a plethora of reasons, whether it is bullying, abuse, or anxiety due to grades. These factors can make students suffer from mental illnesses such as depression. Teens tend to conceal their emotions due to extreme anxiety and depression. Therefore, if schools invested more time and money into mental health and advisory classes, this issue could be subdued. Schools should understand that it can help students if they take mental health days or class periods off. They should also listen to them when they communicate to the school board that they face mental health challenges. Only 30 percent of depressed teens are treated for it, according to suicide.org. Schools can save many lives if they help students fight depression and talk about their issues.
I believe this topic needs to be broken down into different patterns to be analytically examined. Some crucial points of view are essential to take into consideration before determining a legitimate conclusion. Acknowledging that this problem embodies not only students but also parents and teachers, it would be great to explore it from each perspective.
It is not a lie that students, especially in high school, are anxious, overwhelmed, disturbed, among many other issues in which they're struggling. But it's also not a lie that several people are experiencing those same kinds of problems, with different ages, for various causes. With that clarified, the main point that we should address it is how to deal with those problems and the cause and effect relation that they frame. It's undeniable that students are overloaded with information in which sometimes they aren't ready to comprehend. But, schools must educate those students to have an optimistic and mature understanding of problems and how society truly works.
My conclusion is that it's more than adequate for students to get mental health days. Still, I believe that schools should provide the students and parents orientation on how those days should be spent. Ideally, a day without cell phones, followed by family conversations upon the children's feelings and anxieties. Those activities would have an exponential improvement on student's happiness and reduction of anxiety.
I believe that in many households missing school isn’t extremely ordinary. Certain parents concern more about school and grades than their child’s mental health, which is totally not acceptable considering that mental health issues could really damage a person’s life.
However, mental health issues such as depression and anxiety aren’t as noticeable as they appear to be, some teenagers know extremely well how to hide their emotions. There’s also to say that teenagers suffer from these diseases on a daily basis, and some days it might even make you feel indolent. Schools should not only give students Mental Health Days off from school, but they should consider teaching students how to handle and go through all types of mental health issues.
In my view, if schools gave this gratification to all teenagers, they could notice a massive improvement in student’s grades and behaviors. As shown in the article, most schools in Oregon have provided curricular activities with a discussion about consent and healthy relationships. People often avoid those who have been diagnosed with mental health problems because of society’s negative associations with mental illness. Yet, mental health issues are one of the most standard disorders to ever exist.
I agree that students should get mental health days off from school. Having good mental health is as important as having physical health. Students are continually dealing with loads of homework, test, project, global issues, bullying, besides many other problems. When all those factors add up, many students feel overwhelmed and can develop mental problems such as depression and anxiety. As mentioned in the text, many times, mental problems are seen as an overreaction or as a phase when, in reality, it's a significant issue. According to a report made by the Centers for Disease and control, suicide, which many times is caused by depression, is the second leading cause of deaths for 10-34 years old. I believe that if the students had the opportunity to take a day off, it would help to relieve the number of pressure students are feeling; besides, it would be much easier for parents to identify when their kids were not feeling good. To sum up, I think that giving students the ability to take a day off would bring much more benefits than issues.
Mental health is a subject very neglected by adults; it is a more recent topic and that with the pressure that society exposes children today, it happens more often. "To be honest, school is not even about learning. It is about how much stress kids can handle before have a mental breakdown." As it shows in the article, according to a 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Report, showed that during the school year, 19 percent of high school students had been bullied on school property, and another 7.4 percent had attempted suicide; this shows how much pressure kids these days experience, also the numbers tend to increase as time passes. Nevertheless, we cannot blame all on the schools; during this period, adolescents are discovering themselves, working on their relationships, while trying to achieving good grades, and we cannot forget about social media, that impose the "perfect life" that distorts reality, causing more stress on teens, as they try to achieve the impossible.
I believe all of that combined cause levels of stress on teenagers higher than today's adults have experienced, so implementing mental health days would be better not only for the students but also for the teachers, as it will increase the class's productivity.
The mental health day off is crucial for students and professionals. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), we can define health as a situation of perfect social, mental, and physical well-being. To speak of mental health is to talk about balance. Mental health is the ability to harmonize the emotions felt with the experiences of everyday life. When this aspect is fully developed, the person achieves a better quality of life and harmony in their interpersonal relationships. Situations such as bullying, pressure for high marks, difficulty in acceptance, and parents' and teachers' problems can become triggers for indiscipline at school and for disorders that mark adolescence and adulthood. The mind's power can increase your confidence, decrease cravings, and change how your body reacts to certain situations. According to neuroscientist Cori Bargmann, from Rockefeller University, to keep the brain active and healthy, it is essential to sleep. During sleep, memories are fixed, and some toxic proteins are eliminated. Students need to have one day off school for mental health every month, usually, on Fridays or Mondays, the mental health day off will help students, and it will also help teachers and workers. The school should also have a psychologist, where the psychologist will work with you and help you get to where you want to be.
Students tend to study during the whole week for countless projects and tests that each teacher ends up assigning, causing many teenagers to develop anxiety, stress, and bad sleeping habits, which can significantly affect his/her mental health. Fortunately, lawmakers are starting to recognize these problems. According to the article, a law that gives students five mental health days in three months went into effect on July 1 in Oregon. Moreover, in 2018, Utah decided to change the definition of a student's ''valid excuse'' to consider an illness that may be mental or physical.
I have felt several times the need to take a break from all the stress and anxiety resulted from school activities; nevertheless, I was not allowed to. I decided to sleep early that day, and consequently, I felt more disposed and relaxed on the other. I believe mental health days are essential since students can take some time to relax from the rigorous week. Even though there will be students taking advantage of these measures, mental health will remarkably help those who feel tired and overwhelmed. My school rarely discusses mental health, which is only sometimes addressed in advisory classes, but I learned that preparing a decent studying schedule can help solve this. I want my school to prioritize some class time for the discussion of this topic. I believe there is a stigma related to mental illness in my school, and it results in society not recognizing the stress many students suffer from.
1
Teenager's anxiety and uneasiness derive from the same, basic, simple things: school, family, self-disclosure, and the need to fit in. The adolescent years are essential due to psychological conditions, half of them being created before the age of fourteen. In a period where emotional disorders and self-destruction are the third driving reason for death among our companions, high school mental issues must be firmly dealt with and their causes handled. Usually, school-related problems are the essential driver of worry among adolescents; along these lines, the need for a more beneficial educational system is obvious. To be sure students are not overburdened by homework, tormenting, peer pressure, and so on., psychological well-being days are a need. Derek Evans, a previous secondary school understudy, once said that managing uneasiness all through secondary school, has in every case, left him drained, exhausted, and the difference one day makes is genuinely extraordinary.
The silent killer of the future generation. Mental health has been a taboo topic amongst our society, and teenagers are the ones who suffer from these effects more than ever before. According to CDC data, the suicide rate for Americans of all ages increased by 30% from 2000 to 2016. With tight schedules, various deadlines to meet, and balancing schoolwork with social life, growing up can be stressful for many teens. Society always seems to be more preoccupied with teenagers' future choices such as; university options, picking careers, etc. They don't even take the time to notice our present lives' struggles.
I believe that mental health days are more than necessary to raise awareness of mental struggles and teenagers' health. Sometimes, I wish I could have at least one day off, where I can enjoy moments by myself, or even with my family, without focusing on the stressful school schedule. Of course, if schools allowed mental health days, some students would use it as an opportunity to miss a test or do activities that aren't related to their mental health. But it's always better to draw attention to the positive points of new policies, instead of focusing on the "bad apples" of the situation. Moreover, it would be extremely beneficial for schools to implement mental health days to raise awareness and benefit future generations.
Indeed, excessive amounts of work can exert a significant impact on teenagers' lives. In these challenging times that the world has been facing, many new adaptations came as a consequence, but what many teachers do not think before assigning a project or a homework assignment is what impacts the excessive amount of work can exert on the student's life. The effects can be from anxiety to depression. Pressuring young people to work continually is tiring and exhausting. Schools should hear what students have to say and apply unanimous opinions to make the school environment healthier and better.
From my understanding, providing students with a mental health day when they need is exceptionally fundamental and could provide a good outcome from it. The student's productivity and creativity would increase significantly and even create a more pleasant and inspiring climate. According to the website "National Association Education," for 70% of high school students, the tremendous problem among their classmates is anxiety and depression.
Moreover, if this becomes a habit among schools, the future generation will have better habits, less psychological troubles, and healthier lifestyles. As soon as this begins to be required, the more saved children will be from depression and other dreadful disturbances.
Mental Health is a complicated topic because two people can have mental issues, but they are two different issues to be solved. I think it's not the school's obligation to help with mental health, but try and don't start the mental health in the first place.
If kids are starting to have mental problems due to school work, like homework, tests, and project, the school is probably sending too many tasks in a quantity that is not healthy. "Dealing with anxiety throughout high school has always left me tired, exhausted up against some weeks, and the difference one day makes is honestly life-changing." Sometimes in school, I felt overwhelmed with work that I just wanted to do nothing and get bad grades.
With rates of anxiety and depression nowadays higher than ever and unaccordant to the population growth, it only raises more worries. Never feeling like there needed to be a “mental” day off from school the idea has never crossed my mind.
I believe that the school should be more flexible with the work but not schooldays; either way if someone has a problem they should be allowed to miss school. Having no real way of telling if the student is faking there shouldn't be days off, with permission of the guardian, the alumni would go home if s/he is not well and the office would be notified with an excuse for absence later on. My school has certain classes that have addressed mental health like advisory class and I don't believe many students have used too much from it but it might have left a subconscious awareness on their minds. Yes I would, as I do not think it is necessary for me to learn this I wouldn't make it a mandatory class and instead an type of elective. There is always sure to be a stigma around any topic and especially mental illness, there are people who just think it is nothing too serious and others that look at it as something infective and that involving themselves with those types of people will only lead to bad things. This stigma does not really affect me but the people who suffer from mental illness get almost no help because of this. The mental health days would have no effect on the stigma and would only get in the way of other students.
Mental health is just as important as physical health. Most schools have psychologists, and I think that when a student is feeling depressed or anxious, they should be comfortable to talk to the school´s psychologist and sometimes even take some days off to take care of themselves. Because when they feel sick, they can miss school, so why can´t they do it when they feel mentally tired and anxious? The school’s support in knowing what is happening with the kid is also super important because sometimes they do not get attention or love at home. Hence, it is even more challenging for them to feel mentally stable and healthy because if it weren’t for a supportive school, they would be more lonely, making everything worse. I had felt the need of a break from school due to mental health a couple of times, I would just be obligated to watch the classes, but I just felt miserable and cried at least twice a day. And yes they should take breaks if they are feeling overwhelmed and stressed. “Oh but what if they pretend to be sick just to miss school” honestly, if they felt the necessity to lie about it, they needed a break so I don’t think that is a problem. I think that my school cares about mental health but not enough. Sometimes they give us too much work especially on this hard time of global pandemic but we have a school psychologist that makes me feel pretty comfortable to talk to. I get extremely anxious because of school and it sucks that I can’t do anything about it.
I have needed a day off because I have a mental problem. The experience of needing a day off to recuperate mentally is terrible because there are times that we need this day, and sometimes we can't have it, and this at some point can hurt you. I still haven't had this opportunity to take this day off to re-establish myself and let flow what I am thinking or feeling in the moment. I managed to go to school because I remember that I have friends who will be by my side when I need them and make me happy and make my day more joyful and that they are my inspiration always to continue moving forward with everything.
Mental health is regularly neglected and regarded as a weakness or exaggeration, but the truth is that it significantly impacts everyone, particularly students. As the society's pressure weighs on them constantly, and dilemmas such as climate change, mass shootings, wars, pandemics, protests, and many others are incessantly on their minds, it's understandable to develop anxiety or depression. Everyone is always so concerned about physical health, that mental stability is seldom discussed. Therefore, the measure adopted by these states should be implemented around the globe, empowering students to succeed. Furthermore, as mentioned in the article, the suicide rates for children are increasing rapidly. According to a 2017 Center for Disease Control and Prevention report, "suicide is the second leading cause of death for 10- to 34-year-olds." Additionally, a study by the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance observed that “19% of high school students had been bullied on school property, and another 7.4% had attempted suicide.” No matter what the cause is, anxiety and depression are crucial issues that need to be discussed more often in order for change to come. Moreover, schools should unquestionably provide help if needed, especially since poor mental health can affect one's performance and halt students from achieving their true potential.
1
I feel that mental well being days at school should be a possibility for all understudies to take when they feel the need. Understudies these days are frequently under more worry than expected, and in light of the negative shame encompassing emotional well-being issues, numerous understudies who need assistance don't request it. Regardless of whether it isn't for a particular mental instability, I think all understudies sooner or later in time have truly wanted to simply take a break for one day. In some cases, one day is everything you require to reset, intellectually, and genuinely, to come back to class more arranged and prepared to completely take part in classes.
Teenage years are as arduous as adults. We take full responsibility for our personal lives, school, family, and so many other things. But sometimes we feel overwhelmed by school. Project, tests, homework, so I feel like having mental health days off from school is a wise idea.
“According to a recent study, teenagers named depression as a problem among their peers. Others blamed their anxiety on politics or climate change.”
This quotation proves that having many things in your mind might end up having some mental and health issues. I think we should take these breaks but not have something like a test or a project that is due right after the break because we will have to study, and the suspension is not going to be worth it.
From my perspective, students should get optional mental health days off from school. Each student could have a maximum number of days, in which students shouldn't count as absent, to use if they have a personal issue. I believe this would be essential for the mental and even for the physical health of the students. In order to maintain productivity, they need time to breathe. Although this would help, there is still something to give students a stimulus throughout the school day. Students should have a short break between classes, during which they could rest and not have to rush to get their materials in their lockers, for instance. According to the article, Chloe Wilson was a teenager who committed suicide because she got bullied at school; this is something that happens more frequently than most think. I believe mental health days could help prevent situations like these. Students would take this time to reflect, think, and get to know themselves better.
As a student, I am probably biased; therefore, I should not be the one answering this question. Because what teenager does not want a day off?
In my life, I never took a day off for mental health, mostly because I am fine but also because the rules in my house are simple: no skipping classes unless you are physically sick.
However, I think that this option might be crucial for some people; spending time talking about how you feel and relaxing can save the lives of people who consider suicide. Some situations, like the death of a family member or a close friend, can also require taking some time to reflect.
In the end, I think that mental health days should not be allowed because teenagers would abuse its usage. Adolescents would bump class and blame it on their mental situation. However, I think that schools should be less strict with the rules of attendance in class: so that for example, if a person wants to take a day off to take care of himself and the absence is justified, the school must consider it.
In my school, we have people to talk to who are prepared to help students dealing with such difficulties; perhaps, sometimes, talking with them can be more beneficial than with family members.
In my opinion, one of the most important things for a student to do well in school is to have a mentally healthy unstable. Many schools give an amount of work to do that; in my opinion, it is harmful to some people that have psychological health more fragile. Talking about the theme, in my opinion, schools should follow this path of giving some days off to the students have time to unwind and to relax. If that practicable was applied, I think it would be beneficial to students in many aspects; I believe that would even grow up the grades and yield of the students. Especially in our age group, teens know themselves, and the amount of work teachers pass is prejudicial because of stress a lot and spend much time. These subjects should be most more approached, especially in this pandemic and quarantine time that we have passed, because this moved and confused a lot the healthy and the head of many teenagers. With the return of the number of work schools give, sometimes they exert themselves in a way that undermines their psychological well-being.
I am sure almost every student has experienced anxiety at a certain point in their lives. Sometimes teachers don't realize that what they expect from us is not really what all of us are capable of, and that causes a large number of students to feel overwhelmed by tests, assignments, and above all, their grades. Anxiety can develop worse mental health issues that in some cases can even result in suicide, as happened to Chloe Wilson.
I strictly believe that schools should available days on which students in need could use to take a break. They would be very beneficial for both students and teachers. Teachers would be able to teach their students in a way they can enjoy, and students would be able to focus on what they need instead of focusing on all the stressful parts of schooling. These days could also prevent a lot from happening, such as breakdowns, mental harm, and even worse, suicide.
I believe that students should take a day off anytime from school, it would not only make the students feel relieved and relaxed, but it would give them a boost and probably do better than they were at school. Most of the reason for students getting anxiety and depression at school is overwhelming work. It would be way better if schools could manage the work they give in schools or even add the mental health day off option for students. If schools would finally work on their student's mental health, they could be preventing children from getting depression, anxiety, and even from taking their own lives.I believe that students should take a day off anytime from school, it would not only make the students feel relieved and relaxed, but it would give them a boost and probably do better than they were at school. Most of the reason for students getting anxiety and depression at school is overwhelming work. It would be way better if schools could manage the work they give in schools or even add the mental health day off option for students. If schools would finally work on their student's mental health, they could be preventing children from getting depression, anxiety, and even from taking their own lives.
I think that having a mental health day should be a student's right. Students can get easily overwhelmed by the amount of school work, and a day off can change a lot. It can save someone's life. And we need to normalize mental health and start talking about it. Many people who deal with mental issues think that they are alone because no one talks about it, and because of that, they believe no one else has been through that and that they are alone. As Roxanne Wilson said, talking about mental health could have saved her daughter's life and many other people's lives. And raising awareness should start in schools. Students would benefit from learning how to deal with their emotions and being allowed to take a day off if needed.
As the technology evolves, the teachers have seen it as an environment where they could pass a loud work with few steps. However, this simplicity has also brought worries and mental issues that have been warning. Studies have concluded that the school tends to overwhelm more and more children every day, causing them to grow to develop high levels of anxiety or even depression. It is also valid to consider that those problems are increasing because, as the article mentioned, students have been dealing with various issues beyond the classroom. We, teenagers, wish that our life was doing homework, studying, and testing; but, we have our confusions, feelings, and problems to worry about. If schools gave the mental health days, it would also increase the classroom's disposition, less bullying, and less tension by increasing the result and the peace in the learning environment. However, the school plays a fundamental role in shaping a student and a sane and healthful citizen. So, they should make the student feel comfortable in their environment to ask for help. As proven by the articles, schools should end the stigma around mental health and teach their students the importance of seeking help. A girl's life could have been saved if she had asked for help and have a space given by the school to heal her sanity. Overall, it is scientifical that the mental health days would only provide benefits for both sides.
In my opinion, a student that does millions of things in a day will always need a mental health day off from school. We and others should understand that we are in a phase where we can get distracted very easily. We should be able to do other things such as go to parties, stay a time off by ourselves, get out with our friends, and more. I already felt like I needed a mental health time off, sometimes teachers pass a lot of homework and get stressed off. Every time I need to disconnect from school; I do things that make me relax. I likewise imagine that schools should give understudies more instruction about psychological wellness. Something to help you when you are experiencing a specific thing is to recognize emotional well-being issues. We should learn about how we feel and understand better. Each understudy ought to have the choice of taking emotional well-being days when they need them, even after the pandemic. Now and again, individuals state that your emotional wellness isn't applicable; however, because you can't see "the issue" doesn't imply that it doesn't exist. Everybody should have this right.
Sometimes, does school gets a little too overwhelming. All the work we have to complete and the things we have to do out of school also. All the work may cause students to develop some mental problems like anxiety and depression, and because of this reason, I believe that yes, students should have a mental health day if needed. Like mentioned in "Need a Mental Health Day? Some States Give Students the Option," there was a girl who pretended to be sick, just so she could have a day off from school, and she ended up committing suicide. If she could have had that mental health day off, she probably could have been saved. This situation has happened many times before, and it should not continue to. Some students need this mental health day off because they can't handle all the work they have to do and the other things that come around being a teenager in high school.
The psychological well-being of high school students is a significant growing health concern amongst specialists. Research directed as of late has established that teenage anxiety is on the rapid and robust ascent. Yet viewed as a taboo, adolescent mental health problems profoundly concern scholars and haunt students daily. The modern educational system elects to neglect students' well-being when distributing countless assignments without teaching them the time management skills to deal with it. Frequently, our workload is unmanageable, naturally being vividly reflected upon our mental and physical health. Several educational facilities have taken a stand on the battle upon precocious mental-illness by promoting academic days devoted to self-care.
Those days endeavor to portray the school as an ally rather than the foremost cause for teenage anxiety and promote their pupils' well-being. As previously stated in this article by Vinicius Vasconcellos, students deal with stress individually. Taking a day directed to relaxation and mindful well-being is crucial for learners to menage the intensive amount of workload often dispensed by teachers. Time off is a magnificent solution that will aid youngsters to deal with the overwhelming high school environment. Education is ever-evolving, and all educational facilities should reflect the model of battling teenage mental illness.
1
"Have you ever felt so overwhelmed, stressed, anxious or depressed that you thought you needed a day off from school to reset?" The answer is yes; for all students, the answer is yes. As much as the school can be beneficial in an endless amount of ways, nothing in excess is valuable, as my mother says.
Obstacles such as anxiety grew tremendously in this new generation, primarily due to technology development, which leads people to set higher standards and expectations for themselves and regard atrocious news every second.
Sometimes, traditional institutions will stick to what they've ceaselessly known, instead of adapting to what the world is going through. This practice is obsolete and ignorant; for schools to truly flourish the best their students can provide, they must take care of their students. For, once a student isn't in a considerable state of mind, this student won't perform as well as plausible. So, why spend the day tiring yourself and not paying attention instead of refreshing your energies and getting rid of rough feelings?
As Derrick Bryson Taylor states in the article, students go through much more than what is inside the classroom. Sometimes all it takes is a day; to refresh, rethink, reset, reorganize, and, only then, go on.
A child having a daily life full of activities does not always mean that all the effort is helping something. In childhood and adolescence, the routine requires breaks, especially when living in a multitasking system. The overload of commitments can be detrimental in the process of personal training, particularly in school performance. I believe that my school is not very supportive of this type of thing; They have an incredible team of professionals. Still, it was never discussed, especially with teachers who, in my opinion, would be exceptional, as they could organize the demand for tasks, projects, and tests, so that it is the best for everyone. I believe that with a little awareness on the part of the board of the college, teachers can be more attentive to this type of referral. Because pretending it doesn't exist or that it doesn't affect individual schools makes things worst. People with an anxiety disorder are anxious for smaller, more everyday items. They are unable to perform classroom tasks, for example, out of fear of failure. Students who suffer from it also tend to worry about homework, exams, and schoolwork obsessively. This idea of taking time off for their mental health would be especially crucial for these students to manage the school and their health well.
I think students at my school should have mental days off. Sometimes, we feel exhausted and overwhelmed by all that is happening in the world. Personally, if my school had a system like this, I would be happy. I think that taking care of our mental health is just as important as taking care of our regular health, and it's OK to have bad days sometimes. If you're not mentally OK, you're not entirely OK.
I also think that schools should give students more education about mental health. Something to help you when you are going through a particular thing is to identify mental health problems. I think it's essential that we know about things and accept them. Especially in these strange times, we can feel pressured and stressed out about everything that's happening. So, we should be able to 'take some time off' when we think that way, it would be great and would do us very well.
Yes, I already felt like having a mental health day. Sometimes we just need a time off. Sometimes we had awful news, and we need to stay home, or you had a huge fight with somebody and that really broke your heart or you have a lot of things passing through your mind and you just need a break. My school does not allow me to have a mental health day, so no I did not have a chance to have a day like that. I didn't manage very well, so when I'm like this I don't like to talk to anyone in the school, I get angry, and I don't work well.
.
A lot of students get stressed with School like projects, homework and etc. I think that maybe we could have more time to relax, so the students would not be so stressed with school.
American School of Recife, Brazil
I think that all of us sometimes have to rest our brains, and I already felt that I needed a rest, but it was just close to the holidays, so I managed to rest well, and it was a relief.
I don't know if it is a good idea to let students choose because many can abuse this right, using the time you would need to get rid of stress in the wrong way
well, I think people can use these days in bad ways, but there are many students who really need days like this because a lot of people suffer from anxiety and illnesses of the same kind
my school does offer classes that involve mental health, but I went there this year and I don't have much to say. but at my old school, they didn’t talk about it
not that I know, but I think that days like this can help with mental health problems
Teenager's life is not as easy as it seems, and sometimes we need time for ourselves. Nowadays, with distancing learning classes, the school wants students to do a massive quantity of homework and projects, making students feel extremely tired, physically, and mentally. I believe that schools should give us mental health weeks off because take care of your mental health is essential as taking care of physical fitness, and during this challenging time, we are not with "head" to study. Therefore, every student should have the option of taking mental health days when they need them, even after the pandemic. Sometimes people say that your mental health is not relevant, but just because you can't see "the problem" doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.
Furthermore, the consequences of not taking care of your mental health are mental disorders that have no cure, such as anxiety and depression. Unfortunately, both are common and, without treatment, could even make a person commit suicide. However, have time to take care of your mental health could avoid these tragedies.
I believe that in many households missing school isn’t extremely ordinary. Certain parents concern more about school and grades than their child’s mental health, which is totally not acceptable considering that mental health issues could really damage a person’s life.
However, mental health issues such as depression and anxiety aren’t as noticeable as they appear to be, some teenagers know extremely well how to hide their emotions. There’s also to say that teenagers suffer from these diseases on a daily basis, and some days it might even make you feel indolent. Schools should not only give students Mental Health Days off from school, but they should consider teaching students how to handle and go through all types of mental health issues.
In my view, if schools gave this gratification to all teenagers, they could notice a massive improvement in student’s grades and behaviors. As shown in the essay, most schools in Oregon have provided curricular activities with a discussion about consent and healthy relationships. People often avoid those who have been diagnosed with mental health problems because of society’s negative associations with mental illness. Yet, mental health issues are one of the most standard disorders to ever exist.
“Dealing with anxiety throughout high school has always left me tired, exhausted up against some weeks, and the difference one day makes is honestly life-changing,” This is from the article from a high schooler, Derek Evans, I relate to it. Several times throughout my life, exhausting and tiredness yelled at me. This year, it has happened once, I have anxiety, and sometimes I feel like everything that is going on is too much. My mother felt like I should rest one day, and I missed school; however, that was not helpful due to all work I lost on that day and had to spend hours doing. So answering the article, I gather it would be magnific to have mental breaks from school, only for us to prepare ourselves for the world. Studying and digesting everything we are being taught is hard if we are not willing to mentally. It is accurate that students who suffer from anxiety have some issues concentrating when always worrying, which happens a lot, about homework.
Suicide is the third leading cause of death in 15-19-year-olds; 70 to 80% of children and teenagers have unmet mental health needs; half of all mental conditions start by the age of 14. These are all statistics given by the World Health Organization, and there are countless more, yet we chose to ignore the issue out of fear that idle students will use it to their advantage. Children are dying because of mental health issues more than they are due to the physical sicknesses they can skip school for. How is it fair to students whose lives may depend on it, to not have a break because someone else might not take it seriously? Schools should be asking themselves why it's so stressful for students in the first place, and if that is truly what education is supposed to be.
Mental health has always been a problem in society, and sadly, more and more teenagers nowadays suffer from different kinds of mental health issues like depression, anxiety, or eating disorders. These kinds of problems can be very hard on teenagers, and going to school, sometimes might not sound like the best idea, since occasionally it is the source of their problems.
Sometimes school can become very overwhelming and exhausting. Some students can develop various types of disorders with that type of stress. I believe that if each student could take a day or two off for their mental health, that feeling will get better. Students will come back to class more prepared.
I think that students in my school need time for mental health because sometimes school can be stressful and overwhelming. Sometimes we need a break from all of this. I think my school should give a day of the month of our choice to stay at home. My school has a thing called "stress-free weekend" that they don't pass work in just one Friday of the month. I love this because we don't need to be stress about homework or projects at the weekends. But I still think the school should give us a day to stay at home and don't worry about school and take care of our mental health.
School, family, self-discovery, and the need to fit in—all coming together to make teens' anxiety and stress levels peak. The juvenile years are essential in addressing mental health conditions, with half of them being developed before the age of fourteen. In a period where emotional disorders loom amidst our brains and suicide is the third leading cause of death among our peers, teenage mental disorders must be closely accompanied and their causes: tackled. Most often than not, school-related issues are the primary cause of stress among the youth; thus, the necessity of a healthier school-system becomes apparent. To be sure students are not overburdened by schoolwork, bullying, peer pressure, etc., mental health days are a need. As stated by Derek Evans, a former high school student, "Dealing with anxiety throughout high school has always left me tired, exhausted up against some weeks, and the difference one day makes is honestly life-changing."
"Some parents have said that students might take this option by pretending to be sick" Working too much can take a toll on the body and brain in two main ways by boosting stress and by getting in the way of exercise, healthy eating, and other good habits. Brian is one of the most important parts of the body and without it, we are nothing we can`t walk or do anything because theirs no waves from the brian telling use what to do."Do this and this? What are you doing? The was plenty of time for you to finish." They don't understand that it's terrible for us and are brian because we were working nonstop. Our focus starts to fade, and we become significantly drained from ar brian that courses us not to understand and confusion. For example, they say grade is sometimes everything, and that makes us teenagers get super overwhelmed that horrible because we can't study well since we were tier. You lost in an angry sea that never ends. A lot of teens and others do this because of the work and to get some sleep to rest their eyes. Like my brother, he works day and night to finish his work. He always goes to school, but what's happening to his body and brain. Using too much can take a toll on the body and mind in two main ways by boosting stress and by getting in the form of exercise, healthy eating, and other good habits. Brian is one of the essential parts of the body, and without it, we are nothing.
Having a mental health day is one of the best ideas I ever heard; I wish I had one week to get my mind to relax from all the stress school causes me. Sometimes, when I'm feeling overloaded with school, and I feel stressed, I take time off school to relax and get everything ready to go back to school and get everything done. My school never gave us the opportunity of having a day off. I wish they had this on the calendar, like a national holiday or something like that. Nevertheless, when I feel like I am going to breakdown, I talk with my mom and tell her I need a break from school, and she completely understands me. My school does not offer us a day off from school, but if we students are feeling stressed, we talk with our teacher, and sometimes they let us walk to relax our minds.
"What are you complaining about? Your only responsibility in life is studying." Teenagers wish it were that simple. Our minds become increasingly burdened with obnoxious thoughts throughout our school career, especially once we get to high school. Considering the beauty standard imposed on us, along with the demand to have exceptional grades, not to mention the multiple chemical changes happening all at once in our bodies, teenagers regularly get overwhelmed. However, they are incapable of escaping this feeling because there is school the next day.
Although the school plays a significant role in shaping the way students feel, it still avoids mentioning mental health because of all the stigma and ignorance present in society. This avoidance leads the students to feel more helpless every day. Therefore, it is not shocking that, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in every six children between the ages of six and seventeen experiences mental health disorder each year.
Hence, the idea of providing mental health days off from school is beneficial, because although it may not seem like a lot, it is when you feel so mentally exhausted and incapable of paying attention to class. It also helps to break the stigma, as Caroline Clauss-Ehlers, psychologist and professor, stated "Mental Health days also validate that the community and society are saying, 'We understand and we're supporting you in this way,'"
Especially during these unprecedented times, many of us are struggling. Whether this directly relates to COVID or not, this year has been challenging for a multitude of reasons. I think one of the most important things to remember is the importance of addressing our mental health as we would physical health. There is such a stigma around staying composed and not breaking down when we are socially and emotionally fragile, and I hope we can reach a time soon where mental health is more widely accepted and discussed in society. We all have ups and downs in life, and I think it’s extremely important to be empathic about this for everyone! Because of this, I highly support the idea of “mental health days”. Sure, some may argue this is a cop out for faking being sick, but I believe that when done correctly, mental health days are a great way to take a break from the stressors of the world for a day, have time to self-reflect, and to re-center ourselves. It’s ok to not be ok all the time, and I hope, as a society, we can work to break down these barriers more and more each day so that we are much more comfortable admitting when we need some extra love.
Students often get stressed. There is a lot of reasons for students to get stressed, schools can something be really tiring, and students should and need to take days off. In my opinion this is necessary and should be implemented in nowadays schooler systems. If this mechanism is implemented, it won’t be perfect. Various students may abuse of it, and those who do should get the correct punishments. But even with this issue, I still think the investment is worth it.
In our school, we don't have mental health days, but I believe that we should because many students probably suffer from anxiety or stress because of the amount of work we have to do especially now in this pandemic.
The COVID 19 pandemic has it so we can't see any of our friends or go out to distract ourself, and because of this there have been many cases of depression among the students and this is, even more, a reason for our school to give us mental health days and not only this we should also have more conversations about mental health.
The problem with the school giving us mental health days off is that many parents would probably not agree just like the article said but I still believe that the school should because it's important for a student to healthy mentally and physically but if you're always working and stressed all the time it doesn't help with anything, in fact, you probably don't as well at school.
Yes, I felt not so many times, and it was tough to focus and to learn. I tried my best to pay attention in class, but my head was exhausted. I felt like I would have a blackout, but, as Medical News Today said," Conditions such as stress, depression, and anxiety can all affect mental health and disrupt a person's routine." I couldn't have felt a blackout. It could be only my mind that at that moment was very stressed out.
My head was hurting a lot, my head wanted to stop paying attention in class, but I did not let her stop. I did not ask for time off. I just went to the bathroom and poured water in my face to wake up and pay attention, but it did not stop hurting, so I decided to go to the nurse and take some medicine. Then after I took medication, the pain stopped.
I am a strong advocate for mental health breaks during the school year, as days off can be crucial in maintaining or improving one’s mental state. Teenagers in the modern day experience copious amounts of stress stemming from the competitive nature of education, pressure from social media, and constant exposure to the problems our world is facing among other things. It would be insensitive to assume these issues do not take a toll on students mentally, and taking one day to catch up on sleep or school work could benefit everybody.
One might describe it as a silent epidemic, as diseases and psychological disorders are still considered "taboo" by many citizens. Society regards it as a stigma, and people grieving from it are not presumptuous enough to raise awareness. Obnubilated by the victims who encounter these psychological disorders, mental illness negligence resulted in a severe increase in depressed students. Undoubtedly, the pressure to be remarkable, successful, and follow esthetic standards are the main factors for increasing this disorder in recent decades. In this sense, concerning mental health in the 21st century, it is conceivable to assert that it needs proper attention since it has been placed in the background by a substantial portion of the social framework. For instance, suicide is the second leading cause of death for 10- to 34-year-olds, as stated by a 2017 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. School plays an essential role in this data; the contemporary student is endowed with multiple individualities and is overwhelmed with work and anxiety. People deal with stress individually, and taking a mental health day, particularly toward stress relief and tranquillity, is the most suitable solution. Teenagers should endeavor to make their psychical health a priority and encourage themselves to massify these positive actions.
4
Currently, so many students suffer from some form of mental illness and in most cases, it can be caused by their school environment. A never-ending pile of assignments, having to wake up early everyday, and possible bullying from peers can really damage a student's health as said by Derek Evans in the article. Personally, I have not taken a mental health day off from school because I always felt pressured to go so I wouldn't miss any lessons and fall behind but, whenever I had a bad cold and could not attend, I really enjoyed having a rest from school even if I was sick. I believe mental health days should be a national thing and should be implemented into the regular school year so that a student won't have to worry about missing any new content covered on the day they were gone, thus avoiding any more stress. I feel like schools and teachers don't realize how exhausting it is to have to keep up with 7-8 classes daily and work on homework even after school is over and they should be able to sacrifice a day of the week for the sake of the students.
Life at school, exceptionally high school, can be overwhelming and toxic, not only because of the massive amount of homework but also because people can be awful. Mental Health matters more than people think it does, and it can lead to several problems.
I ultimately believe that if students are not feeling mentally healthy, they MUST take few days at home to take care of themselves, just like in Oregon, where students have 5 mental health days in a three-months-period. At my school, we can't take "breaks" if we are not feeling stable, and times where you don't feel prepared or healthy will come, and the schools should be willing to understand that few days off is necessary.
Depression and anxiety have been one of the most diseases gotten in the world, especially by teenagers. It's a fact that school is probably one of the major causes of those diseases. Teenagers often get stressed with all the things that school provide us, such as homework, tests, and projects. When students go to high school, they will likely get even more stressed because the assignments will increase in terms of quantity and difficulty, and they will have to deal with the fact that their grades from now on will count for college. In summary, students will become stressed because of the pressure that what you do will affect your future from now on. So that's why I'm totally in favor of getting mental health days off from school.
In the article, Natalie Proulx (the author) starts it by asking, "Have you ever felt so overwhelmed, stressed, anxious or depressed that you thought you needed a day off from school to reset?". This year (2020), one of my friends was murdered by a group of robbers, so I went total state shock four days, and I needed almost one entire month to recover. Although I knew that it was understandable to miss some days of class, I didn't because I thought that I would get more frustrated when I started going to school. I believe that the schools should be prepared when something like this happens to someone, and when the person comes back, he won't get all the assignments that he missed during that time that he was absent.
Did you know that, according to the Teen Mental Health Organization, one in five teenagers is affected by a mental health disorder? Many young students suffer from mental health issues such as anxiety, eating disorders, and depression, and school certainly doesn't help with that. The strains of homework, bullying, and after school activities only increase students' stress and anxiety. Sometimes, these burdens even lead to suicide. Although suicide is the second leading cause of death for young adults, schools aren't doing much to prevent this tragedy. If schools offered mental health days off, I believe that struggling teenagers would be able to get away from the tension of school, work on themselves and their mental health, and catch up on their studies in a more relaxed and helpful environment. This day off would prove to be very beneficial to students who suffer from mental health disorders, as it gives them a small but significant reset. As Derek Evans said in the article, "Dealing with anxiety throughout high school has always left me tired, exhausted up against some weeks, and the difference one day makes is honestly life-changing." One mental health day off of school could honestly save someone's life. So why are we even debating whether to implement it?
I believe that nowadays if you are a teenager and haven’t had some type of mental issue you are definitely a minority. The school can become a really toxic and exhausting place. Taking into consideration that the school is supposed to be a place to study if you don’t fit the perfect standards you get judged… Schoolwork and studying can get really tiring, plus all the toxicity of the school environment itself can be considered one of the most exhausting things ever! This happens because most of us (teens) pass most of our free time on our phones, where only people that fit in the definition of perfect (beautiful and rich) people have power. Most people end up absorbing those standards and bringing them to their nowadays life. So, besides our out of school problems, we need to deal with all of the problems inside the school. So, in the long term, this can result in stress, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, paranoia, etc…
I think that a mental health day off from school would be a great solution. For example, one of the main reasons I don’t want to go back on having normal classes rather than online ones is the stressful school environment itself, mental health days off would make me way more comfortable when normal school is back. But for students not to abuse of that and keep missing school, the school could only allow mental health days on Wednesdays. I think that mental health days will help the school environment immeasurably.
Mental Health is a serious issue that is predominant in schools so by introducing days off for students to relax is not just a good idea but is something that should have been implemented a long time ago, but that are two major problems with that, being the first one the fact that everyone is different and relaxes in different ways so offer a relaxing time in school wouldn’t be so easy but by just giving a day of the students would be able to choose what to do and be free to relax in their ways. The second problem is from which grade should we start to implement this, when is that school starts to get harder and more time consuming, should every grade have a break day, or just 9th graders and up should have this privilege, the answers for this questions would depend from school to school but in the end, I think that days off for mental health porpuses should be implemented.
As a student, I fell like this is only necessary few times. I don't think the school should give us free mental health days. Instead, it could overload us less than the usual. Indeed, many people in school can't handle stress, and they end up not being the most outstanding students. The best solution, in my opinion, is to avoid having these stresses. The school could also teach students how to deal with stress and time management, so at least they are trying to help the students.
I have felt like I needed a day off school, and every teenager has had that thought after a hard day. But after you get those assignments done, there is no better feeling, I feel like I'm free off my obligations and now I can do whatever I want.
After all, school is excellent; we meet our friends and learn something new every day. Schools should not give mental health days; holidays and weekends are fine, students can handle it. The grind never stops.
Adolescence is a significant period for developing and maintaining emotional and social habits that are responsible for providing mental well-being over the years. It is a time where teenagers find who they are and what they enjoy, and start developing coping, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills, besides learning how to manage their emotions. On the other hand, it is also a very stressful phase, where many changes are happening with their bodies and what surrounds them. With that, many end up developing mental illnesses through their teenage years, such as depression, anxiety or eating disorders, addictive behavior, and many more, which, without the help of professionals, can often lead to suicide. As mentioned in the article, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report (2017), suicide is the second leading cause of death for 10- to 34-year-olds. However, most schools are not taking action to prevent it, preferring not to address mental health on their grounds, even though they should, since it is critical at every stage of life, affecting how people think, feel, and act. Thus, providing mental health days as an option for when the students feel the need to take some days off from school is necessary, mainly since it would help recognize the importance of mental health and how people react to it.
The lasting effects of stress and anxiety on students is a serious issue with modern-day school. The idea of mental health days at first sounds like a strong idea to cope with what students are dealing with, but it can also be seen as a bigger problem. If a student misses a day in school due to mental health, all of the work and assignments done on that day they missed could just add more stress and anxiety. While the idea of mental health days could help short term, in the long run it could make the issue worse.
Considering how our days are so overwhelming, we should have a day off. In my school, we had a stress-free weekend once in the quarter, and most of the time was during the weekend, where we had a holiday. It worked, but it is still not enough; we have too much homework and activities. Sometimes I think that the teachers forget that we have other subjects to study, so they just put thousand of assignments to do in a short amount of time. During the week, we have school, sports, homework, and other things, all of this take time, and when it gets on the weekend, you should relax, go out with or friends and family, but you still need to study, especially if you have projects to present or a test on Monday. So we should have a day to stop and not worry about school and try to take all the tension you may have.
Mental health is a recurrent issue that many students deal with, which can be detrimental to their personal life and can even translate to their physical health. As school-years pass, more responsibility and work is assigned to students throughout their academic life. According to the World Health Organization, one in four people will experience mental health issues once in their lifetime. As a student, I think this may occur during a person's academic life as everything tends to get more stressful and demanding.
As shown in the article, Chloe Wilson pretended that she was sick only to stay away from school, and because of the bullying she faced, it eventually led to her death. That news is unfortunate as a school should be a place to prepare students for the future and help them build stronger social bonds. Hearing about Chloe Wilson's case is tragic. School should've been a place that she should have felt safe to be who she was. Schools should notice this everlasting issue and provide help from psychologists and off days to help students with their mental health.
As Mariska Hargitay once said," Healing takes time, and asking for help is a courageous step." With that, we should encourage students to share their feelings with people that may help, as they may have difficulties dealing with their problems alone. Some may think that students will take advantage of staying at home, but they will soon realize that they should focus on their future by going to school.
Schools are essential for the social and pedagogical development of the students. However, lately, there has been an excessive demand for results and frequent interpersonal problems among young people. These facts have led to an increasing number of teenagers with mental illness or even suicides. Just like when we are physically ill and need time to recover, I believe that in cases of depression or extreme anxiety, a few days at home with medical care would benefit the student. Staying away from a stressful environment would undoubtedly be positive. Of course, some people can abuse this right by pretending to need days out of school unnecessarily. Unfortunately, there is no way to avoid people with bad intentions from taking advantage of this right.
Its very common nowadays for students, especially teens to have struggles with their mental health. School can get overwhelming especially if you also do other things outside of school. Ive taken mental health days before because I think they're very important. Sometimes I have days where I think its better to just stay home because if I go to school i’ll just struggle to perform well.Although some parents believe that students don’t need mental health days, I believe they could honestly save a life. Mental health days can help students to be less stressed and cause more good than harm.
Yes, I do think that students in my school should take mental health days when they need it because that is a very important thing. A lot of students might have anxiety, stress, depression, feel overwhelmed, and more feelings like this and nobody may know. So, with that happening, it's always good to take mental health days to discuss and help get better. Like it states in the article, yes there are some kids who will just pretend that they sick or needing a day off to take care of their mental health so that they can miss school but, some students really do need help and I that think that help is needed for them. Parents should also be involved because they need to know what's happening with their kids and help them or try to do anything that will happen to them. Throughout middle and high school is where students need the most help because as they are growing up and the amount of homework is also growing. With that, it's always good to talk to someone and talk to your teachers to see what they can do for you!
Mental health is an important part, but I think this solution is not a good idea. Usually I get stressed because of a lot of homework, relationships, etc. But these don't get better just by taking a day or two off school. When I go to school the next day and take a class, it becomes more difficult because I cannot learn the content. Then, it's probably more stressful for me. Of course, if depression or mental health is too bad, you may feel tired and want to rest, but this situations can be cured without the Mental Health Day by submitting a medical certificate. So I think this day will not be helpful.
I think that the idea of having mental days off is fantastic but the problem is that everyone is different so for marking a specific day or day for mental days out for everyone is hard, but I think it would work if when someone has or is having a problem, they should be able to have a break but for that everyone should ( have to be mature )
Mental Health is a serious issue, mainly in high school, and students could have trouble dealing with it. Classes could be stressful sometimes, and teens may have a lot of pressure to do tons of homework and study. Students could suffer from depression or anxiety because of school-related issues. According to medical press, one in four high school students has already experienced symptoms of depression. Teens may have a hard time dealing with problems in high school. Because of that, I heavily advise that schools start having mental health days off school. Some days, students have so much homework that they can't even take a break until dinner. It is not healthy to stay seated for a long time without stretching or taking a 15-minute break. School weeks are stressful students should have a day off. Schools need to address mental health more often, to check if students are well mentally.
It is a fact that many students suffer from anxiety, depression, and other mental issues. However, teachers seem not to remember that when they are passing homework or other activities, according to the National Institutes of Health, nearly 1 in 3 of all adolescents ages 13 to 18 will experience an anxiety disorder, and an overwhelming workload won't help teens that suffer from this disorder. Therefore students should have an option to take mental health days when they need to, a former student, Derek Evans, stated. "Dealing with anxiety throughout high school has always left me tired, exhausted up against some weeks, and the difference one day makes is honestly life-changing," he told Fox 12 Oregon. And especially at this moment that we are passing through, our mental health already is suffering; if our workload gets exhausting, more teens will suffer from anxiety and other mental issues.
I agree that schools have not done much to address students mental health. Not only do we get overwhelming amounts of work, but having to come to school every day can be very exhausting to students. However, some schools are starting to improve this problem by giving mental health days for students. I believe that this might be very helpful to the mental health of students, and it may decrease their rates of anxiety and depression.
After reading this article, I remembered the time when I was at high school, three years ago, and I must say that a mental health day off from school was what I needed. The worst part of the year was in November, when we had to sit for the final exams. These tests lasted two weeks, a period in which I was highly anxious and stressed because I knew it was crucial to get good marks. Anyway, I wasn’t allowed to take time off, as the school wasn’t concerned with the students’ mental health. We were allowed to take a day off only if we were ill or if we had an appointment with a doctor. Apart from this difficult period at school, the rest of the year was not that tough and I feel I could manage going to school, since I knew it was only a matter of fifteen days and that was the end of it.
I would like to say that students should be allowed to take these days off, everybody must be aware of how important is to be mentally healthy. It’s really important to talk about this topic; it can save a lot of lives.
So, does school care about our mental health? should students get mental health care at school? It depends, some schools, especially public schools, give students homework without concern about their mental health in which I find this very wrong. Based on my knowledge, students should have 8 hours of sleep every day. But how does school affect that? The answer is simple: sending a lot of homework, thus causing us to have a night of poor sleep. That never happened to me before; I think this happens more often with American 8th-grade students due to America's different middle school system. I guess that because I studied two years of elementary in Florida and went back to my country to start middle school. Now I'm in 8th grade in my country, and hearing rumors about the American public school systems. Now is time to answer the question, should students get mental health care at school? Before I answer this, I must answer this question: Are we to blame on schools? Because students can sometimes accumulate and complain that they have too much work to do. So my answer to the question is no because health care is not necessary to keep students energetic. They need some rest by focusing their mind on what they like before doing work.
As ever-evolving, education has become quite stressful for students with the development of technology that allows immediate access to information, therefore, giving a more significant ability for educators to teach more subjects and pass more work. According to the Teen Mental Health Organization, one out of every five young people suffers from some type of mental health disorder; those problems are only aggravated with the stressful environment created in school with bullying, the stress of work, and anxiety. However, only about half of the schools in the U.S have arrangements to provide social and mental health services for their students, as stated by the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools. A mental health day-off from school would be a great start in the battle against mental health issues with teens, as it allows the students to take a step back from the stressed environment, put their work back on track, as well as allow time for self-care, which is a meaningful step in fighting a disorder. It is also imperative for schools to end the stigma around mental health and teach their students the importance of seeking help. Educational institutes must likewise realize that the large majority of students that suffer from mental disorders are minorities, like queer, trans, and black people, and that to address said issues, they must address and condemn the prejudice and bullying those teens and kids face in the school environment for merely being who they are.
6
I believe students should have the option to take mental health days off from school when they need them. The importance of maintaining a good mental health during academic periods is crucial. Students could benefit from some time away from school to unwind, because sometimes they exert themselves in a way that undermines their psychological well-being. Indeed, responsibilities at school could shoulder a burden on learners, especially if they do not get a proper rest. Nevertheless, the decision of carrying out mental health days might be hotly contested, mainly among parents. In fact, what some adults may not understand is that duties at school are as burdensome for students as adult life can be for parents. It is a question of knowing that every staple of life comes with its own degree of stress, and students are juggling with social and family life as well, apart from school. Therefore, it is vital for students to be granted with the possibility of taking care of their mental health.
A lot of students now in days have or had anxiety, depression, stress because of schools. And most of them don't care about their student's mental state. They start caring when a school loses a student because of suicide. That's when they begin caring about their mental state and how they act. Students should have the right to have mental help in their schools. The bad part about this is that many students could use this as an excuse to miss a day from school or even miss a class because of mental help. But all the schools should have mental help classes to help their students not to do something that might be bad.
Did you know that every 40 seconds a person suicides and most are men, or did you know that 800 thousand people suicide per year? It's a significant number. Most of the people that commit suicide because of bullying or any mental health problem. As seen in the text, a girl suicided in 2018 after she suffered bullying because of her sexuality choice. If some schools helped people with mental problems or give them a day of students' suicides would reduce.
Another common thing to happen is anxiety. When a student stays anxious or even nervous, they start to get stressed and distracted. To help those people, schools should establish some days for those students.
There is a physiologist in my school that helps students with personal problems, school problems, and even metal problem. That helps a lot because that person is specialized in that. I never passed by that situation, but yes, the school gives some days for those who need to relax and reload all the energy.
Being a high school student is often overwhelming and mentally exhausting. Between scrambling to complete homework assignments, cramming for tests, and navigating the social waters of high school, there are more than enough reasons to be stressed. The issue of mental health days, however, is more complex than the simple argument “students are so stressed so they should have mental health days.” In my experience, I’ve never been stressed or exhausted enough to need a day off of school. Obviously, not everybody’s experiences are the same. But would mental health days really accomplish anything? After all, after a day off, a student just has to come back and make up the work they missed. Wouldn’t that just increase the stress for the next night, now having double the homework? I think that there is no simple solution to improving students mental health, but in searching for a solution, the first place we should look is how to improve school and make it less harmful to students mental health. Changing the way we do school, in my opinion, is more important than giving days off.
1
Considering how busy a normal day as a high school student can feel and how overwhelming it often gets I think it would be very beneficial to have mental health days. This isn't just because I'm a high school student and want a day off, but sometimes the cycle of the week can feel emotionally and physically exhausting. Monday through Friday you have school, sports, work, homework and maybe some time with friends if you get the chance, then Friday night you finally get to forget about the homework and just be with your friends after school, that is if you don't have a job or an after school activity to take part in. You can choose to spend Saturday however you like, unless you have other commitments to activities or whatever your parents think best for you to spend the day. You may even get the chance to sleep in. But Sunday will almost always be spent on the homework you were given over the weekend and preparing for the week. I think if every once in a while we were given an extra day where we don't need to worry about homework or school or waking up before 7:30 it greatly ease some tension for many students and help us feel less exhausted with this weekly cycle.
Life as a high school student can be an emotional roller coaster. Often students may feel like they need a day to just relax and clear their head, a perfect solution can just be to take a mental health day to recover the student of their stress and anxiety. Throughout my first two years of high school I have experienced my fair share of stressful days due to an overload of schoolwork but also because of pressure of sports after school. I feel like most students are involved with after school activities and so I believe that schools should incorporate a couple days throughout the school year where students don’t have to come to school or after school activities. This will allow them to just relax and have some alone time to recover mentally and their overall mental health. Now some may argue that having these mental health days will cause students to fall behind on school work but first of all the students safety and mental health is always the number one priority and also if teachers know that certain students are struggling mentally they will now know that because of the student taking a mental health day which will help their students cope and ease them back into it.
In my experience staying home from anything other than being physically sick was a no in my household. Most of the time my parents thought I just forgot to do an assignment and didn’t want to face the consequences and other times I was told it was a dumb reason because they have to work just like me. But mental health is a real issue and often times pushed aside in households. Teenagers now a days suffer from depression and anxiety on a daily and although sometimes it does not hit as hard one day, other times you simply just do not feel like getting out of bed. I think if schools gave this option in school, they might see boosts in students grades because the students are seeing that they have that option to sleep all day or simply just to take a breather. Mental health does not only cause sadness as people like to think, but it wears down the physical boy as well.
I've never had to use a mental health day, but I could see it as a benefit to some students who really need it. Poor mental health can really mess a person up. I also think there needs to be better education about mental health. If you're stressed out about taking a test and want to take a mental health day, I don't believe that should qualify as a reason to take one. People need to know the difference between anxiety and depression, and being a little nervous. It's okay to have a bad day, you learn from it. There should be clear guidelines on what could qualify you to take a mental health day.
I think as students we can agree that a day off of school to promote and standby mental health as a society can benefit us and future students. A day off of school can do a lot for us as students - it gives us a chance to catch-up on work, get much needed rest, and improve our general mental health and well-being. Recent studies have shown that 1 in 5 teens deal with mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. In my opinion I think we could see a huge decrease in these numbers if we just allowed one single day of rest to promote mental health due to the very large impact that days-off have on high-schoolers and college students.
As a high school student life can get pretty overwhelming. Maintaining good grades, participating in extra curriculares, and trying to maintain a social life is a challenging task and builds stress, piling on top of itself creating a massive wall of anxiety. Students need a day or two over the year to just take off, relax the brain, no school, no extra curriculares, just a day to lay down and calm oneself and center themselves. Having a day off would not only help students better their health, but would also help them improve their efficiency. When students a well rested and stress free they are more likely to achieve better grades and perform better in the classroom and on the field. Feel good play good.
All high schoolers can agree that school can be very overwhelming at times causing a lot of stress and anxiety. While it is extremely important to be present during your classes and keep up with school work, the ability to take mental health days when needed would be greatly beneficial for students. In the same way that both students and teachers don’t come to school when their physical health is hindered, one should be able to stay home when their mental health is run-down as well. The students’ safety is more important than anything else and, I believe taking a day off to regroup yourself and manage stress is worth missing a day of school. It can be stressful to miss school as well, having to eventually make up that work but, when planned appropriately, It can make a huge difference in improving ones overall health.
Being someone that has taken her fair share of mental health days, I totally believe that schools should be allowing them. My school does not give them, but my mom every once and a while will just have me take the day off, and allow me to relax and have a self focused day. Mental health days are so important to any age but especially with teenagers due to all the stress that is put on them. To have just a day or two to yourself honestly can change a lot of things for someone. It can help you catch back up on homework, gain some sleep, or just sit back and relax. Whatever the problem is, you can address it and move on from it with a mental health day.
I feel that mental health days at school should be an option for all students to take when they feel the need. Students these days are often under more stress than usual, and because of the negative stigma surrounding mental health issues, many students who need help do not ask for it. Even if it is not for a specific mental illness, I think all students at some point in time have seriously felt the need to just take a break for one day - I know I have. Sometimes, one day is all you need to reset, mentally and physically, to return to school more prepared and ready to fully engage in classes.
I think this should be adopted as a nationwide law because anxiety and depression are the same things as a physical sickness, potentially even worse. I personally, sometimes feel the need to take a day break from school just for my mental health. It can be argued that students can use this as an excuse to be absent from school. However, it is necessary to implement this law because of the students who actually need it. Some students even turn to self-harm or suffer from mental breakdowns as a result of anxiety from the pressures of school. The similarities and severity of mental health and physical health is evident and should be taken seriously.
Many high school students are involved in various extracurricular activities and take AP classes, leading them to often feel stressed and overwhelmed. Due to this, mental health days can be advantageous once in a while. A day off gives students an opportunity to decompress, sleep and catch up on homework. I have definitely felt the need for a mental health day and have claimed to be “sick” in order to stay home, when realistically I was just mentally exhausted. The idea of a mental health day must be normalized because mental well-being is just as important as physical well-being. While mental health days aren’t practical every week, they should be encouraged once a semester. Many times, one day off is all it takes to give students the motivation they need to continue studying and working hard in their classes. If a student would stay home because they had the flu, they should be allowed to stay home if they are struggling mentally.
I feel that mental health days should be allowed. While I do believe that everyone is different, and every school is different, having days that allow you to take a much needed break are a necessity. I think that mental health days should be a system in which a student has a certain amount of days per semester that they are able to take off. After these days, they should have work they must make up, but less so. I believe that school burns people out very quickly, I myself am no stranger to this, and I believe that they are necessary to any school.
I do not feel that schools should have designated Mental Health days off school because everyone is different. There are people who prefer school and a mental health day would not help them. Also every student in high school has a different schedule so where one day of the year specifically would be great to have off for one student another student might have nothing stressful that week yet another week the mental health day would be fantastic but they don’t have it. The solution would be great to give students mental health days and they can pick and choose when to use them, however that is not as practical as we hope. I think as a whole it should be easier to take a mental health day and be able to catch up on your work without causing too much stress. High School is a stressful experience but it is different for everybody and everyone needs to find what works for them. Schools could supply approved mental health days where students can make their case and then the school can grant them a day off but it would not work if this system becomes abused. Overall, mental health is a problem in today’s society but it is different for everybody and each solution will benefit and maybe hurt some people.
20 percent of students in the U.S.A. experience symptoms of depression before they reach adulthood. It should be a given that schools would start to prioritize students mentally. Quarantine has shown a lot of students just how stressful school was and has allowed them to prioritize their mental health. In terms of excused absences from school, the health of students physically or mentally should be a priority. I think it is great that some states are passing laws allowing students mental health days. Students are people too and we deserve to be able to prioritize our mental health over always being at school.
I think if my school allowed students to take days off for mental health it would be greatly beneficial to students. Like many students, I struggle to balance school, homework, sports, and some sort of social life while still maintaining a high G.P.A. School demands a lot out of students to perform well and many students sacrifice their mental health to achieve this goal. I think that sacrificing mental health for school is wrong even if students do not have a diagnosed mental illness. The stress of school is a lot to bear, taking a day off or two to relax should be allowed and encouraged. I think it is important for students to learn healthy coping mechanisms now so that we can be more productive adults in the future.
I think mental health days for students could be very beneficial. There have definitely been late nights of studying or doing homework that have created large amounts of stress just over grades. There is tons of stress on students to be the best they can be in school but not everyone’s life outside of school is the same. Taking a day off to release stress and improve on mental health should be looked at as a much greater thing. Students should not have to feel the need to lie about there mental health to take a break from there stress at school as mentioned in the story of Chloe Wilson. Although I do understand that some teachers or parents may think some students would take advantage of this idea but I believe it is worth taking that risk to possibly help improve the mental health of many students.
While I believe the idea of mental health days are extremely important I don’t think they are the most practical. From experience I can say the life of teenagers can be very stressful with juggling school, friends, extracurriculars, and family. But something that never fails to stress me out is missing a day of school. In some of my classes missing a day can feel like missing a week with all the work and instruction I would miss out on. That is why I think mental health days could end up stressing students out even more. So that is why as a typical stressed out teenager I would recommend taking periodic breaks during the school day instead of taking a whole mental health day. I believe that students would get more out of the mental breaks than a whole entire mental day.
Most high school students today would agree with the notion that they feel some degree of stress. High school is particularly stressful, given that work done there has a large impact on one’s future. However, given the current situation of a global pandemic where many students have had their lives and expectations upturned, mental health days are necessary now more than ever. Life can feel really overwhelming at times, so the ability for someone to take a day off and recollect themselves would likely be very beneficial. It is possible that some individuals may attempt to take advantage of such a system, but it would be more helpful for the students who actually need it. Hopefully having mental health days will help teenagers find resources that they need, and provide them with a more stable future.
I think mental health days in an everyday school schedule would be extremely beneficial. I think it’s very important they be school enforced and organized because mental health seems to have a stigma around it. I wouldn’t want to take a mental health day but then miss a quiz that was supposed to be scheduled on that day because that would be even more stressful. Schools should decide on a certain day and stick with it so things are not scheduled then and students can truly get a break and have something to look forward to. I think it can be very hard, especially in a high school environment when you are preparing for college and taking AP courses, to allow yourself to take a break without feeling lazy or like you should be doing something else which is why all the administration must encourage them.
I have one hundred percent felt the need for a mental health day during the course of my high school experience. I think it’s safe to say that most high schoolers have felt this way at some point during school. Although most high school students have had mental health issues, for some reason there is still a stigma against them. Students are told that mental health is just in their heads and they should simply “get better”. If you are depressed, well you shouldn’t be because you are too fortunate to be sad. Sadly, we are told this by most adults. Some days at school I felt like I was dragging my body to class, on the verge of tears, just wanting to go home and sleep, as I was sleep deprived and so stressed out. Some days I would call my mom saying that I was sick and needed to go home, when in reality I was just mentally exhausted and needed a break. I feel like if we normalize mental health issues and provide students with mental health days, that the number of students with mental illnesses would go down, as they would be provided with time to cope and relax from the stress of school every once and awhile.
I think the stigma surrounding the topic mental illness is hard to ignore which makes it very difficult to talk about. Often, if a child opens up about their mental health to a parent, they will be told to toughen up and their solution for depression is to be happy. Extracurriculars and other circumstances will keep me up past midnight scrambling to finish homework. I often have to forgo studying for sleeping which leaves me just hoping to survive whatever test or quiz I have the next day. The little sleep that I do have every night is not enough and I end up nodding off during a class. Just one day of rest would help students catch up on some much needed rest. It would give us time to recuperate and gather our thoughts so that depression or anxiety don't threaten to overwhelm us when the expectations of us is reaching its limits.
I feel like students would take advantage of the mental health day but at the same time, students who are athletes or do other activities outside of school get overwhelmed extremely easily and when a student is tired or overwhelmed mentally the mental health day would be a very nice thing to have. last year was my hardest year of school and i would come to school overwhelmed and could of really needed a mental health day if one was offered.
Although I believe that your mental health needs to be a priority in your life, taking a mental health day from school is silly to me. In the real world, mental health days don’t exist, so why should school be treated any different? I think it’s important to once a week have a day where you can relax and not worry about the overwhelming things in your life. I have friends who struggle with different mental illness’ like depression and anxiety and maybe those who struggle need mental health days. Especially in a pandemic, everyone’s feeling different emotions everyday and it can definitely take a toll on your health. However, I feel overall that because mental health days don’t really exist in the real world at a 9-5, they shouldn't be allowed to take mental health days.
although some students would take advantage of this and take the days off even if they are well, I think that there is also considerable number of students who would benefit from this law and would make a huge difference among the ones who have suicidal thoughts.
I believe students should have the option to take mental health days when necessary because the pros outweigh the cons by far. First of all, mental health is just as serious as physical health, it has proven to be as deadly too. Just like a sprained ankle, if not treated properly, our minds could cripple and break. Mental health days could also allow students to take time off to recharge and come back stronger. Grades could improve because they have the energy to focus on schoolwork, productivity could improve because they are in the right frame of mind, and overall happiness could improve because they aren't being controlled by their illness. It is difficult to understand if you've never dealt with these issues, but they are very real and difficult for the kids dealing with them. There is the risk of people faking sick to get the extra days off, but I would rather a few students faking issues than thousands suffering silently. being forced to work in school when your mind can't is very harmful and exhausting. When not taken care of, mental health can lead to some very disastrous things. As an extreme example, if a student has a mental issue that hasn't been cared for, they can harm their fellow peers in fights or even shootings. Mental illness is scary and sometimes uncontrollable, but these days might be able to let students get a grip on themselves. Sometimes people don't need something big and ginormous to help them, sometimes a day away is all that a student might need.
As a student who struggles with mental health myself, I believe giving students a mental health day within the school year could be very beneficial. Had LHS had a more understanding attendance policy - I would not have had absence failure both my freshmen and sophomore year. Luckily, with the grades I upheld, I was able to pass the year with the help of my dean. But, student who have more academic troubles alongside their own mental issues - stressing attendance, grades and surviving could result in possibly dropping out rather than being given time to get a grasp on what they need to do to succeed.
I understand it would be hard to sort who genuinely needs a mental break from who is just looking for a day off - but, in such case I think we need to give students benefit of the doubt. There’s no way of really making a student prove they’re mentally ill - especially if they’re not diagnosed with any disorders, but it’s to no surprise that the students of an urban community are all individually struggling in their own ways. Their would need to be a limit to how many days a student is given before needing to talk to a dean or possible counselor to explain their absence from school in order to maintain a passing grade.
Sometimes, its really hard for me to go to school, too much drama mixed with stress and teenage energy really gets to me. So, my mom lets me take about one or two days off once every month or so, and it really changes the game. It's so very refreshing, and it really perks me up for the rest of the month just to have that little break in the routine, makes everything seem just a bit better. I think mental health days are really important for students, especially because alot of students undergo frequent bullying and the school board does nothing. But sadly, our school does not support mental health days, so my amazing mom makes up an excuse, and that sucks. I think all schools should support taking a short bit of time off for metal health.
Does your school address mental health? How so? my school is very involved and I feel that we have so many more resources than other schools. What have you learned about it and how it affects you? I have learned a lot about mental health this year and I think that everyone should talk about it more because there is a stigma around mental health. What, if anything, would you change about the way your school discusses mental health? I feel that we need to have a more public discussion about mental health and to make it known that people shouldn't feel ashamed about having a mental illness.
I think that students in my school should have the option to take mental health days when they feel the need to have them.I personally get stressed from school and sometimes its to overwhelming and im sure other kids feel the same and we just need a couple of days off to work with it.
I think being able to have mental health days off of school would be a very helpful thing, I have nothing like that, but my mind is often full of problems whether at school or home. If we miss a day because of mental health it is not accounted for as an excuse to be gone, which I can understand but am disappointed in. School already brings lots of stress in teens, and we deserve to be able to spend a few days taking care of ourselves and not just working. All we can do is go to school and deal with it, and that feels unfair. I am certain that some students would try to use this as an excuse to stay home, but that’s exactly why there should be a limit, which the schools provide. The articles show that the school doesn’t just allow their students to be gone whenever they feel like it. I’m glad that some states have implemented this, I think it can be very beneficial for us, as students and people.
Schools should offer mental health days for students, both those who are affected by mental illness(es) or kids who are simply too overwhelmed to function. Even though not everyone has a mental illness, everyone has mental health. It is crucial to keep your mental health in check, in order to avoid developing a mental illness. Mental health days are very important, and I believe they would greatly reduce the depression and anxiety epidemic that inhabits the minds of millions of teenagers around the world. I have had days where my depression made it physically impossible to get out of bed, days where I seriously doubted anyone would notice that I didn’t show up, and I know many others share some of my experiences. Derrick Bryson Taylor describes just a few of the struggles teenagers go through on a regular basis: “Depression and anxiety. The state of the country. Climate change. Mass shootings. Today’s students are grappling with a variety of issues beyond the classroom” (Proulx, 2019, para. 4). The rarity of schools accepting mental health days for students highly suggests how little mental health is regarded as a necessity, as it is. Mental health has never been as well-known or accepted as physical, tangible illnesses. Mental health is beginning to become more widely accepted, but the battle is still far from won.
I have absolutely needed a mental health day. I have struggled with my mental health for years and the thought of having a day off to regenerate sounds amazing. All the stress and anxiety builds up and some days it just collapses on you. When you don't get a break to build yourself back up, the results can be consequential. People might argue and say "If you need a day then just don't go to school." In schools nowadays you can't take a day off without drowning in work to catch up on. All that work leads to more pressure then to more anxiety. It's a vicious cycle.
The mental health of our generation has been quite the discussion topic recently. People are saying that all of the murder violets in schools comes from people who are not mentally correct or healthy. If that's the issue then we are no going to fix anything by talking about it. Giving a mental health day could be a time where students can schedule things with a guidance counselor or therapist and get help. The options are limitless the school system just needs to give one extra push.
As someone who has struggled with my mental health for years, I see a dire need for more help going to those with mental illness. I strongly believe mental health is just as troubling as physical health; both are demanding, debilitating, and take time to learn to manage. The text states, “In 2018, Utah changed the definition of a student’s ‘valid excuse to miss a day to include an illness ‘which may be mental or physical’”(Proulx, 2019). My freshman year of high school tested my strength and was a turning point in my life. Amongst the months of suicide attempts followed by hospitalizations and therapy 5 hours a week, I am glad to say my school staff was by side. And they allowed me to work with professionals to get the help I needed to survive, as I struggle with depression, anxiety, Borderline Personality Disorder, and PTSD. I am still on my path of recovery, although, overall I am doing better than last year, and that is with the help of my school. I believe it is very important that schools offer mental health days to students because sometimes it’s more important to put yourself back together and use coping skills, then stay at school and stay broken. If mental health is not talked about and actions are not taken, there will be tragic consequences. Mental health is a major issue, those struggling deserve to know that even school staff and administrators care about their life and them as a human being, and not just their grades.
Personally, in middle school, I was severely depressed, had very bad insomnia and very bad anxiety. I used to pretend I was stomach sick all the time so that I could skip school to avoid the stress. I am now in High school, and still struggle with these things but in smaller doses. I think when things happen in our personal lives, we put on our happy faces and pretend to be fine to draw attention away from us, which is not good mentally. I think we should receive 3 mental health days per semester. I think it gives us a day to recover and let the body relax. Plus, most schools post the lesson plans and homework online, so we can do our work in our own environment and our own pace.
I have seen the gross effects of mental health on myself and my siblings during high-school and through college. The current group of kids going through school in our age is plagued by busy-ness. We have social media, organizations, normal school work, athletics, events, projects, work, news/sports, etc.. All of this is constantly bouncing around in our minds, giving us more and more content that we have to process and work through every day. This can be taxing to students, especially those with no support system.
I believe that there are three major factors in this issue. Firstly, I believe that technology has become so overwhelmingly distracting with extra nonsense that our ability to think, socialize, and process change is depleting quickly due to our relationships with technology. How are we supposed to respond and recover from natural learning, interactions, and perhaps bullying, when we also have to worry about the media pressing down on us with the same yet distorted messages.
Secondly, I think that our school system is wearing kids down with content for points, rather than experiences for learning. Kids cram study material for tests and feel overwhelmed, they do well on the test, but in the end they remember only 10% of what they studied. Giving them an experience to learn from is much more memorable.
Third, God is being removed from schools and it is showing. My favorite saying off a barn on Interstate-70: No God, No Peace. Know God, Know Peace. I can attest.
I believe that mental health has been growing rapidly in this day of age. Suicide has also been increasingly high recently. Many people underestimate how much the feelings inside us control how we act. In my experience mental health days have been very helpful. School in general is very chaotic, not to mention the bullies. Although schools claim they are against bullying when it comes down to it they are left mute and of no use. As well as most coping skills learned in mental hospitals are hard to practice when surrounded by a distracting learning environment. Being able to spend a day at home practicing mindfulness and talking to your support system is important to ensure a better day to follow. Then you can go back to school refocused and ready to learn. So yes I do believe that kids should get mental health days off.
Mental health is a very big and serious issue that many teens deal with being in high school today. We are exposed to tremendous amounts of pressure from parents, teachers, coaches and our peers. There have been days where I have felt that a day off would benefit me greatly because of overwhelming stress and work. I believe that schools should have mental health days because I think it would work well with every part of the system. It gives students time to give their brains a break, and even if they don’t need one, it gives them time to get ahead on studies.I also think teachers deal with many stresses, like the students, and they deserve to have a day of mental break. Many students keep their true mental state to themselves and don’t share how they really feel which worsens the problem. I believe that if schools issue a mental health day, it will bring this growing problem to the attention of many people and hopefully will solve some of the issues involved.I believe that adding mental health break days will make school a better environment for students and how they will grow as a person with their mental state.
I agree with giving students mental health days. Honestly I feel like giving kids time in class just to sit and collect their thoughts, and just take a breather would help. A lot of people suffer from anxiety, and it affects how well they are trying to do. The main factor that seems like it’s in play, with this generation is people lying. It would be stupid to make everyone with a mental issue bring in a doctors note saying they have an illness. You tell them they don’t have to come to school, then people know somebody has an illness because of who’s missing, some might bully others about it. It will seem like they are being singled out. Stress is a mental illness you can’t really diagnose, and people could use days off when it’s iust a lot of stress. People are forgetting all the factors when it comes to deciding about getting a school day off, it's not the only factor.
I 1000% students either in high school, Middle school or even college should get mental health days. People want everyone to be more informed about mental health and what it can do so if we could actually get days off from school to work on it would be great. School can be hard and just too much on some days and you would like a break one and awhile and having that opportunity to do that could even save someone life.
I firmly believe that students should be allowed one day from school a month. Whenever I’ve tried to take a mental vacation for a day I’m usually pressured by my parents to go to school anyway and get the work done as the weekend is just around the corner (which I have to do homework through anyway) and I just had to deal with it the rest of the day, but more sort of depressed or down. The times I was allowed to stay home, I felt great. Even though it’s supposed to be a mental vacation I do some work anyway and it’s much more relaxing than doing homework during the day than at night, it’s so much more stress-free.
If a student were to fake illness then I think it’s appropriate to give them all the work they were supposed to do during the day plus a little bit more at home and all you have to do to find out is to take them to the doctor or something similar. I think this is true because for the people that really need it, they should be allowed to have it.
I don’t know whether or not it’s true but I‘d have to say that we have it a lot harder than they did going through high school and in general a lot more pressure is being put on us to be better, so I don’t think they understand how some feel when under this pressure, it’s suffocating. Parents should be more informed on the general mental states if their kids and how they feel about school and what’s putting stress in their life.
Having a mental illness is not a choice. More teens than ever are suffering from mental illnesses and I very strongly believe that schools need to provide mental health days for the kids suffering from them. I personally have to take days off of school because of my mental health pretty often and they become unexcused because my school doesn’t see mental illness as an adequate problem. School is stressful for everyone but it is 10x worse for students with mental issues so we deserve one or two days off to take a break from the stress of school. I do believe that these days off could be abused but if you only offer them to diagnosed students with a doctor’s note then it shouldn’t be a problem.
@Ava O'Nan I agree with what you said, I believe that its not a choice and you cannot help it if one day your body will not get out of bed and your head is tired. All kids are scared of those unexcused and those can drag us down or we have to go find a lie to tell the school when quite frankly you just wanted one day off.
I am a 16 Year old female attending a college-prep high school. Other students in different high schools or areas may have different experiences with this topic so they may have separate opinions form mine, but I believe mental health is heavily disregarded in my school system. I think the states making these movements towards metal health awareness should be applauded and used as examples. Mental health is a huge weight on a lot of people and can be extremely harmful, even more so than physical health in some cases. Extreme amounts of high schoolers struggle with metal health every day and in my experience has not been acknowledged or attended to as an issue nearly enough. I love that some places are making important steps towards the appreciation and acceptance of metal health issues and hope that the rest of the world will soon follow.
I don’t think students should have a mental day break during the week, that’s what the weekends are for. I know teens who would just take advantage of it just to skip school. Yes, it would benefit those who actually need it, but at the same time it would cause them to have work to make up which could build onto their stress/other issues. If this was a thing at my school the kids who actually need it should have a doctor's (or someone who deals with mental health) note to decrease the chances of the break being taken advantage of.
@Callie Parkes Your opinion is valid but i cannot agree. There are many kids who can't even go a day without needing to be excused due to a mental breakdown. Emotions are something we cannot control, we can't just decide that our mind is going to need a break on a specific day, sometimes we can't make it to the weekend. Although I do agree that the work load could get rough i feel that that would be the decision of the person taking this mental health day. As for the doctors note some days these mental health days aren't planned kids couldn't possibly know ahead of time to get a note from a doctor. Thank you for your response it was very insightful.
I know in high school, I wanted plenty of mental health day off. Wanting to leave school for not feeling good was not an excuse. In order to leave, it was for a parent to call in with a reason, appointment, or was diagnose sick by the school nurse. Which did not happen often unless you puked or had a fever at school. I was in 3 sports and was in AP/honors/college credit class, so I could never get a break. It was very difficult and I know my mental health was not getting any better. I just had to go push through it. I definitely agree that schools should have the option to take mental health days. Majority of students who need breaks are the ones who are constantly involved or is taking rigorous classes. It's hard to be expected to be in academically high standard, involved in organizations/clubs while doing community service in order to get scholarships and be accepted into college. Even if a student takes advantage that is their decision. In college, you're not expected to be in class at all times what makes it different for a high school student. I think with a student having to take a mental health day should meet with a school counselor the following day. My school addressed mental health by hiring 2 psychologist but there isn't talk about it. There is stigma in the Hispanic community. Mental health is not educated enough to parents, so I think taking days off opens discussion with parents and children one on one.
I strongly agree with states/schools having a mental health day because there is a handful of people during their teen years even before they go to middle school that suffer from depression, anxiety and other mental disorder that lead to suicide. Considering having mental health day allows a teen to recover or at least talk to someone outside of school to help them with what they are going through, the thing that affects this motion to take place is that the older generation even the younger generation who believe that people who say they have a mental disorder is just saying they have it to get pity and attention from people around them or simply because they don't believe it exists which is sad when people think like this. Allowing this to happen even if it means the whole school to have several days off a month is helpful because it allows students to find time to help them finish something study something they have trouble with, trying to have the enough sleep that they need to help them go through another day, lacking sleep and stressing over standards that the world affects everyone and students should have the choice to have a day off to recover physically and mentally because if you close it off in a jail like environment like school where you can not go outside to breathe or just reflect sometimes it feels like your mind goes crazy and it affects the human brain to not have a moment of saving from ourselves and the world. It is like a remedy that benefits all.
As someone who has anxiety, depression, anorexia, and is trying to recover from a suicide attempt. Students with a note that they have a mental health disorder should be allowed to have mental health days. Mental health days should also be open to people who are dealing with a death close to them. Depression is not just crying once a week, it's wondering why your even alive and crying basically everyday. Anxiety is not just being nervous, it's feeling like no one cares about you and you have no where to go. Anorexia is not just missing a meal, it's going days without eating. Suicidal thoughts is just thinking about heaven or hell, it's actually coming up with a plan to leave this earth, to kill yourself. So many people doubt the effects of mental health in today's world, and how miserable the lives of people who have it are. It is a true struggle to deal with all these problems. Mental health days should mainly be allowed to students who have anxiety, depression, and any other mental disorder. No just people who stayed up late one night to play video games, and now don't have energy to write stuff at school. My therapist has told me I have severe depression and anxiety, so now I take meds. But they really don't work. But to have a day off, and it not be counted against you would be a dream come true. That is my one wish for north Carolina schools now, that they will start to understand students, and give them time to think about themselves and not a bunch of school work.
1
Natalie Proulx,
Mental health in academia, namely for students, is a subject that grows in gravity by the year. Diagnoses of anxiety and depression in adolescents are increasing by all records, and a consequential effect on their academic performance is inevitable unless accommodated for. Therefore, I support Oregon and Utah's laws for accommodative sick days for students with mental health issues. In your article you take cognizance that the current state of adolescent mental health is starkly different from past years and that cases of mental disorders have increased; this is reaffirmed by both other articles and census sources. Wolters-Kluwer Health conducted a study with National Survey of Children's Health that revealed correlating increases much like mentioned: “In the 2011-12 survey, 5.3 percent of children and teens had current anxiety or depression. The prevalence of current anxiety increased significantly between surveys: from 3.5 percent in 2007 to 4.1 percent in 2011-12” (Wolters-Kluwer). This case proves that the stated laws passed by Oregon and Utah have been created out of factual evidence and consequential necessity thereof. My belief is that these laws should be a model to regulate that the educational departments in each state recognize students’ mental health disorders and accommodate for such by allocating “sick” days each semester explicitly for mental health and recuperation, therefore increasing student performance.
Thank you,
Jordan Kilpatrick
I believe students should get mental health days off from school, as taking care of your mental health is very important. School can be very stressful, as students are pressured by their peers, teachers, and their grades everyday. At home, many students are pressured by their family into getting good grades, and school is not the only thing they have to worry about. Some have to worry about extracurricular activities, and some have to worry about more personal things, like friendships.
All of this stress can be overwhelming. For example, school sometimes give students too much homework and tests. It might not show for some, but students stress out about this stuff. Students deal with it differently too, and worry endlessly about their grades, and what their parents, friends, and etc. would say about their grades. They're afraid of being judged, in trouble, and they want to have a good education. Sure, they can just study. But if they spend all their time studying, how are they going to spend time with anything else? This is what so many students worry about, even if they don't clearly say it.
School is important, but mental health is also important.
Managing everything in life can sometimes become quite challenging, especially when you're a teenager. There have been days where my mind is so exhausted from dealing with a huge amount of schoolwork, social issues, and just even not feeling myself and being sad. On these days I do wish there was a pause button on my life so that I could just take a break and sit with my feelings for a while. It's hard when you feel like sometimes nothing you ever do is good enough or right, and you're a disappointment. Part of being a teenager is learning to cope with those feelings and lift yourself back up so that you can get up stronger than when you fell. It's perfectly normal to feel sad, but the only way to really help you feel better is by taking a break. We ALL deserve a break no matter how chaotic your schedule is. So yes, I do think that Oregon is setting an example for what all states in the country should be doing. Allowing students who are humans and need breaks, to take one when necessary.
There have defiantly been times where I felt in need of a mental health day. I was allowed to take the day off, but it was not excused. I feel like mental health days are helpful and a good way to take some of the stress of the everyday routine. I think everyone should be allowed to take this much needed time off. Many teens are dealing with anxiety or depression and these days to reset would greatly benefit them. I feel like in any situation people are going to take advantage, but in this situation I believe the pros outweigh the cons. I also think having mental health days would help beak the stigma and open a new door for conversations that would otherwise not happen.
I have to take days off since my mental health puts a major strain on my physical health. The days may be relaxing, but they’re not quite excused. The worry of returning to school the next day is a constant stressor. They can become a burden. A student life, especially one of a high school student, only aggravates those illnesses and can become a major issue later on in the future. Mental health has become a very popular topic regarding teens and how they function. I have seen comments declining mental health breaks due to the trend of mental illness and how some teens make up their illnesses for attention. As vile as this sounds, it’s a real problem and it's something that should be noted. Students who are between grades 9 to college should be allowed to take these breaks. Life begins to get difficult at this point, and it is the point of transition from being a teenager to a full-grown adult. Rather than just giving everyone a break, students who have been medically diagnosed and have proven to academically struggling because of their illness should at least be allowed to leave class earlier than most students to take breaks in between classes. A day off sounds appealing, as a teenager myself, I want to have days off from school, days to just stay at home and do what I want. But a well-deserved break during school hours does seem like something that could help also.
Q1:
Yes, I've needed to take a mental health day. I just lie and say I'm sick. It does help, like a lot. Going back to school any time feels awful. High school is the worst thing that ever happened to me.
Q2:
Why is there a reason not to? The world we live in right now is so utterly screwed, and we can't do anything about it because we don't have rights yet. There are so many people I know who I truly believed would make something of themselves, only to let the spark die out in high school.
Q3:
"Coddling" children? You have to be kidding me. Do you realize how stressful it is to have to skip homecoming or a football game so you can pass a test? Or when you realize that school isn't preparing you for life, it's preparing you to accept the fact that big companies will take advantage and over-work you for the rest of your life? Or when you realize that so many people are buying their way into college, that you'll be lucky to get into anything a little better than community college unless you don't sleep or eat (and use that time to study for SATs, midterms, finals, major tests, etc.).
Q4:
My school has stupid assemblies about mental health. These assemblies won't change anything. It might be different for me because I'm going to a magnet school , but I'm not exaggerating when I say that I haven't met a student here who *didn't* have anxiety or depression. It's insane. How about we have councilors who actually care, or we stop overworking kids to the point of suicide?
Giving students “mental health” days is not the best way to help the problem of students having problems with their mental health. Giving them these days will overall do more harm than good for many reasons. One being that most of the kids would abuse this and “fake” being mentally ill. This sounds horrible but it is true, by doing this it takes away the credibleness for others who are actually struggling with a mental illness. Many already fake being sick to get an excused absence, so what's to stop them from using these days for the same purpose? Missing days to deal with things like stress will just be useless, they will come back to work piled up for them. Their workload will double, causing more stress. There are better ways to help people struggling. Having clinics just for mental health alone in the school will not cause students to miss as much classwork and can be very effective.
Having these days can “coddle” teenagers too much. Anytime someone is feeling sad they could just take a “mental health day”. This does not prepare them for the real world. It will cause them to struggle more because they won’t have that time and protection. When these students grow up and have to have jobs or have a family they won’t be able to take these days off. This gives them false hope which makes them struggle more. With more and more teenagers struggling with their mental health something definitely needs to be done but I don't believe this is a great way of doing this.
@Kali Hatcher
I *strongly* disagree. I like the mental-health clinic-idea, and it could definitley help, but I don't think it replaces a day for yourself. While the work might pile u, I find that I, at least, am much more productive at home than at school.
Respectfully, I don't think you've experienced mental illness before. I may be wrong as everyone experiences it differently, but it sounds like you've never had a panic attack because of a test, or not wanted to leave your bed because you're sure your teachers are out to get you. These mental health days *will* help. Maybe we won't get it in the "real world" as you put it, but students aren't supposed to even have depression or anxiety, and the fact it's become normal is terrifying.
Furthermore, I think you're assuming that a 60 hour work-week and a job at some company is the "real world". This isn't a noble duty of the people, and the idea that not conforming to this isn't getting a "real job" *has* to stop. People don't have to do that rather than do something else with their life (become an artist, a web developer, create their own website, be a YouTube-r, etc). I'm not saying this traditional (for lack of a better word) way of life is wrong, I'm only saying its not a requirement.
I do agree that something must be done, and maybe this isn't the best way to do it, but then what is? This is a serious problem, and if we don't fix it quick, these kids will be impacted for the rest of their lives.
1
My school does not currently offer mental health days, and I think that needs to change. Mental health issues are as common in today’s teenagers as getting a virus. We all know that when you get sick, it is important to go home and rest, otherwise you might just get sicker, and nobody wants that. I believe that the same goes for mental health. If you don’t take a day off to let yourself relax, your mental state is just going to worsen. Personally, I have taken a mental health day before. I was extremely stressed out and I got anxious at even the littlest things, so my mom called in the school and told them I wasn’t feeling well. Some kids parents are a lot more strict than mine. They would not let their child skip school for something they might see as a minor problem. I feel if schools allowed mental health days, stricter parents would be more lenient about their children missing class due to their mental state.
With it being National Suicide Prevention month, the subject of "mental health days" has come up frequently. I recently did a poll at my school regarding mental health and it's connections with school-related stress for my school's newspaper. By the end of the poll, it was found that while school-related stress affects the mental health of 61.5 percent of students, only 26.1 percent of them have ever taken a "mental health day". Aside from school, topics such as sports, politics, climate change, and family issues can affect a student's mental health. Such topics create a domino effect and result in high levels of stress and anxiety. "Mental health days" are just another resource for students who are in a vulnerable state and are scared to speak up. By passing mental health laws, Oregon and Utah are helping their students develop healthy self-care habits and life-styles. It is important for more schools to recognize this and follow.
In my opinion, students should get mental health days off because school is a very stressful environments and causes mental challenges everyday. As a student who deals with mental health issues I personally feel that a day or two off of school to get my mind together won’t hurt. High school in particular is the time of every students life that is the most stressful. Having teachers and parents on our backs about colleges and scholarships is a slight cause of mental illness for students. With the pressure on students back about getting into these colleges is how students may face a breakdown. Giving students a day to recoup is a great way of ensuring the safety of that student and their peers.
As a person who is afflicted by multiple mental issues, I do believe that mental health days for everyone would be beneficial. While there are ways to calm the mind, there is only so much deep breathing and medications can do. Even in elementary school, I have remembered days when going to school seemed like a herculean feat, just because of the stress, workload, and people. Everyone needs a break every now and then, and if physical sickness is a valid reason, mental sickness should be too. Nowadays there aren't many people, if any, I can say who wouldn't benefit from a mental health day. While some children may take advantage of this, I think that a parent/guardian should be able to gauge whether or not their child really needs a day of mental rest. Schools have been getting gradually better at talking about these issues, and I think the next step after awareness is action. I know some schools have taken the initiative to include mental health days, and some parents as well, but I think all schools should be taking these steps.
I read the article titled “Should Students Get Mental Health Days Off From School?” the article talks about how school can be very stressful and sometimes students don't feel mentally well enough to deal with school. I do agree with this statement and I have had many days when I didn't want to go to school but I've never missed a day for being mentally drained. I don't think I would miss a day unless i was very sick because the amount of make up work you have for missing one day of school would be very stressful. Even though some states have passed laws excusing mental health days, the work you missed that day isn't excused. So where i do agree that having those days be excused is important because it recognizes that mental health in young people (and all people) is a real issue, I don't believe it is the best solution to the problem. Missing one day of school to have a “break for stress” isn't going to solve your problems. I have a friend who occasionally takes mental health days and she just seems to be more stressed when she comes back because now she will be a day behind in all of her classes. I do think this is an important law that should be passed in more states but i don't think students should use it to their advantage because i don't believe it will solve any problems. But something does need to change in the school systems and society if students are so stressed they need to take a break from school.
@Annika L
When I take a mental health day, I email my teachers that morning for any classwork, and I tend to get it knocked out in just a few hours. I then have the rest of the day to spend on myself. I think personally that these mental health days should be an option, but you don't have to use it.
Most of the time, I feel overwhelmed when it comes to school: club meetings, tests, homework, attendance, and my grades. While I mostly handle it well, there are a few moments where I feel like I need a mental health day. Our school doesn’t offer mental health days. So, on the days where I feel like I can’t, I have to push through it, because being physically absent is much worse than being mentally absent.
Students should be allowed to take mental health days at any school because they can make a big difference. I have a friend who is transitioning into homeschooling because school had gotten too overwhelming for her. She was in band, choir, and took AP classes, so school was all she did 24/7. Because of this, she became depressed, started to practice self-harm, and was placed in a rehab center. She has told me that if she was able to take breaks from her old school, then she may still have been there.
There is such a stigma surrounding mental health. Just the words “mental illness” have a negative connotation surrounding them. When people frown on mental illness, it makes those with one feel ashamed. From the “go talk to the counselor” line to the isolation of classes of mentally disabled students, our faculty contributes to the stigma.
I feel like all schools should implement at least one mental health day a month or every
couple of months. The times are changing and people are starting to take mental health more seriously, while some are stuck in the past and not taking mental health seriously. As a teenager I have been told numerous times “you are a kid, you can’t be stressed out.” “You have nothing to be stressed out about.” Those comments always make me furious. We have to go to school and worry if our schools are going to be shot up or if a school shooting happens how will we make it out alive. On top of that constant stress I am an AP student, I do choir and musical theater outside and in school and I’m having to worry about college since I’m a junior in high school. Allowing students to have mental health days could help someone if they have depression, anxiety or whatever else they have going on at home. Not everyone has the same home life, so one kid could have a way more stressful life than another kid. I can attest from my own experiences being bogged down by school work, chores at home and my extracurricular activities, I can’t juggle all of that and still be ok. We need mental health days to reset from our crazy lives and just relax so we don’t break down.
Should Students Get Mental Health Days Off From School?
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/12/learning/students-mental-health-days.html
I believe that students should receive mental health days off from school. School is looked upon as very overwhelming and stressful to teenagers all over the nation. It is especially stressful to kids who really care about their grades and to kids who challenge themselves by taking advanced classes. At times the workload can be overbearing which causes excessive amounts of stress. As someone who plays 2 sports and takes multiple AP classes, I know all about this too well. I find myself having breakdowns because of all the stress that comes along with being a student-athlete. My school doesn’t have the option of mental health days off. Due to the fact that I do have practice every day, I can never miss full days of school because I wouldn’t be eligible to practice. I find myself taking class periods off instead. Due to all the emotional turmoil that school places on us, we should be allowed mental health days off. Mental health is a hot topic nowadays due to the increasing numbers of drug addicts and suicides.
Short answer, yes. Allowing a student to take a day to rest and recharge will help them relax and feel overall better for tomorrow instead of a day of stressing and worrying just to do the same tomorrow. Not only that, stress can be the cause of many things, impulsive decisions, bold actions and could really take a toll on your health. Life isn’t perfect and when things get really hard it becomes difficult to act like yourself and be on our best game. I think we should all have at least one day off for mental health. The worst downside I can really see from this is that other students will use this as a skip day instead of a healing day. Of course, I think we should be flexible about what day each person can have a day off considering that days go differently for everyone. We need to keep in mind someone’s best day may be someone’s worst. I think we should provide some sort of support system or maybe go a little easier on students because if it gets so bad were we need to take a day off from school to make our anxiety or depression worse then something is wrong with our system. This healing day could also prevent suicide and mental breakdowns in school. In conclusion, I strongly believe that this will help countless students who are in need of a day off but cannot miss because of too many absences.
I believe that mental health is as important as physical health. As a student who struggles with multiple impairing mental disorders, school can become very overwhelming and leave me feeling like I need a break. Mental health days should be allotted to those who should need it. We are not officially given said mental health days at my school, but my mother lets me stay home on occasion if I am feeling like I need a break. My school probably doesn't address mental health as much as it should, the most they say is that they provide counselors and there are a few posters around the school about suicide prevention. I have experienced first hand the stigma around mental health. Every one always tells me that I shouldn't be complaining of my health or missing out on school or activities because I "look healthy", because I look like a perfectly healthy teenager, I am denied of being sick. Mental health days should be available to those who need it to prevent catastrophes such as death or hospitalization.
I feel that throughout the school year students should be able to get mental health day because school is stressful on its own but sometimes family stuff gets bad. Some kids go through things during the school year or struggle with depression and having school on top of everything isn't going to make it better. Students shouldn't have to feel like they have to push their self to a breaking point just because they have to go to school. There should be a certain steps the be able to get a mental health day because not everyone really needs them but the ones that do should be able to use them when needed.
There has been multiple days where I needed a mental health day. Unfortunately, my high school doesn't do mental health days, which are very important. I, personally, am constantly stressed and I know I'm not the only student who feels this way. With all the school shootings, kidnappings, and the amount of work/homework, which a lot of teachers don't understand we have 6 other classes we have to deal with. I wish my school took mental health more serious. Severe anxiety and depression runs in my family. Plus, I see it around school everyday. In fact, 20 percent of all teens experience depression before they reach adulthood and only 30 percent of depressed teens are being treated for it. Mental health days don't "coddle" children. The benefits of a mental health day absolutely outweigh the risks. There might've been a kid that was stressed to the point of suicidal thoughts, but that mental health day could have given that kid the break he/she needed. Every 100 minutes a teen takes their own life. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for 10-38 year olds and the rates are quickly rising. Mental health days would drastically help students. Mental health issues cause problems in school, including failing grades, not paying attention, and getting into trouble. It also causes headaches, appetite problems, and sleeping problems, which will also affect how the student does in school. Mental health days would give us that break that we desperately need.
@Alexia Owens
i agree with you all the way! Students should be able to get mental health days. As high school students we go through so much and 9 times out of 10 we are all stressed and going through different things. Weather it school, home, work we all need some days to sit back and take a day to ourselves. High school isn't easy by any means, there isn't one student in the world that will tell you they aren't going through something. If teachers have the option to take a mental health day then we should be able to without being penalized.
As teens living in today’s world, it’s not easy. We have a lot of stress put on us whether it be worrying about getting good grades, balancing homework and studying with extracurriculars, or all the stress our parents put on us. For me, what gets me the most stressed is trying to live up to my parents high expectations regarding grades and getting into a good college and the fear of making them disappointed if I don’t. All these stresses can add up and not only cause us to be anxious or depressed, but affect our performance in school and relationships with important people in our lives.
As with anything, there are pros and cons. The obvious pros are that we can focus on our well being instead of having to push down what we are feeling which would exacerbate how we are feeling. It would also start an open conversation about mental health which there is a stigma around right now. That stigma is that if you talk about your mental state, your either crazy or suicidal which is not true in most cases. It would be a huge deal if we can break the stigma.
Students should be allowed to take days off from school because of their mental health. This year, I’m taking two AP classes as well as being involved in two clubs (both require after school hours). I am also a Drum Major in our high school marching band. For band, we have football games until 11 on Friday, practice on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday until 5:30 and practice from 8:30 am-8:30pm (as a Drum Major, I usually leave practices an hour later) on Saturday. That, along with church and the other clubs I’m involved in leaves very limited time for homework. On multiple occasions this school year I’ve had to stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning working on homework because I haven’t had time to do it causing me to get much less sleep than I should be getting. Staying up that late drastically affects your mental health. You are much less aware and have trouble focusing which affects other days because not paying complete attention can cause you to miss important info. Furthermore, being a drum major is already a very stressful job. Having hours of homework each night just adds on to that stress which also deteriorates your mental health. If I could have just one day where I can just relax at home or even work on homework that I haven't had time to do would help greatly. Having a day off to help your mental health should be allowed; students will be able to function better and focus which will, in turn, help them improve their stress and anxiety levels as well as their grades.
Well, to take days off from schools or anywhere that you feel that you need some days of to relax and reset can be very helpful for people who has strees, depression, and anxiety. In my case I have never had a day off for my mental health, but it would be very helpful to relax my brain, because being a student is hard, but at the same time is useful for your future. Sometimes my mom gets really tired from work, and I understand her now that I have more responsibilities. I think as humans we get tired and strees from a lot of responsibilities. Life is to live and to live we need our mental health to be out of strees. It would be great to have mental days off.
In my opinion yes, speaking for myself I believe having mental health days are healthy. Some people need them, I believe people will take advantage of this though. Some people don't need mental health days but its always good for people to take breaks every once in a while. School can be overwhelming sometimes, plus you don't know what's happing at home. I truly believe that SMS should take into consideration for mental health days. Many students suffer from bullying, stress, depression, and anxiety having barley anytime to regroup or prepare mentally for the next day for school. Students have no choice but to go to school, therefore they keep there head down, and emotions locked away. Other students will pretend to feel sick, others do feel sick emotionally. Students sometimes feel lost and sidetracked. One day could really help a student get back on track and ready for school.
I think that students should be given mental health days, as well as sick days. At home you never know what someone can be dealing with. They may act one way around their friends but secretly be very mentally unhealthy. And school can really effect some kids and stress them out even more. So, I think that mental health days are equally as important as sick days. Depression and anxiety is a serious thing these days and in worst case it could lead to suicide. So if there is a way to help this, I think a mental health day would be great in our school. I personally stress out a lot sometimes over school and more grades and sometimes it would be nice to just have days where I can take a small break other than weekends or holidays. But also, going to school and seeing my friends is great if i'm ever stressed, but also sometimes we just need a break from it. That is why I think schools should give students mental health days.
I believe that Students should have the option to take the day from school. Yes, I have felt like I have needed a mental day off from school. I have felt that because these last few years I have dealt with depression and anxiety after someone in my family passed away. Sometimes it gets really hard to focus on school when I am stressed or very upset. In my school we weren't allowed to take personal days off even if we were really stressed and had a lot of anxiety. I managed to go to school because I got to see my friends and saw my teachers who helped me.
Yes, I do think students at my school should have the option to take mental health days because many kids are dealing with loss and depression and anxiety and that ends up them taking their life. They should be allowed because many don't know what they are going through.
I agree that having days off will be good to help relax all the stress, anxiety, and depression. Many students suffer from bullying which leads to stress, anxiety, and depression and in worst cases suicide. So to stop that students will have to take days off to relax. Taking days off will might even help students do better in school and help improve their grade. Having a lot of homework might also lead to stress and depression because of not having time for their selves
Stress, depression, and anxiety is something that many students deal with because of our society. I have had days that I have felt emotional because of school and personal problems, but however I have always attended. Having the option to stay home and let them take care of their mental health is an amazing option because students will not then do bad in school. Having parents supporting their children can help them have a bright future. Mental health days will make students feel better.
People who have anxiety, depression, or any other mental illness, should be able to take days off when needed. Usually, these people get overwhelmed by the tons of work and projects the school gives. This could effect their health and their grades in school. That isn't a good thing. So, giving them a break allows them to relax and get them back on track. Some days, I even feel like I need some breaks from school because it can be too stressful. My school doesn't really pay attention to mental illness that much, so they don't really allow students to take a day off because of their mental illness. I hope, in the future, most schools will allow students with mental illnesses to take breaks, as it can really help them in a way.
I think a lot of students who read this article will most likely agree that they should at least have some days off, so they could have a mental health brake. There has certainly been times that I wish I had time off from school, all the homework is certainly been stressful. My school rarely addresses the problem of mental health, I wish they addressed it more because it would really help a lot of people. I think all schools have a choice for student and staff to take a mental health break.
Being able to take days off from school is good for us. If we don't get enough rest, it could lead too serious problems. Such as, depression, anxiety, and stress. I remember that every day, when I finished an assignment, I would always have so much stress about my grades, they were just too important to me. I don't want all the students to have the same stress that I had.
Most teens tend to suffer from depression or anxiety. It can be because of school,friends,sports,and grades. Some students feel bad because they could not meet their parent's or teacher's expectations. Taking a day off can give then confidence to keep going. I myself have needed a day off of school because of mental health but I was not allowed because it was not a valid excuse. Some students can deal with stress if they have a day off. I think all states should let their students have school days off for mental health if needed.
Mental Health Days could really benefit many kids that have issues that can´t be dealt in the classroom. Personally I have never felt like I would need a Mental Heath Health day off, but some students at my school would benefit off this. My school addresses this problem, I have learned a lot from this and think that my school would be able to use this to help others.
I think that mental health days are very important. I have never needed it though but still there could be one day I might need it or other people might need it. I do think students should have mental health days when they really need it because they could be going through something that is very bad. Well I do think students will take advantage of it but I think the benefit of offering students mental health days do not outweigh the risks because we cannot take away mental health days from the students that need it just because other students are taking advantage of it.
No my school does not address mental health days but I hope they do someday. There is not a stigma around mental illness in my family but I don't know if there is in my school or in my community but I think If students do have this then I think that offering students mental health days could help break this stigma. So, I think that having some days off from school isn't so bad because this could help students that are feeling stress or when they are having a bad day.
Having mental health days off from school can be good for some students who have depression, anxiety, or any mental health problems. I personally never needed to have a day off from school for any mental health. Many students do need mental health days of from school, because students suffer from depression, anxiety, or other mental health issues.
For the people who think students might take advantage of having days off from school I do still think that mental health days off from school are good for students, because it does outweigh the risk. Mental health days off from school is the best idea.
I believe that taking days off from school is appropriate because the staff from school don't know what happens at home with the students (including me.) They probably think that we just play video games and don't do our homework. But that's not true for all of us. I believe that taking about 3-4 days each month is great for students who have depression, anxiety, or even stress. But only for the kids that actually have depression, anxiety, or stress because there would be kids that just say that to skip school. I would take days off because I stress and overthink way too much and that isn't good for my mental state. I really think that the middle school I'm in should do mental days because we're teenagers and we will think about self harm or even depression. The teenagers stage will be painful for all middle school students so I do really hope that they will do mental days.
I have never needed a mental health day off from school. I always got allong with everyone and have never been bullyed. However, Yes, I think students at my school should be able to take mental health days off from school. When the middle of the year gets closer, students startpileing up with homework. Many students who struggle with an specific subject can get anxiety and stress.
Many students who suffer from bullying can get depresion from not takeing a day off and thinking thing through. Also students who take breaks can feel relieved and more energetic and can do better at school. Students also sufering from personal problems like looseiing a family member can feel depressed. These students might have a hard time paying attention at school that day or even longer! In my opinion mental health is importaint.
Haveing bad mental health can affect the way most kids see different situations. Like a good situation might seem like an unsecure situaton for them. Like adults, kids should have some time off too!
Mental health days are a great idea for students facing problems whether it be depression, anxiety, or things going on at home. I myself always worry about my grades in school and about meeting expectations. I personally think that students should get a day off to take care of their mental health. Some students may keep their feelings bottled up and nobody knows what their going through. I think mental health days could really help students who are struggling with school and/or other problems.
Taking days off is what the kids in my town need.We all have a lot going on and if it isn't in school it's at home.Just because we are children doesn't mean we don't feel depressed,anxious,stressed, or even suicidal.For some people school is torture and not even because of math or language arts but because of the kids who are verbally and physically abused by their classmates.Also grades can put stress on students making them feel idiotic which lowers self confidence. The sad thing is that many of the kids who I know personally have tried to commit suicide because they couldn't handle the stress anymore.Adults shouldn't feel the need to hurt themselves so why should children?We are the future!So we deserve a day to take a break ,relax, and reset.
Mental health days are important because it gives the kids that have a mental illness a day to recover and to get better. It could save the kids life by taking the day off. Some kids need that break without trying to convince their guardian to let them stay. If a kid that suffers from mental illness you don want people to make fun of you so, having that day off is important to the kid that suffers from mental illness.
Usually, school kind of stresses me out. A lot of days i just want to go home and rest. All I want to do is sit on my couch watching TV and relaxing until I feel good enough to go back to school. I know
first hand how much stress all our work and projects cause. I know almost everyone just wants go home and run away from it all for at least just a day. It makes me feel so much better and happy. A day of might be all anyone might need. All parents would understand if there child is going through depression or anxiety and would probably do whatever it takes to make them feel better. A metal health day could help parents talk to their kids about what problems their child might be going through and can make the child not only feel better but maybe even save a life. Mental health days are a good idea and are much easier and understandable than pretending to be sick. Mental health days are a good idea and should be established in more states.
Students at my school should have the option to take mental health days when they need them because if they start to get depression or anxiety during school it's the right thing to do so it doesn't get worse. Offering students mental health days will possibly outweigh the risks because once you go to school the next day you will probably feel the same way or you could have no clue on what is going on but if you really need it then you should take a mental health day. No, my school does not address mental health yet but maybe one day they will. I have learned that many people take mental health days because of depression or anxiety. I do think that there might be some students that suffer depression and take mental health days in my school. If they take a mental health day there might be a slight chance of them feeling better.
Many teens who go to school or even any activity you do on a daily can suffer depression, anxiety, etc. Students suffer this but aren't allowed to take a day off, because their parents might think it's fake. Many teens don't take days off and end up having a severe mental problem. School shoudn't be your first priority in life. It should be mental and physical health first. Teens shouldn't have to hide their emotions, because they go to school. They could have problems at home, and that effects their mental health. Instead they should have a day off, instead of going to school or even an activity. Personally I haven't needed a day off from school or any of my after school activities.
Those days off some schools give their students is really crucial to those kids who are suffering without their parents or friends knowing that they are suffering with depression or anxiety. When they do receive these days , they have enough time to speak with their adults and to reboot or think of ways to solve their problems . Every time they get mental days off they can study and clear their minds of problems such as forgetting their things or test which helps them learn easier after they have their minds clear and they don't have any problems in their head.
I do think people should take mental health days off of school, because a lot students don't always share what their feeling and this is a good way for kids to forget of whats going on in their lives. These days can be used for the students to get rid of their stress and start making better their lives. From my own experiences I have never had a problem with anxiety or depression, but from reading this article and other information I have been informed of before anxiety and depression are the main reasons why a lot of teenagers are committing suicide which can hurt a lot of the families of the kids that commit suicide. So I am very happy to hear that these schools are giving these kids these 4 - 5 days off when they feel that they are emotionally challenged.
I think kids in my school do need a day off . People go through many problems at home that other people don´t know of. They need time to take a brake from all the work and clear their minds off any problems. I have needed a mental health day before because sometimes I feel like i´m not worth anything, and I know other people feel the same way. I have always gone to school even if something was really hurting me but there are many kind people that make you feel better and make you happy when your the most upset. Some kids might even have problems in school and don´t complete their work.They might have anxiety to come to school. So,in my opinion we should have a mental health day,for everyone to clear their minds into better things.
Mental health days are important some people act like they don't need mostly when they need it they keep it inside I remember when my grandma died I was in 5th or 6th my dad when he heard about it he did everything he can do go back just to see his mothers burial I didn't wanna go to school I couldn't anyway so I went to school but that day I barely did any work everything I did was wrong I couldnt think about anything other than my grandma but now I and i also kept it in and told anybody else now I can get over it
Taking days off from school or really anywhere to relax and reset can be crucial to most people who have stress, anxiety, and depression. I personally have never needed a day off from school for my mental health but I might one day. Many students suffer from many things that aren't necessarily stress, anxiety, and depression, so all students should have the option to take mental health days. Even the ones at my school could use some, this could help them with their studies if they take time to refresh and be ready for school. This could also teach students to take care of their mental health and when they think they need a break, to take it.
As for the people who think that students might take advantage of it and people who think that it "coddles" children too much I still think that this is a good idea. For the people who would abuse it there is a fair amount of people who wouldn't and would use it for its intended purpose and it can outweigh the amount of people who would abuse that. Now for the people who think that the mental health days coddle the students I would say that it doesn't, it 's just showing them that mental health days are important and is teaching them to take more of their mental health on their own. If anything its making them a bit more independent. Many schools address mental health and those who don't should, the way we learn about that kind of stuff is the subject health where they teach us about taking care of ourselves.
I agree that students should be able to take a break from school every once and a while to rest, and not think about school or assignments. From my experience in the middle school so far, I've been worried constantly about my grade, and if I can the homework I have in time before my siblings get home. Its a lot of stress and sometimes I need days off where I don't have to worry about school. So, yeah having some days off with no assignments or stress would be so great for me and for students around the world.
Many teenagers have experienced the stress of school, sports, extracurricular, and parents' expectations, including myself. I myself am in the accelerated course which means that the expectations I need to meet are very high. It stresses me out a lot and sometimes causes me to bottle up my feelings. I personally feel as if we had these days of it would help take off the stress and the students would feel as if some of the weight on their shoulders has been taken off. Stress sometimes leads to depression or rise in anxiety level. Some people like to pretend it is all fine and that someone's action or comment did not get to them even though it most likely did. In my opinion if we had mental health day we could relax for an entire day without being worried that we missed a homework assignment, a project, or even an activity. We go to school to get an education and parents think they are doing what is best for us and they are but sometimes they are clueless enough to not notice that we are struggling. Not only parents to if not teachers as well, they sometimes pressure us to meet their expectations through a piece of paper. In conclusion I believe that the lawmakers should make a law for us to have mental days off.
Almost every teen or child has faced a moment where they just cannot handle anything anymore. Being able to have the choice to have mental health days off is very open-minded. Almost all parents do not know what their children are going through, and if students have the chance to try to help themselves, it would help them a lot. A lot of people keep so many emotions to themselves, and hide everything they're going through and start overthinking about everything. Having to do things, like going to school, when they just don't feel fine, would make them feel even worse. Like stated in the article, even one day off of school will help someone so much. That one day, could honestly save a life.
When a student feels that they just can not handle anything anymore, and just want to stay home or somewhere safe, it would be the best decision. And, some students use the excuse to be sick. In this time off, if needed, you can talk to an adult or anyone you trust. Even something as little as one word could affect a teen in a very negative way. This decision will benefit so many students, and hopefully, will help for the better. Some teens feel that hiding all of your emotions will work best in life, but we all have a moment where we just need to let everything go and have a good hug from someone you love.
I feel like students should take at least 3 or 4 days each months because students maybe going through something that students or even teachers don't know of. I also feel like the students can just be home and think about what going in their life. Depression and anxiety is not a joke dealing with anxiety in the Middle schools or the high Schools it mostly happened in the high schools because your are growing up to be an adult. But if it happened in the Middle schools they must be something serious might of in his or her life.
I feel like they made a good choice on making at least a day for mental health. Many kids may be struggling from issues outside of school, they may need some time off for themselves. Many teachers and parents have notice this and tried their hardest to help out the kids that needed it. I feel like if they can't have a day for mental health, they should at least give them a day to take time off and focus on themselves because one day really does make a difference.
I believe students should be able to have mental health days off. Specifically middle schools and high schools. Having these mental health days off can help students who suffer with depression or anxiety by taking a day to relax and deal with their own personal problems. Personally I have not needed a mental day off. Yes I have had worried and felt like I was not ready to go to school but I usually stay calm, get some help, and eventually I have figured out a way for everything go smoothly. Though I have not needed a mental day off I do know some people/friends who would love this. Most people I see or know usually have something going off and they need their time and I would really love that for them because they get to rest and think. Especially now as a student in middle and high school since most students start getting in situations. Yes, I do believe some students will take advantage of it. That’s why I believe students who have already tried talking about their problems should be excused because it would not be fair to students who do need days off. My school does provide and address mental health, they have social workers who students can go to and talk about their problems. I do think that students taking days off could help with the stigma.
I agree that students should have a day off for themselves to focus on their mental health. I personally also think that I need a day off, sometimes stress can make people feel upset or angry. School is stressed enough and sometimes people feel lost because they have to do homework, study, and doing projects, some students barely have anytime for themelves and that cause more stress that can lead to depression and anxiety. People don't really see that it is important for stuents to have aday off from school because some kids also might be deal with other stuff. More schools should allow students to have dsay off from school.
I think this is an absolutely great idea and students really really should have mental days off. Many students can benefit from these off-days for mental health. They can just relax and not think about the worries of homework and constant trying to keep your grades at the best.
Our school I think addresses mental health very well. In our school year there are four quarters and three of them are gym first period and one of them is a health class where we talk about physical, social, and mental/emotional health. I think this helps lots of kids to think about there problems and helps them fix it.
Even tho they're some people that don't need the days and will probably use it to skip class it's good to take that risk for the well being of the students. If student have anxiety then the will not be able to perform as well and will be held back. Its pretty easy to notice someone with mental problems sometimes even though they are trying to hide it.
I agree that students should have a day off for themselves to focus on their mental health. I personally also think that I need a day off, sometime stress can make people feel upset or angry. School is stressed enough and sometimes people feel lost because they have to do homework, study, and doing project, some student barely have anytime for themelves and that cause more stress that can lead to depression and anxiety. People don't really see that it is important for stuents to have aday off from school because some kids also might be deal with other stuff. More school should allow students to have dsay off from school.
I agree that students should have a day off for themselves to focus on their mental health. I personally also think that I need a day off, sometime stress can make people feel upset or angry. School is stressed enough and sometimes people feel lost because they have to do homework, study, and doing project, some student barely have anytime for themelves and that cause more stress that can lead to depression and anxiety. People don't really see that it is important for stuents to have aday off from school because some kids also might be deal with other stuff. More school should allow students to have dsay off from school.
How can a medical break from school help a child? Some people suffer from depression and anxiety. They take many medication for it but it may work for a short or long time of period for many different people. But a day off of school can change a lot in a person's perspective. It can help with thinking there thoughts, talk to their parent for moral support, or just relax of the pressure they have on them. School may bring a lot of challenges to people with anxiety and depression. They think people are judging them a lot. That my bring depression. Something students don't get when the teacher is explaining the lesson. They might be very shy and don't want to ask. And that brings anxiety
I agree this article because I think students should take mental health days. Many kids tend to suffer from anxiety caused by school work and maybe even been bullied or other things they are dealing with can over whelm them with anxiety. I think is a great idea to have those mental health conversations because students that have issues that is causing them to have anxiety, they can talk it threw. The parents of Chloe Wilson, who died by suicide in 2018. Because she had pretended to be sick in order to stay home from school because she been suffering from anxiety. Because she lied to get her absences excused, they didn't get the chance to have those mental health conversations that could have save her life. So, i think is a great idea to have to Mental Health days off.
I think having mental health is important for your whole life. The days off would help millions of students. It's important to be aware of your mental health. Depression and anxiety can take a toll on everyday life. Schools should start worrying about all their students’ mental health. A break from time to time would drastically change their health. I have felt the need for a mental day off many times before. I wasn’t allowed to take time off. Even if my school let me, my mom would never allow it. I think our school should give students a choice of whether we want a day off or not. I know a lot of people that would benefit from this.I think once other kids realize how useful the day off is they won’t abuse it. The benefits would completely cancel out the risks. One of the only risks of the would be that a student pretends that they are sick, they would still have to make it up the next day.
In my opinion, I think students should get mental health days off from school because you never know what kids might be going through at home. I agree of having this day because by having this day we can solve the problems of students bringing weapons to their own school and have an active shooter. For example, The active shooter in Parkland,Florida of one of their student went In the school and took 17 lifes away.
I feel that it is right to have mental health days because most kids are going through personal issues that they aren't comfortable sharing. Especially, at that age where your discovering many new things. Its only fair to let them have some days to themselves. Sometimes teenagers go through more than adults, depending on the situation. Such as bullying and sexuality. These two is what mostly causes these poor teens to become suicidal. All schools should have mental days, including elementray schools.
I agree that students get Mental Health days off because one day of not going to school can make a big difference in some people . Sometimes in school I feel stressed because there is so much going on. In my old school I would get stressed because there were projects , homework , and test going on . I believe school s should give some students days off so that they can rest and relax. If students get days off then students will be more rested.I believe that if students gets a break they might even do better in school .
Students should be able to take days off from school when they need it. I think its very important for them. Especially when they really needed for example, when they are sick and when they are feeling anxiety because if they don't that can affect their health. One day can really make a difference for them.
This has got to STOP because students are getting VERY stressed, start having depression and suicidal thoughts. I definitely agree with this article, there has to be a break from school and there has to be time given for students to relax because this situation can't go any further. It is true that students are getting very stressed because of peer pressure or exams and things related to that. It is very common for students to get stressed about school because of the fact that students are not very used to more and more work every time they go up a grade.
Mental Health Days have to be given in order to evade all the consequences school causes especially stress. Stress, in my opinion is the most common emotion every student feels. Stress is bad for you it makes you not think correctly, and even when you studied hard enough, if your stressed, you are most likely to forget some things. Stress can cause many health problems including depression and personality disorders. But some thing are very serious like a heart stroke high blood pressure and heart disease.
Yes, I have felt the need to take a mental health day because sometimes I get homework, a lot of it. It stresses me out and sometimes I will not be able to finish it by the due date. Tests and classwork sometimes stress me out as well because my mom and dad can not see a C or a B in my report card so I have to make sure I do everything right. Taking a day off from school is terrible because it ruins my perfect attendance and I get really far behind in my school work. If I can take a day off and not be punished for it, sign me up! Mental Health Day would be amazing, especially for students that are struggling with school. This can make students (including myself) get better grades and not have anxiety at an early age.
I do think students should get days off in order to think about whatever is making them stressed, this will also be good, the all students can finally have some thinking on personal reason. If we don't get mental days off it's most likely that student will try to attempt suicide, and suicide is one of the most cause of death. So it is important for students to take mental days off. This will also help the students bring there grade up, It will also be more beneficial to give students this option, the reason this will be more beneficial cause it is helpful to the students. I hope my school does mental days off, I personally don't have mental issues but I know many other people have mental and emotional problems, so this will be helpful for them..
No I haven't felt that I need a mental health day off because I basically have nothing that weighs me down. I just focus on school and manage my problems with my parents. Which saves me a lot of time that I like to do best which is focus on school. People sometimes take things serious which I respect because who it may be something major in that persons life.
Yes I do think that students should at my school should get some mental health days. Due to the fat that people in Middle Schools and high schools may have people who are dealing with these things. The state governments should pass this legal law soon within 2022. Most people would like having some mental health days because of depression and anxiety which bothers people a lot. It compares how long they have being dealing with depression and anxiety.
Sometimes I feel like I would need a mental day off. Having able to have a day off could support alot to some peole if they are stressed or are going through things.I wasn't allowed to take the day off, it was kind of hard to manage going to school because I was feeling depressed I was having trouble listening in class.
I've always wanted a day of school just to reset mind and take a breather from school. I would ask my mom if i can take a day of school sometimes she would let me sometimes she would not. But I always think about it before i asked her, because then i start thinking of all the stuff I'll be missing and how I'll be behind on things so then i decide to go to school. I've probably been absent for two or three days, because i was either really sick or I wasn't able to come. Their where days where I was at my worst but still decided to come to school. What got me through it was my friends, they always made me so happy, laugh, made me feel like a was important and just make the rest of day. I do feel like kids at my school should take a mental day of, because kids go through things that other people don't know and then them coming to school with all the pressure having to do things or if they get bullied by people. With all the pressure on them and all these things going on they may want to do something to harm themselves.
Utah and Oregon schools give this to students that aren't feeling good or not in the mood. Mental health days are a good thing because if you are feeling down or not feeling good, you can have a mental health day. People get bullied and others don't, if you don't feel like going to school you can have a mental health day. Many people that go to school don't have friends some only have one best friend and they don't have anyone else. Sometimes you aren't in the mood for anything and you just want to rest because you stayed up really late doing homework. Luckily you have a mental health day, other states should also have mental days and many people would also agree.
I think students should have the option to take a day off of school so they can focus on their mental health. I say this because there have been situations were I've needed a day off and trust me when anxiety gets you become super lazy. Not to mention that sometimes you reach stress levels that you can't hold in and you start bursting into tears from all the stress you've been holding in.
I feel that the article gives good details about why there should be mental health days off. It makes sense to have these days off since some kids have very bad problems in their life you may not know about. However, this can be used as a way for kids to have free days off with no excuse at all. This can still be a way for kids to relax, and give them the chance to get away from school. I know it's important to be in school, but students health is important as well, mostly mental health in general.
Sometimes I just feel I need time off too. I am stressed about my life a lot, and I just need those weekends as time off to think about ways to resolve them. My school does address mental health, but not a whole lot. They do care about how you feel though, if you come to school crying people will ask you whats wrong. I think this article does show how mental health is very important, and adding these days will help students figure out their problems.
Coming into school and realizing you have to do a test, or quiz might turn a person super stressed about this pressure being put on them. That is one of the reasons why I don't like being in school. So, doing this might improve how students work and help students that are in some kind of problem happening at home you might have not known of ever. It shows that students are pressured a lot by schools by this, making these days will help students that are sad about their problems.
I never wanted to go home because of mental reasons. I would just ignore the bullies, and not let it affect me. I am a living thing! It;s a blessing!!...
I never wanted to go home because of mental reasons. I would just ignore the bullies, and not let it affect me. I love my life, and I don't want to stop living. So, that motivated me to not let the little things effect me, and it worked, because now, I never think about things like that.
I think that students at my school should be able to take days off because of anxiety. I believe that if they do, it will help them, and the count of suicidal kids.
I do think students should have the option to take a day to focus on themselves and their mental health. Cases of mental illnesses are increasing, and thus far, not much has been done to support the young minds that have to endure through it everyday. School is a really stressful time, with classes and tests and even peers. Some parents may argue that kids will fake being sick just to have a day off. But this bill is for the people who need a mental health day. It would be more beneficial to give students the option. Mental illnesses can affect everything from school to sports or even friendships. Sometimes, people just need one day off to regroup and regain control of themselves in order to feel better and do better in school. If parents believe that this will not prepare the children and instead “coddle” them, I would argue that it does in fact prepare them. If a student is able to recognize when they have had enough, and for their own sake, need to take a day off, they are only maturing to better themselves. I wish our school would offer sick days or even an option of a break during the middle of the day. If things become too stressful, the best way to handle them is to take a step back, and then proceed to control the issue.
Severe stomach issues due to an undiagnosed auto-immune disorder comes raging out when stress and anxiety strike. With my stress and anxiety, I also get physical ailments. I think that taking a day off of school every once in a while is good, and I already periodically do that. Disgust comes over myself when my mom has to pay a $30 co-pay to prove to my school I was mentally sick. When children pretend to be sick, and use these mental days, their grades already, probably, demonstrate their lack of care for school. Thankfully, there is a limit to days. However, I wonder how much freedom just one day would give. Mental illness is not a joke, and some anxiety filled students, like myself, would benefit. One singular day, alone, might be catastrophic to another anxious or depressed student. Taking away work, and promoting time, might just let someone who deals with depression wonder into thoughts of suicide.
In my personal case, I would rather get an unexcused absence than give other children the ability to skip school or a possible death sentence. So, I am against mental health days.
I have more than once needed a day off because I was stressed about school. I honestly think that all states should add this law. Some students deal with depression and anxiety. One day for some students can really make differnce.
I have felt that I needed to take a mental health day off from school. I do think students need to take mental health days off from school. School can stress out students, due to all the work students have to complete.
I have felt the need to take off a mental health day from school. When I was in my old school, I was constantly doing projects, homework and tests. Luckily I told my teachers if I could go ahead and finish the work earlier that the other students. After I finished my work I had time to decompress my stress. They didn't let me take time off but, at least I got my work done ahead of time and got to relax.
In my opinion I think students should get mental health days off from school because you never know what kids might be going through at home. To begin with, I'm going through family problems right now and sometimes I don't feel like coming to school at times but I mean i obviously do because I know that i am a strong person. If right now they had the option to get a mental health day out of school i would definitely take the chance just to reveal all the stress I have.
I believe Mental Health days are needed because students might be going through rough times. Sometimes I feel like I need a mental health day because I get a lot of stress off school and other things going on outside of school. School can get very stressful with all the homework and everything else in school. In West New York you can't take mental health days off because it will count as an unexcused absent so I couldn't take time off. According to the article " Should Students Ger Mental Health days Off From School" they believe students should and I agree with them. Students who feel like they need to should because a lot of Students commit suicide because they are either being bullied or some other things. States need to make it a law that students need to take mental health days off..
Yes, I have felt the need to have a day off from school due to mental issues. Personally, school, tests, and homework really stress me out. Especially if things are expected from me. For example, having to get good grades on every test, completing my homework, and not forgetting things at home. A day off from school would really do a lot for me. It would help me calm down, and think more clearly. This way, I would be able to show up to school the next day concentrated and focused. This would help students have better grades.
Yes, I do believe students should have Mental Health Days off from school. I think it's necessary because, students have there pearsonal problems and school problems that put them under so much stress. There has been times were I just needed a day off of school to clear my mind, but needed to go to school and deal with it regardless. My school does not have Mental Health Days, which I think they should take it more serious. Even one day off can make a big difference to students that are going through lots of stress, depression and anxiety. Some students even start harming themselfs.
Well there was one day I did not want to go to school because there was a class that was hard for me and I was stressed out. I did not want to go but I had no option. I was nervous about going into the class. I did not want to go and I just wanted to stay home and clear my mind.
I agree that we should have mental health days because it could be really good for us students. Students do not have to be stressed out about anything. In my school we do not have mental health days but I think we should. Teachers do not know what is going on in our lives at school or at home.
Students also suffer through things and sometimes is about school. School can be stressful for teachers and students. In our school you need a a reason you were not at school. Students may go through hard times and may not want to go to school. They have to because they do not have a reason why they did not go to school. I feel that all schools should have mental health days.
Sometimes I feel like a need a day off from school to get myself together. In 4th grade, I was bullied for my looks. I was wearing sweaters even when it was warm to hide myself. When I entered 5th grade, at first I was doing well. But then in math class, my grades were dropping. I wasn't understanding lessons, failing tests and sometimes not even finishing my homework. I was incredibly stressed and still going to school. Trying to get good grades in all the other classes wasn't easy. After struggling for half a year, I managed to pass 5th grade with a '-B' in math. I was proud of myself but also disappointed. I had tried for months to get an 'A' but just couldn't. I never told my parents how I felt and regret it still to this day.
Mental health days are important because students might not have the chance or courage to speak up. Suicide, depression and anxiety needs to be talked about more. Helping people that are struggling with these problems can make a huge difference in their lives. It can prevent the loss of lives and encourage people. More states in America need to pass this bill so people won't become overwhelmed with their lives.
1
I think students should have the option to take some school days off. I think that it is a great way to relieve stress and help calm down. It also gives us time to relax and deal with the problems they have. Sometimes school can be stressful with all the work and doing the homework. I think this is a good idea and would help out the students. I think they should add a law like this or something similar
I have felt that I needed a mental health day off from school. I was allowed to take a day off. That one day helped me calm down and forget about my stress. I do think students at my school should have the option to take mental health days when they need them. School can make students feel stressed, due to all of the work students have to complete in a short amount of time. The idea of students getting mental health days of of school should happen. Even if some students fake having illnesses, there are some students who really need these mental health days. My school occasionally talks about mental health. I learned that mental health problems can lead to self harm and suicide. Schools should discuss about mental health more often. I have not noticed a stigma around mental health at school, home or out in the public.
Having a day off for mental health is very important. It could even be life changing because it could genuinely help those with lots of stress, depression, or just people who need a day to reset their minds. School can take a big toll on students, and sometimes it is too overwhelming. I personally know some students and friends that would benefit from a mental health day/appreciate it greatly. If other schools would take in consideration of mental health days, students can be excused to take a day off for their mental health instead of trying to find ways to stay home or faking sicknesses.
I feel like I have two opinions on the Mental health day. My first opinion is that kids should get mental health days. People get stressed especially kids and teens. It is not good for kids/teens to be feeling nervous,stressed,anxious,or depressed. So I think if someone is feeling mentally ill they should take a day off. One of my other opinions is that mental health days might not be a good idea. Kids could take advantage of these days. They could be feeling fine and just want to miss school just for the fun of it. Another bad part about mental health day is if a person uses one of these days the school won't know if they are telling the truth or not. That is just my opinion.
I believe that students need a mental health excuse, it helps many kids all over the country and world. Many high school students have been blaming depression and anxiety throughout high school. One student, Derek Evans, stated that dealing with anxiety throughout high school is/has always been hard and one day off is life-changing. The rates of suicide and anxiety have been increasing and the more they increase, the more the schools let their students have a mental health excuse. Life is hard, and without a day off, it makes school/life even harder, so a day off can make a life-changing difference.
It’s very important that students can take a mental health day because stress, depression, anxiety, etc. can really get to them. There are times where we all need to relax from all the things we do in school and be selfish from time to time. I had times where I wanted to stay home from school because of stress but I still went anyway so I wouldn't miss out on stuff. I do think that my school should have mental health days for students since students have a lot to take in with things going on at home or school. Students having to much anxiety, depression, or things that discourage them, could lead to self harm. Some children might take that as an advantage and pretend to be sick which can change the mind of the ones who allowed it. There are students who really need it and personally, I think that your health is more important than going to school and suffering even more.
I believe every middle and high school student should be able to have at a least week worth of mental health days per year. Yes, I have felt like I needed a mental health day, a couple of times actually. I get really stressed and start to overthink and get anxiety about school, and my future. I wasn't allowed to take mental health days when I felt like i needed one because in my school, if you don't have a doctors note you won't be excused of being absent, and my mom wouldn't let me or thought i was lying just to not go to school. I would just try to calm down the day i had to go to school, and to distract myself from anxiety. I think students from my school should be able to take mental health days, because not all kids know fluently how to manage and organized their school work, have trouble learning, or is just going through something that is distracting them from school. I think parents should try and understand their children, because they are the ones who know them best, but if they know their child isn't the best and is lazy, they obivously shouldn't let them. My school has talked about depression and anxiety, but not specifically about mental health and taking days off. I constantly see kids in my school very quiet or stressing out way too much that it gets to the fact they start crying. I certainly think if these kids try to take mental health days, it will help them break their stigma.
Yes, I do certainly agree with this article. Many kids tend to suffer from anxitey caused by school work or other things. I do suggest that they do make this a law so that kids can have atleast an extra day in every 3-4 months to relax, so that it helps their brain to be able to develope so that their can learn more than they can now.
I think that having mental health days off of school is a great idea. If students are too stressed or have anxiety deserve mental health days to relieve their stress or anxiety. I feel that a large number of students would benefit from those days. The only problem with this is that almost anybody who just doesn't want to go to school that day could just lie about having a mental illness and miss a school day.
I do think that students should take mental health days of from schools. Students should take health days of because sometimes they have so much stress and anger from school and when the get home they might let the anger out on people they love. Parents might think that students are going to pretend to be sick and everything but they do have reasons why. My schools doesn't have mental health days off from school maybe if they did then school might be doing even better at school.
Sometimes I do feel like I need a mental health day off from school. Sometimes I get very overwhelmed, and stressed by everything that's going on. My parents were noticing I was stressed, and they did let me stay home from school for the day. Just taking one day off from school really did help. That day off really let me mange my stress, and it really did help me not get so overwhelmed/stressed. I do think students at my school should have the option to take mental health days when they need them. School can get pretty overwhelming and just have one off can really make a difference. But having mental health days can also lead to students taking advantage of them. Some students can just pretend they need to take the day off because they are depressed, overwhelmed, stressed, etc. Mental health days should be taken seriously because some students may need them, but some students may just look at mental health days as a pass to not got to school. So I understand why some parents don't want mental health days, but parents should be able to tell the difference if they need that day off or if they are just faking it.
Having one day off from school could change a lot. It can change a lot because a lot of kids suffer from things like depression and have problems out of school. School could make those problems feel a lot worse because school doesn't let you relax as much. Even if you take a day off that isn't excused because you need a doctors note for it to be excused. In my opinion having at least one day better would make people feel better.
I say that student should have Mental Health days off from school. Even I wish to have because I sometimes get tired of going to school then coming home having to rush through my homework to go and get in time to my soccer practice. I also believe that giving the students and the teachers at least a day off per month can prevent people from having suicidal thought or having either a mental or emotional break down. It can also prevent them from wanting to drink or even vape or smoke. It can also decrease the percentage of suicide and anxiety. It allow kids to have time to relax and take a break. Like when I'm tired I don't do my best at all. One thing I would recommend is to first talk to the student before letting them take a day off because they might commit suicide or might hurt or even kill someone else. In my opinion as a student we all need a day off from work schools and maybe even a sport. That's my opinion on the idea of taking a day off for Mental Health.
1
Well, I agree, I do wish my school gave us Mental Health days to relax and then come back full, at 100% of battery, both mentally and physically. It can get really stressful to deal with school and outside from school at the same time. Its hard to keep a smile or try to laugh, when you´re full of stress. A lot of people need these days, like my one of my mom´s, friend´s son. He suffer through a lot of bullying in his school, withouth saying anything about it. He begged his mother to give him a day off school, his mother would ask why, and he wouldn´t answer. One day he couldn´t take it anymore and told his mother the truth. There are more people that suffer through depression and anxiety, and they need these days more than anyone, because If they don´t they might hurt themselves or commit suicide. Thank you lawmakers who created this law, I really hope that the law passes to other states.
I do think that students should have the option to take a mental day because sometimes things happen in your family or with your friends . These just happen randomly . It can happen with a friend . Then you won't want to see them in school until you and the other person get over it. This is what mental days can help with and sometimes you just need a break from school because it can get you stressed out. Mental days are good but some people will take one and not even be sad or anything . These things happen , there will always be bad people . Mental days have my total approval .
1
I support the idea of taking mental days off. It can really give you time to put your stress away and it helps lower depression. Depression and anxiety can make you lose focus in school and make you do life-threatening things like suicide. Taking mental days off can basically boost your confidence and help do better at school. Having that boost can benefit depression and have better choices in life.
1
I think that mental health days are serious. If students come to school and they are depressed or angry they won't have the right mindset. They would be very mad and act voilent. We need mental health days because the people that are depressed they could take a day and relex and feel better about their life.
I think metal health days are very important.Sometimes us students need a break to think and relax.Metal health days would make a huge diffrence.We also need some time to over think things such as problems.
I have never felt the need to have a mental day but i know people that needed to.I think students should have the option to take mental days when they need them because if they don't have those days they could get more mentally ill and they could get depression and anxiety from stress at school.I think some students will take advantage of the mental days but some will actually use it for its purpose.I think offering mental health days to students will be great so then they could focus on themselves,and focus on their studies.
I do think that students at my school should have the option to take mental health days when they need them because sometimes school work, stress, bullying, and other things they are dealing with can over whelm them. One day can make a big difference by relieving stress and making a student calmer, they can come back to school feeling refreshed. Schools should let students take mental health days because they never know what is going on with a student and they might just be making things worse.
1
I think that all states should adopt this law because all students deserve a day off when they’re not feeling well. I myself have had days when I feel like I can’t go to school. If students are feeling like they can’t preform correctly that day in school then what’s the point of them going. The students would not pay attention to the teachers, so it would be the same as them not going to school. Some students suffer from anxiety and depression and need days off from school. I think that a day away from school would help a lot of students calm down.
5
The article highlights that students deserve a mental health excuse instead of just physical. The rates of suicide and anxiety are quite high. Allowing kids to have an excuse for taking time to relax and escape from the chaos caused by school has improved the welfare of struggling students. Their is no question that school promotes a stressful environment. Life itself is stressful but individuals at a younger age have a more difficult time coping. If the days are used as the laws intend hard working students can enjoy a much deserved mental health day.
I believe that mental health days should be recognized as an excused absence to a certain extent. Obviously a limit needs to be put on them so people can not take advantage of it and skip school all of the time. Some kids just need a day every now and then to just have for themselves and not be stressed about school, or how they get treated at school. Being able to consider these days, mental health days could potentially save many teens lives. In today's society, it is so easy for a teen to be depressed and the parents never even know it, but if their child says they need a mental health day it gives the parents an extra opportunity to reach out to their child. In 2009, Minnesota started hinting at this idea when they passed a bill saying that “conditions that “require ongoing treatment for a mental health diagnosis” are sufficient for excused absences.” All states should allow at least a few mental health days a year for each student, both to help better the state of mind of their students and to potentially get a teen talking about what they’re going through before it’s too late and they are gone.
Sometimes I do/did feel like I needed a mental health day because school can get so stressful and if you have other things going on outside of school it can make the stress worse. I didn't take time off because I wasn't physically sick and in West New York if you don't have an excused absence or a doctors note then it's an unexcused absence. I just deal with it and try to get through the week.
I do think we should get mental health days because we never know what's going on with someone so that one day a month can make a huge difference.
I think the mental health days benefit the students more than it harms. These mental health days can prevent a mental break down or a student causing harm to themselves or others.
5
There have been many times that I have wanted to stay home and just relax because I am not feeling well. I remember this one time I just was so depressed. It was because my grandma died. I loved her so much but she passed away. I was so sad I didn't even want to go to school. However, my parents just wanted to send me to school. I understand school is important but sometimes you are not well you need to just stay home. I think that other students as well should take some time off school if they are not feeling well at all. They might be suffering from anxiety or depression. My school doesn't really talk about mental health. I mean if you don't feel well, then just take some time off. I know there might be some students who are dumb enough to just pretend to be sick. But their parents are there, so they could know if their child is pretending to be sick. But all in all, if you are suffering from some type of disorder, just take some time off. Don't listen to your principal, just do it. Depression and anxiety are difficult to conquer, so just make the right choice.
There was one day that I didn't want to go school I felt like that because I was so frustrated on a math lesson like I didn't want go to school because I obviously had it to go to that class, I just wanted to stay home and like clear my mind because it was all to much work and I was really stress out.
I do think kids in my school and in any other school should have the option to take one mental health day when is needed because school can be really stressful and not just school but also at home like teachers don't know what's happening on each student house. So, I totally agree on that.
I don't think that mental health days outweigh the risks, because parents could make sure that their child are not being absent on school on purpose because students would just use it on days that are needed.
Unfortunately, my school does not have that privelege of taking a mental health day but I wish they could allowed kids take a mental health day but who knows maybe in the future they'll allowed it.
Mental health days could really help use students in a way. these extra days that we are given for stress relief can help many people who are over worked every day for 180 days. Many students agree that there should be a law that allows use to have mental days so that we can rest from the stressful work.
I think students should have the option to take mental health days because suicide is the second leading cause of death of 10-34 years olds due to depression and anxiety. This option could possibly decrease the number of suicides. This option could also stop students from getting bad grades and being distracted.
There was this one day that all I wanted to do was stay home and not go to school . I have to deal with depression and sometimes school just makes it worse . I wish I could stay home and relax and try to fix the situation or maybe clam myself down to stop some of my stress . School just make everything worse . I understand we have to go to school for are education but some days you just cant go but you have to anyways . I think students should have the girth to stay home needed it can help solve a problem not make it worse .
Mental health days are important. Taking a break from the stress and anxiety students feel in and out of school makes the students more able after the small break. To be the best one can be, mental health days can be a solution. When someone takes a mental health day and misses school, they feel better and can complete the work they get after the day they missed better than if they didn't take the mental health day. Maybe it's my personal opinion but, those mental health days can be what means the difference an B or a C.
There have been days at school where so much work is given I feel like I am drowning in it. I get so stressed that I feel my stomach clenched and my intestines feel as if they are tied into a bow. Yet, teachers don't give mental health days. Instead, students are left to suffer their way through piles of work with no reprieve. If students at my school had the option of taking mental health days, I believe grades would be higher and kids would be happier than they are now. However, it should not be given freely, there should be set days where children are allowed to take a break from work to do something of their choosing. The benefits of these days greatly outweigh the risks. While my school acknowledges mental health, it is touched on so briefly that there is a huge stigma about mental health issues. This stigma affects me and my peers by negatively impacting our learning environment. Mental health days would break the stigma.
Having mental health days off is very important. It gives you time to stop worrying about things going on at school and it lets you get back and ready for the next day. When I had anxiety it was hard going to school every day and having to deal with it. I had to take days out to recover from my anxiety attacks but if they added a new law saying you could use mental health days it would have helped my situation.
Someone in an article from the NY Times states her kid had to stay home from school because she was bullied for being a bisexual.
A student states in a CBS NY article states that having a day off might help them decompress a little bit before going back into a school environment.
So I would support the idea of having mental health days and I think students need time to recover from anxiety and other mental health issues.
Having mental health days off is very important. It gives you time to stop worrying about things going on at school and it lets you get back and ready for the next day. When I had anxiety it was hard going to school every day and having to deal with it. I had to take days out to recover from my anxiety attacks but if they added a new law saying you could use mental health days it would have helped my situation.
Someone in an article from the NY Times states her kid had to stay home from school because she was bullied for being a bisexual.
A student states in a CBS NY article states that having a day off might help them decompress a little bit before going back into a school environment.
So I would support the idea of having mental health days and I think students need time to recover from anxiety and other mental health issues.
1
The average teenager should be getting about 9.5 hours of sleep. If school starts at 8:00am the majority of the students end up getting up at 7:00am which means you have to be in bed sleeping at 10:30pm. If you don't do sports and come straight home and start on your homework with no breaks then you might be able to meet this time requirement. However the majority of high school students play sports and sometimes more then one at a time. When you get home at lets say 9:00pm the last thing you want to do on top of your 6 hour school day is to do more homework. Sometimes it's not even that students have a lot of work to do its that their brains are so exhausted to do any work that they just want to sleep.
Students should have mental health days to recover from the missed sleep that they haven't been getting. Even on school breaks like winter break, spring break, and even summer breaks teachers still assign homework so students aren't ever able to just relax and have the opportunity to do nothing. These off days could help lower students anxiety levels because they wouldn't be stressed about all the work they have to do. There just isn't enough time in the day.
Nearly every teen has felt the pressures and stress of school, sports, and parents' expectations including me. I would love a day off now and then when I am feeling this way but it's just not realistic. If we are cushioned in this way in school and are able to take days off when we feel "too stressed" we won't be prepared to have a job or anything like that where it will be unacceptable to use that excuse. We need to learn how to deal with the stress instead of giving in to it and taking a day off.
When someone such as a teenager or young adult endures certain levels of psychological stress it can show long-lasting effects, such as altering one’s thought process or how you react when stress is present in a situation. I have encountered times where I needed a day to just breathe. The task of focusing on and engaging in everything that comes with going to school while you are being introduced to situations that vary in amounts of stress is not something to be taken lightly. Your body as a whole is affected when it comes to stress. Earlier this year I was in a relationship and things ended abruptly. I did not take any days off from school because in that particular situation I felt I needed a distraction. I needed to get out of my head. I was determined to not let my emotions affect my education so I worked through tears, everyday, for weeks. Taking things one step at a time.
I do think students should be allowed to take days off from school when necessary. A variety of factors play into whether or not a student may find necessary to take time off from such an enterprise as getting an education. I am among the many who are mentally capable of keeping up with school work and staying focused on what is taught in school, all while navigating the salty, rough water of this fruitful life. Yes,I now bask in the essence of the zone I find myself in. One I never knew I was capable of obtaining focus of what lies ahead and what lies before me all at once.
Lots of students seem normal, but you never really know what they're actually feeling. This is why I think students should get mental health days off. Even though school is only 5 days a week, having the weekend off still doesn't seem right. Lots of parents think kids shouldn't be depressed or stressed because they're too young or they just shouldn't be because they're kids, not adults. To be honest, I think that's stupid because being depressed or stressed shouldn't be defined by your age. Kids are normally happy and hyper, but that doesn't apply to every single kid in the world. If my school plans and decides to let kids get mental health days off, I do think kids do need to explain why they need some mental health days off, to the guidance counselor or the principal. This is because some kids think they can take that for granted just like how some kids pretend that their sick so they can stay home.
Yes, I have felt the need for a mental health day many times in my life. School can get to the point where it causes too much stress. I believe that once a month there should be a mandatory mental health day off because if students could choose their day off they would stay home from school when they are too lazy to go rather than when they need a mental health day.Having a mental health day off will help students be more motivated and productive instead because it will relieve some of their stress. I believe that if schools allow a mental health day the benefit of helping with mental health issues will outweigh the work that will be missed at school.
I think schools should provide students the option of having days off for mental health. As a high school student, I've had so many days where I've been stressed, depressed, or even wanting to quit coming to school because I couldn't handle the amount of things piling up and being thrown at me at once. If students are given a break, I believe it will help some people reduce their anxiety or tension and will help them stay more caught up and focused when they return back to school.
when i need a break there is nothing i can do i wish we had this
I think that students should get mental health days off. A study was done in December of 2000 shows that the average child has the same and higher levels of anxiety and stress as mental asylum patients back in the 1950s. Another two studies involving thousands of children and college students actually show that since the 1950s the average stress and anxiety level of students have raised substantially. 49% of the general population has a history of anxiety and depression which is a lot especially since there are over 7 billion people in the world. So I think that giving more than
High School is for students to learn and grow as people. To make friends. And to enjoy everything life has to offer at such a young age. But recently school has been a source of anxiety, bullying and ending with suicide in some cases. Students go to school and get bullied and have homework piled on them. Then they go home and have all the homework to do. Only to go to bed and do it all over again. Having a day where they can take a break from all this could help students who are starting to lose it. These days can reduce tension and anxiety and help students calm down after the hustle and bustle of school. These days can help students to also get caught up in their studies. These days can help kids who are smothered with homework and just need a day to unwind.
Another reason to have these days is drug and alcohol abuse. Living in NC I have a very real close up of drug abuse. Just last year in NC about 16,500 kids were thrown in foster care due to dead or unfit parents from drug abuse. Being in school around kids who do drugs there is not only peer pressure to do them but the curiosity of if it will help me relax. As you get older the workload is heavier, the topics harder, and the stress to choose a college, profession and political party also comes in to play.If we didn't have this day then students might give in to peer pressure and start doing drugs which will then become a vicious cycle that affects the parents and the kids and keeps going.
I believe schools should offer mental health days off for students, however I think they should be more specific or more strict. For instance, if you had a close pet or family member just pass that should be excused. However simply feeling anxious or depressed should be excused under the circumstances that it's just part of life. Telling students that because they feel anxious for no specific reason just the basis of too much work, is dangerous because it shows students that they can get away with doing work by just not feeling well. Which is not true for real life. It is sad that students have to deal with stress and depression but patting them on the back and telling them "it's okay just go home and relax" is just unnecessary, we need to teach our students that what they have to deal with a bad day or being stressed, also because students should be less independent and not lean on a teacher asking for days off. I do however think it's completely reasonable if this student is dealing with trauma or a mental disorder. Students should be able to deal with their problems by themselves so that they can prepare for the real world because some people only get 2 weeks off for vacation every year. If you go to work and think, oh I'm just not feeling up to it maybe I'll stay home. After so many times your employer will most likely fire you. In conclusion we should have mental health days off for students but with more reasonable excuses.
Schools should definitely offer mental health days off to students. There have been many days where I have felt I needed to take a day off for mental health reasons. My school never addresses mental health, and I don’t believe schools take this issue as seriously as they should. In this generation mental health issues are very common, and the pressure/stress from schoolwork, social media, and anxiety can really take a toll on someone’s well being. A student may look physically healthy but not be in the right mental state to go to school.
Some parents might say some students will take advantage of this and stay home from school just because we just don’t feel like attending. I think giving the opportunity to students who actually need days off heavily outweighs the risks of others taking advantage of it. However, if it becomes a problem, this can be prevented if there’s limitations towards this rule. Like the law in Oregon, limiting the amount of mental health days taken off in a set period of time would most likely help with this issue.
I believe that if all schools were required to acknowledge mental health and offer days off to students, many students would benefit from it and overall perform better in school. Knowing that we could have a few days off would relieve the overwhelming amount of stress some of us experience. Having a break would personally motivate me to do better and strive for better grades, because I’d be in a better mindset to do so.
All throughout my life I have struggled with my mental health. In the past four years I have become increasingly stressed from my workload and therefore have felt like mental health days would be beneficial to me. Thankfully my mom is extremely understanding about my anxiety and has allowed me to stay home for a day or two If I was feeling extremely stressed, but even with her support, I had gotten so overwhelmed with school two years ago that I had convinced my mom to let me go into online homeschooling. I was extremely grateful for my mom allowing me to do online school, and it had helped me refresh a lot.
With all the work that our school system has for its students, especially honors and AP students, they should think about how much stress is being put onto them and should be open to introducing mental health days. Studies have shown that students are more likely to have good grades and perform well in general when they are given the opportunity to refresh. I don’t think that adults and teachers realize how much students do behind the scenes at home. Our seven hour school days combined with all of the homework we are given makes us extremely stressed out and less likely to perform at our best.
Mental health days will allow for students to talk to their parents about their mental health instead of lying about being sick. Mental health days will also allow for students to get help and feel heard instead of struggling in silence, which is the sad reality for many students.
I do not believe that students at my school should have a mental health day. Trust me I know there is depression, anxiety, and stress going on among students. If they were given mental health days I believe it would put more stress and anxiety on kids coming back to school due to having to make up classwork, quizzes, and tests. I also think that students who aren’t engaged in school as much as others will take advantage of it due to their careless work ethic to make up their work.
If there are teens who have extreme anxiety, stress, depression, or suicidal thoughts they should speak to an adult immediately. I think a better option would to have a school wide day off once a month in the middle of the week to catch up on work and any personal problems instead of catching behind in school.
The fact that states along with schools are allowing students to have mental health days is a better way to help students with mental issues such as stress, depression and anxiety. The children have more of a reason to be honest with their parents with reasons why they actually don’t wish to go to school and work and be in the environment that caused them all of the stress and other mental issues in the first place. They get a break from teachers students and their class work which might release their stress and help relieve their anxiety.
In a personal opinion of my own, I believe that mental health days can and will go a long way if you use them to help you and not in a way to make your mental and physical issues worse. For example, if a student takes a mental health day and focuses on bettering themselves mentally, physically, and emotionally rather than stressing themselves out about how much work they will have to make in school or worrying about what people are saying about them and what teachers are thinking, then taking a day off is a good thing. The day can help prepared for obstacles to come. Mental health days should be used in a way to help you focus on the well being of yourself.
I don’t think that mental health days are talked about enough. Being a student, it can be tough managing all of your classes and having extracurricular activities on top of that. There could also be a lot of stuff going on with your friends or social life and family, and this can add stress to students. It is not easy dealing with all the things in someone's life and sometimes we just need a break. Imagine having a sports game after school and you don't get home until around seven at night and you still have to do an overwhelming amount of homework. You don't go to bed until 12:30 and you wake up the next morning dragging. I truly believe that it is ok to take a mental health day every so often. I do not think that students should get to skip school whenever but sometimes you do need a break or the stress will keep piling on. I have felt the need and have been allowed to take mental health breaks before and I go back to school feeling better than I was prior. I also believe that schools nationwide should take this more into consideration and talk about it. If we address this issue and allow for occasional days off for students, then school would be better for teens.
I used to wake up every morning before school and wrack my brain for ideas of what I could tell my parents so I didn't have to go to school. I didn’t have a fever. Or a runny nose. You couldn’t see my sickness. You couldn't see my pain, but I was in so much unbearable pain. My school didn’t have mental illness days off or even discuss it with the students. Something I desperately needed was not a resource for me at the place I spent most of my time.
This policy could help so many teens with their mental health and make them feel not so alone. It would make us feel seen, heard, and appreciated. We fight wars that nobody can see. We have scars that nobody else knows about, but if you try to explain it to someone who doesn’t experience mental illness they simply say, “just look on the bright side!” or my personal favorite, “just be happy!” They don’t realize it is an illness. It is something we can’t control. Sometimes we need a day off to remember how to breathe without being penalized for missing school which just adds to our anxiety. I believe this could help many students with their mental state and ability to focus on what THEY need instead of what SOCIETY needs from us.
Mental health is a very big and serious issue that many teens deal with being in high school today. We are exposed to tremendous amounts of pressure from parents, teachers, coaches and our peers. There have been days where I have felt that a day off would benefit me greatly because of overwhelming stress and work. I believe that schools should have mental heath days because I think it would work well with every part of the system. It gives students time to give their brains a break, and even if they don't need one, it gives them time to get ahead on studies.I also think teachers deal with many stresses, like the students, and they deserve to have a day of mental break. Many students keep their true mental state to themselves and don't share how they really feel which worsens the problem. I believe that if schools issue a mental health day, it will bring this growing problem to the attention of many people and hopefully will solve some of the issues involved.I believe that adding mental health break days will make school a better environment for students and how they will grow as a person with their mental state.
My school does not currently offer mental health days, and I think that needs to change. Mental health issues are as common in today’s teenagers as getting a virus. We all know that when you get sick, it is important to go home and rest, otherwise you might just get sicker, and nobody wants that. I believe that the same goes for mental health. If you don’t take a day off to let yourself relax, your mental state is just going to worsen. Personally, I have taken a mental health day before. I was extremely stressed out and I got anxious at even the littlest things, so my mom called in the school and told them I wasn’t feeling well. Some kids parents are a lot more strict than mine. They would not let their child skip school for something they might see as a minor problem. I feel if schools allowed mental health days, stricter parents would be more lenient about their children missing class due to their mental state.
Students should of course be excused for mental health. I’ve missed school before because I really didn’t feel as if I could sit through classes with what was going on with my family and in my head, my mom let me stay home that day but I got an unexcused absence. To those who think students will fake it in order to skip school, well that happens for physical sick days too. There’s never going to be a time when students don’t want to skip school but that shouldn’t stop us helping the students with real problems, especially when their problems are going on in their own head and we can’t see them.
I believe students should be allowed to have mental health days, but under some type of supervision. What I mean by that is that they're actually relaxing and clearing their mind. Some students like to party and be under the influence and this should not be what happens when they take a day off. I think schools should have more options for students with depression, stress and anxiety. Having a designated classroom or student area for them can also be a help. It would give students the opportunity to not miss any work but also have access to some type of safe space. We don't know what these children deal with at home, so even if they were given days off for mental health, having to stay at home in a toxic environment could negatively affect their mental health even more. There should be a dedicated individual therapist or counselor making sure these students actually are relaxing and doing something positive with their day off.
I have felt that I needed days off from school- the pressure to do well both socially and academically- has been in the rise more and more throughout the years, not only do parents pressure their children to exceed academically, but social media has an influence on being a "well- rounded" "overachieving" person. Although my school did not have mental health days , my parents did allow me to stay home and have a "fun, recreational day".
Parents that say students might take advantage of mental health days are correct in saying so- just look at how many people say "they're sick" in order to get out of something they don't want to do. I believe if we teach students that M.H.D are not to be abused of they will understand- by teaching I mean that we have to talk to students as if we were training a new employee- giving students a sense of responsibility.
I believe some schools more than others do talk about M.H. and why it's important to understand what it is. If we talk about mental health maybe we'd have less students have a "mid- life crisis" , which coincidentally has been on the rise with young adults.
I think that now more than ever children need to be aware of M.H - they have a lot to worry about compared to previous generations, such as; school bombs threats, lockdowns, school shooters, etc.
yes, I believe that these mental health days should be enforced ,and yes I know some kids might take advantage of it but just taking that and putting it to everyone else is wrong. people should just look at this fact about students taking advantage of theses days but just look at the people who do need it . they may just need it to think things over but some may need to calm down or sort things out. I guess what I'm trying to say is that by passing this law and allowing students to take these mental health days can help them in school by them clearing their head the day before and can even saving someone's life by them getting after from school life and maybe even bully's. now I'm a senior in high school and yes I have taken some mental health days even though they don't allow them in new York state. yes I know I took that excused appcence for something it was not meant for but truly I don't care it helped. so hopefully in the future when my baby cousins go to school they have the option to take those mental health days that may need.
Living in the South, mental health is one of the least discussed topics. If it is mentioned, people will adamantly deny that it is a vital part of one’s health. Knowing this, teens keep the truth about the state of their mental health to themselves allowing the problem to worsen. Studies show that drug and alcohol abuse are considerably down among teens but depression, anxiety, and suicide rates are higher than ever before. Without the ability to speak their truth and the continual stress of school and family life, mental health among GenZ will only continue to worsen.
I believe the addition of mental health days off from school will help not only the problem of poor mental health but also break down the misconceptions surrounding the stigma of mental health. The laws that would allow the days off would bring up the topic of mental health leading to new voices and opinions. The laws could also lead to more education on how to create a good environment for yourself to prevent depression, anxiety, and most importantly suicide. I believe these days off would also give students more time to get work done. Assignments will be successfully turned in, grades will rise, the rate of failure will drop, and there may be considerably less school drop-outs.
I don't think that students should get the option just to take the day off because the feel blue. I think students are just lazy and don't feel like doing anything that day. I understand people with actual mental health getting a day off to help with brain activity, but I don't think anyone should just get a break. People would just take advantage of it and miss a good amount of school for “mental health”. It's not fair to people like me and it’s not fair to the people with actual Mental health disabilities. In the article it says the Chloe Wilson died from suicide from bullying and anxiety. If you are being bullied and have very high anxiety then you need to tell your parents and then I think that is a valuable reason to take the day off. No one should be forced to do something if it is pushing you to the point of suicide. If you are thinking about killing yourself because of school then you have some serious problems and need to tell someone immediately, but if you are just not feeling like going to school then you should still have to go to school.
I have been in multiple instances where I felt that a mental health day would be necessary. I wasn’t allowed to take time off, because the people around me thought that I was supposed to be at school unless i was having a medical emergency. So I went through the day overwhelmed. I do think students should be able to take mental health days off. Sure, some students might not need them but it would give the ones who did an opportunity to learn and without the mental health problems. I think that the benefits of mental health days completely overrule the risks. I think that as a student and child in today’s world, it can be overbearing to face my own stress and problems added to the ones a single day of school can provide. And I really just disregard the parent’s opinion because they don’t know anything about it. My school doesn’t address mental health as much as I want it to. Sure, it throws in a couple of sentiments every couple of health lessons, but it’s not enough. I think they should do more-anything more to help spread awareness about it. I feel like there is a stigma and it affects my peers and I by putting a bit of a lock on the conversation. I feel like mental health days would break it and make it easier for people to talk about it.
Yes, I have felt I needed a mental health day. It was this year actually, twice this year. One was not too long after the first day of school, something bad, involving a boy and myself, happened during lunch and my anxiety was through the roof. I had trouble breathing sometimes and I could not stop moving or looking over my shoulder. Then, later that same day, when I went to a teacher for help, I had an emotional breakdown. It was bad, but when I asked to go home, my grandparents told me I had to learn how to deal with my emotions. For the rest of the day, I couldn’t focus and I didn’t like it when people got too close, or a loud sound happened. I was also shaking really badly and stuttered. The next few days were like that as well, and even now, about a month later, whenever I see said person my anxiety spikes and if I'm not careful I can have an anxiety attack.
I have had many mental health break downs in school before from being to stressed out from school. I have wanted to take days off of school from stress but my school never allowed it. I also think that it should only be alowed like oncce every two months or so because some students would try to take advantage of it and not show up to school due to this.
I have felt that I’ve needed a mental health day from school, but I never took it because our school doesn’t allow it. I had so many exams in one day and I was so stressed that I made myself sick, I then missed 3 days of school because I actually somehow caused myself to get sick from being so stressed.
I hate that my school doesn't allow us to take mental health days because students pretned to be sick to take a mental health day, and end up missing school anyways. They just need to give us a mental health day, at least once a month.
@Audrey Schroeder I feel the same as you believe that school who have multiple big test in a row maybe should have a mental health day off of school. Many students like you and me may be come stressed but i also think that you shouldn't over stress your self and not do to much.
I believe that students at my school should have the option to take these mental health days if and when they are needed. School can cause anxiety and the social interactions can leave kids distraught and in a state of depression. One day could also benefit the students grades as they will be in a more welcoming and accepting environment that will stimulate their ability to learn and retain information. I believe that there should be limits on this but I think that the idea of a mental health day is a very good one that could benefit, change, and even save the lives of kids nation wide. It’s one of those things that we need to start pushing for in an advanced society.
I feel that if students had mental days off, that they would become successful in school. If students are overwhelmed from school, they should take the time to reset and relax. This would help since they had the time to clear their mind, and they wouldnt be so mentally tired. If they took this break, they could probably focus more in the school day, and get good grades.
I think that all students should have the chance to get a mental health day. Especially towards the end of middle school and high school when you are getting the most work and have to get the best grades for the rest of your future to be "perfect". I've known people in my life who have died but might not have if they just had a day off to relax. I also think this would be improved if schools would address more problems about mental health, the stigma around it, a good support system and things like that.
1
I think that it is important for students to get mental health days because school can be very stressful and especially if you have something like anxiety or depression it can be too much to handle. I definitely think that the pros out way the cons in this situation. You will just have to give your kids the benefit of the doubt and believe them when they say that they need to take a day off and even with physical sick days kids will still fake it.
I think that students should be allowed to have mental health because a lot of kids to suffer from depression and anxiety. If you keep going to school this way it my make you feel stress and not do your best in school. This could lead to skipping classes and failing classes. For example a friend of mine once felt so stresses and wasn't enjoying school to the point where she transferred back to her old school
I go to J. R. Masterman and think that having mental health days would help people a lot. There are many problems in and out of school that students have to go through, for example, bullying, stress, or death of a family member. This can cause loss of focus, and worse grades than usual. It would be great for the students to be able just to take a break, and come back the next day feeling better and more focused.
I think that all students should get mental health days of from school because many students do suffer from depression and anxiety. I think that if they just kept going to school feeling stressed, that would just make them feel even more overwhelmed. Also, even if they just used one mental health day, it could be so much better because from my own experience, on Friday after school, Saturday, and Sunday, I get time to catch up on my schoolwork and get more tasks done. Then, when I come back to school on Monday, I feel more relaxed. If two days away from school can make me feel better, I think that if every student got a chance to have a mental health day, they would feel so much less overwhelmed.
I think that all students should get mental health days off from school because many students already suffer from anxiety and depression. I think that if they just kept going to school feeling depressed and overwhelmed, they would not be able to focus as well in school, so their grades will drop significantly. From personal experience, whenever my school has a professional development day and school is closed, the next day when I come back to school, I feel less stressful because I had gotten that day to catch up on all of my school work. I think that students should get mental health days off from school because I think that most of them will feel like me. I feel that when they have that mental health break, they will feel more ready when they come back to school next day, because they got a chance to catch up on lots of schoolwork.
I think that this law should be for all of the schools because some people with depression and anxiety cannot focus during school. That leads them to getting bad grades on things. I think the idea of having days off for mental health is a good idea because this will give kids a break from everything. And then on the next day, they will be able to restart and and have a better day.
I think that school districts around the world don't think about a students personal life as much as they need to. Signs around my school talk about "anti-bullying" but do the schools really do as much as they could to help with that? Giving kids a couple days off throughout the year would not only be a way to keep kids mentally healthy but also respond to kids in need and show them people care.
I'm currently a senior in high school and I can personally say that this would help so many kids, so many people to just take a break. I come to a homeschool managed by my church. But I've been in public school and I've seen and experienced most of the worst things school has to offer. Bullying, peer pressure, anxiety, and that cool kid club that everybody HAS to do what they do or if not you're just a loser. Glory to God right now through my relationship with God I don't experience any of this anymore. I don't need the acceptance from any of these people because God my father has already shown me how much he loves me and how me much I mean to Him. I do agree that with so many things going on in our lives, it does help to once in a while take a break. The only thing I feel could make this better is if when the person does take the day off he should go talk to somebody, because just taking a day off might help out our mental health a little bit but it won't fix it entirely.
I am a senior at a very academically rigorous catholic high school. I have felt the need for a mental health day many times. I think my school should have the option to take a mental health day. Teenagers have so much on their plate such as grades, job, friends, college, and extracurriculars. Having optional mental health days does not coddle us. It is needed. The rates of teens with depression and anxiety are crazy high as well are suicide rates. My school has a club called the Fearless Initiative that deals with mental health and regular problems facing teens today. Fearless helps my school have a positive and open approach on mental health.
I think that allowing students to have mental health days when needed could be very beneficial, and could play a crucial role in students' success. For most students, school can get extremely stressful, especially when it comes to balancing assignments, sports, extra cirriculars, jobs, and family and personal life, and much more. Once a student loses the ability or energy to balance all of these things, they can end up falling behind in school. Allowing students to take a day often whenever they feel they might need it, they are given the opportunity to catch up on various activities and assignments. As a student who balances many different things during my school week, I find it very beneficial when I am given the day to relax, or catch up on things as needed. The only downside is that I don't have a legitimate excuse for school, so it gets counted as a non-excused absence. Once schools and parents begin to recognize the benefits of mental health days, they could possibly see extreme improvements in student performance.
Everybody goes through a rough time and feels like they need a break from school, I've recently discovered that the more you build up missing work, or procrastinating a major grade project to the night before is the worst possible situation you could put yourself into. A week ago, I was feeling very stressed about my grades, and my teachers were very hard on me because they were preparing for tests that were coming up, I decided that a day off would be the only thing that would make me feel better in that time. I took the day off to sleep in, eat a good breakfast and complete my work on that day in a calm space. I encourage all students to think about taking a Mental Health Day. I strongly believe that everyone at Brandeis High School should have a choice to take a mental health day, to be able to take a step back of all extra curricular activities and school work, and just focus on themselves.
Mental health days are badly needed in the classrooms of todays society. Myself and many of my peers are under a lot of pressure at school, not just to get good grades or to succeed in extra-curicular areas, but also to fit in and learn to be happy in a world that can be scary. Modern high school students must deal with the trials of school shootings, bullying, anxiety, climate change, and politics, needless to say, this can be hard to deal with. Mental health days are nessesary to our childrens health and should be allowed in schools.
1
- [ ] I strongly believe that students should have the option to take mental health days. This time off gives students a period refocus, clear their minds, and detox of all the stress and anxiety there is in schools. I have taken mental health days off and it has benefited me in so many ways. Last year I felt over worked and stressed out because of school. My mom could see this and said that I could take a day off and get my mental health back to a healthy level. Taking that day off helped me during the rest of the week because I could take time to address the school work I had and the school work coming up. It also give me an opportunity to get ahead of what I was behind on so when I went back to school the next day, I didn't have any anxiety on turning something in unfinished or missing it completely. So many kids struggle with keeping up with mental health especially during the school year. It doesn't have to be a long period of time but even an extra day to a weekend helps more than many people think. Taking these days off to focus on mental health would improve students drastically and open up the conversation about mental health and how to address it in a healthy way.
In the past years I’ve gone to school I have felt like I needed a mental health day. One specific time I did fell like I needed it most was when I was in the 10th grade and my grandma had recently passed away, I still had 2 AP classes 4 other classes and things to do after school. The work that I had to do those days were just so stressful and I still had to get everything done to keep my grades up.I had to pretend as if nothing ever even happened so I can get my work and tests done.
I believe other students should have the option to have mental health days since we all have our own lives and are all going through different things some worse than others. This does overweight the risks of this because were talking about the health of the students and I don’t think a days worth of work overweights the mental health of students.
My school does address mental health and have counseling to help with that and It does help a lot but it’s not enough since we are currently facing the problems that we are facing today.Mental health days could help and should be put into our school to help those problems.I know there is a stigma around mental illness with all the stress and pressure the students undergoes and I believe the mental health days would help reduce the number of these students.
Throughout my Junior Year of highschool I was extremely stressed out and anxious and often times wasn't in the mental state to be in a classroom or take an exam to the best of my ability. I thought it was only me at first but throughout my time in high school so far I've come to realize that this is a similar story with many of the people currently my age. Although some students may use the opportunity to take a day off from school I believe the large majority of students will use there days of recovery wisely and only when truly needed. I am in support of the mental health days and I believe giving students a chance to reset and catch their breaths would be essential in creating a learning environment that aid's students academic performance.
I believe students should get mental health days off from school. There is a tremendous amount of work a student has to do over the school year. In addition, there are also outside problems students have to deal with as well. This is especially true for high school students. Stress and anxiety heavily increases as the workload is raised substantially and other outside worries become present, such as deciding a career path that is most suitable. Mental health is an important topic of discussion because it determines the productivity of an individual. Allowing students to take a few days off throughout the school year will enable them to reset mentally. By doing so, the general productivity and well-being of students will increase. In addition, it is also very likely that students will identify optimal strategies and methods to reduce stress and anxiety that will benefit them in the future.
I've personally taken a lot of mental health days off. They weren't listed as mental health days, of course. I tell my mom I feel sick... because I do. I feel exhausted and unable to do much of anything. I'm not physically sick, but my mental illness affects me just as much as any physical ailment.
I think it's a good idea to have mental health days.
The amount of anxiety I feel going back to school after taking a sick day (for mental health reasons) is enormous. I'm scared someone will say I wasn't really sick. It's happened before.
Teens are pretty mischievous, but I don't think any of them would use it to skip. We're all struggling with different things. I find it kind of mean that some people would think this "coddles" teens too much. We deserve to be able to take time to take care of our mental health. There's nothing wrong with that.
My school offers health classes, which pretty briefly mention mental health. They bring up signs that someone is suicidal, but not much else. I wish that my school talked about the importance of taking care of your mental health.
I think people don't take mental health as seriously as they should here. I wish they would. A lot of teens just have this attitude of,"I don't care. Nothing will change. No one really cares about me." and it causes them to be self-destructive. I think this could help change that.
"I am so stressed and anxious". This is a statement I constantly hear from students in my school. I myself have faced situations where the next day of class, I can't go to school because I need a mental health day. Humans need a breather and especially students. I learned what stress actually was once I began my High School "career". Studying for a test every other day, trying to complete your homework on time, working on the weekends, trying to deal with personal problems, and schools still expect you to show up every single day. If we were to receive at least three mental health days during the schools year, we would be able to focus better and not stress as much. Everyone needs a break including students.
I personally believe that students should have personal health days off from school and here’s why. Students, no matter the school, have a lot to do almost every day. Wether it’s studying for a test or doing homework, students have a lot to do. With all the classes kids take, students are bound to get stressed. With some students that work and/or have a lot of personal issues with themselves or family, they will have a lot to think about. worrying about getting a good grade adds to what is already stressful situations. I believe mental health days for students will give them time to relax their brain and give them time to relax all together. I also believe gibbing students that extra day to relax will further improve their academic capabilities and show better performance in school.
Every human being has a body and a brain. Sometimes our bodies get sick with viruses, diseases, or broken bones. If students can be excused from school due to a physical illness, then why is it any different to let our minds have a day off as well? Just like our bodies get sick, and they need time to rest, our minds also fail us sometimes and beg for a break. We finish one, one hour class to get to the next. We finish school with the immediate stress of completing our homework for that good grade. Many teengagers everyday lives are bassically just a recipe for a mental breakdown. Allowing students to learn how to achieve self care is a much more important lesson than any physics or math class. If students were allowed one or two excused days a month for a “mental health day,” they would not only improve their wellbeing but also have more of a chance of thriving academically. I know myself and many others would benefit from mental health issues being recognized and treated with the absence of stress about missing assignments and tests. We live in a crazy world of stress filled, never ending days, and that should not be an unsolvable issue.
I have had mental health days where I would have liked the day off from school. Loosing someone is a difficult process that never seems to end. It can inflict many mental health issues. For me specifically being depression and anxiety. School causes me stress and being there while having to face my own struggles is very difficult for me to actually focus. I do think that students at my school should have mental health days off because one might not be able to manage or focus on school work when struggling with their own mental health. One needs time to themselves and reflect on their mental health. I believe my school does offer help such as having councilors that students can talk to but yet again not everyone is comfortable to talk about their mental health. I believe that having mental days off would be very beneficial for students in my school. We are constantly being reminded of being a college preparatory school which adds on even more pressure as well as stress and can worsen ones mental health.
Mental health should not be something that is overlooked, and should hold the same weight, if not more, as conditions that are physical and visible to the eye. Mental health, in many cultures, are considered taboo. Personally speaking, I experience intergenerational trauma. I face anxiety, and I always felt the need to isolate myself because I thought my problems weren't as bad as another person's or I had no one to talk to. However now, I found an organization that gives youth space to speak their truth, and their struggles. But.. not everyone has that support. Schools, in particular, contain a stress culture, because of the need of perfection. The pressure to be a perfect student: good grades, sports, and extracurriculars are deemed to be a necessity to be successful. However, when you add the stress of school life and home life together, it can be unbearable. And that often goes overlooked. That is why schools should have Mental Health Days. Schools pay a lot of attention to academia, yet often turn a blind eye to socio-emotional development which is just as imperative. The bill mentioned in the article should be incorporated in states all over the country. The stigma against mental health in society today is only causing a barrier for students to reach out for help. Students shouldn't have to lie or give a "valid excuse" because mental health is just as valid. Schools need to support their students holistically in order for them to flourish and thrive in schools.
I think that students should get mental health days. I think this because sometimes some students can get very stressed, due to various reasons, and this could affect their mental health. This makes people do worse in school. If mental health days were implemented, students could have a day to relax for a change. This could have a positive effect on their mental health. Also, preserving good mental health is extremely important. If people do not have good mental health, they can do things that could hurt themselves or others. The safety of kids, outweighs the danger of some kids not coming to school. If someone decides to skip school, it is the student's problem. Mental health days can highly improve the way our schools work handle mental health.
I do not think students need mental health days, because all you have to do is get their life together because there is always a way to get it in order instead of being depressed or stressed.
Like i'm sorry if I offended you but just grow up its life, if there is truly nothing you can do to fix your problems then yes that should be the only acception to take mental days but other then that get back up on your feet and do something about it.
My school doesn't have mental days and it's okay. Its okay because we don't need them because not a lot of people are actually depressed most people just fake it for attention. If I had a say so i would want are school to address it but not give us the days off because there's always something you can do to get over your depression.
In my opinion, students at my school should have the option of taking mental health days. The reason being is because school work, and school in general can be very stressful and can be really tiring, and days to get a break would help a lot of students.
I have personally felt like I needed mental health days because school is very stressful and I'm sure it is for other students also. There has been some times when I had a long stressful week with a big workload and taking a mental health day off let me feel better and more motivated for the next day.
I think that students should have the option to have mental health days. Many kids become really stressed from school and sometimes have mental breakdowns from all the work they have. We join PAP classes and also join many teams like sports,band,dance, etc. All of that adds up at the end of the day. If we had mental health days then we would probably use them to get work to relieve ourselves from stress so we can keep at a good pace with grades.
Depending on what type of kid they are that determines if they are faking things. If they are good kids they would use the days to finish work and get ahead, but if they are bad irresponsible kids then they probably use the days for other things. I think that mental health days should be given for a good reason.
I do feel as if mental health days are necessary for those who need it however I feel as this system could be easily taken advantage of those who don’t have any real problem.
A student's life is not easy in any way. I believe we really need the chance to take a mental health day every once in a while. Teenagers have to deal with so much in their everyday lives. There are times where we just really need a break from everything going on. We all know some students will take advantage of these days, but a solution to that could be having to fill out a form. This would make them feel too indolent to fill it out. Even if that's not possible, I think the benefits outweight the negatives.
I think some students without mental health issues would take advantage of these days when they don't actually need a break, but its not like they're being harmed either. Might as well let them take advantage of it, as long as the students who actually need mental health days are getting what they need. This over weighs the students being "coddles", by a landslide. I do believe that there is a stigma around people with mental health issues. It makes people with mental health issues feel embarrassed to need help, or a break. If everybody was offered mental health days, then people might start to see the benefits and break the stigma.
Mental health days are very much needed in high school. I think that they are mostly needed for juniors and seniors. Those last two years are the ones that matter the most because that is what colleges looks at the most. We have a lot on our hands such as college applications, maintaining good grades, sports/ extracurricular activities, jobs, many hours of homework and on top of that trying to get a good amount of sleep at night. This stresses a lot of us out. Sometimes I have my days where I struggle having to stay up and pay attention in school, not only from not getting enough sleep at night, but also being drained from all of the things I have to juggle. I truly believe that we all need and deserve excused mental health days from school. I believe it will decrease out levels of stress and anxiety. I guarantee it will benefit a lot of students.
I definitely think that students should get mental health days, as it is very tiresome and stressful every day in high school.
I think students do need a mental health day. I've felt like i've needed one of these days so far and it is only the 5th week. School is pretty stressful at times it gets to the point where i can see people that need these days to catch up and just take a day off. My school (like most) have counselors who talk to students and try to help them in anyway possible. I know students can fake being sick to get these days cause people i know have done it and they come back the next day in a better place and it really does't coddle us it helps us a lot
Mental health days are vital when it comes to high school students, especially juniors and seniors. Those two years are of the most overwhelming during your high school career. Juggling college planning, financial aid, straight A's, extra curricular activites, AND getting a decent amount of rest on a daily basis is a task and a half. Personally speaking, I have my days where I can not even register what is going on during the school day -- not because I'm a mediocre student, but because I am just mentally drained in every aspect one can even think of, and I seem to be getting them a lot more often now that there is more on my plate. Why can't students have optional and excused mental health days? Do adults not expect us to become exhausted? Why can adults have sick days, but it is a struggle to convince both our parents and teachers that we need a day off without hearing the consequences? Mental health days should be given out at school regardless of what any adult may say. Studies even show that students have increased rates of anxiety, depression, and exhaustion today in contrast to years ago, in their youth. Who knows? Maybe these mental health days will improve our rates of success?
As a sophomore who deals with severe depression and anxiety on a daily basis, I can assure everyone, STUDENTS NEED MENTAL HEALTH DAYS. I live in Mass, and until now, I've never even heard of this law, but I wish I had. Most don't understand how extremely difficult it is to even get out of bed in the morning, nevermind sitting in a classroom for six hours. Overtime, the curriculum and the responsibilities of students have changed, and stress has increased. If suicide/mental health issues have grown in recent times, why are we making it harder on students?
I believe that the idea of allowing students to take a mental health day is a great idea. School can be very overwhelming especially with school, work, sports, and friends/families. I have felt like this before many times, and it is very hard to function especially when everyone around is pressuring you to perform your best. Taking many AP classes and balancing work, school, and sports can cause extreme stress and anxiety. That's why I believe that it is very important for students to take a mental health day and be refreshed for the next day ready to learn.
I think having the option to take a mental health day would be very nice for students. Many of us have jobs or are in clubs or sports and we do not have the time to finish all of our homework and get a good amount of sleep that night. Because of this, most of us are very stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed so having a day where you can sit back, relax, and focus on your mental health would be very important. Having the time to focus on ourselves would decrease our levels of stress and anxiety and we will most likely do even better in school. We would be more focused in our classes and we would have the time to complete our assignments correctly and on time.
I think the students should have the option to take mental days from school. Being mentally unstable may prevent you from learning or even paying attention in class. Taking a mentally sick day will help you refresh and be able to take the time you need to feel better. When you’re stomached not feeling well, you stay home because you don’t want to get other sick and while you’re sick you can’t perform as well. It’s the same when you’re mentally sick. You’ll be distracted and it’ll make it harder to learn.
I've watched my peers break down several times because of the amount of stress they would have on their shoulders. I've also gone through the same multiple times throughout high school so I know how it's like. Breaks in between studying is important because it would give one's mind some rest and would somewhat prevent students from overworking themselves. The idea of having Mental Health Days off is nice, but the likeliness of it being followed properly is low. There are chances where students could take advantage of such thing, pretending to be sick or not well enough to attend school. I do believe schools should try to incorporate some kind of meditation in classes because not only would it help the students' mental health, but it would also help with their focus.
Over the past three years of high school, I have felt that I needed to take a mental health day. Sometimes students get overwhelmed with having a variety of classes, loads of homework, extracurricular activities, along with having a job, and any family and friend problems. At the high school that I attend, we don’t get mental health days. With not being able to take some time off, I got super irritable and very stressed out with everything that was going on in my life. I managed to write a list of priorities. With making this list, it made me focus on what was most important and what could wait another day. However, when I feel that I need a mental health day, sometimes it helps me most when I sit back and focus on myself. I personally feel that our schools should give students mental health days. Doing so might help students focus better in class, and have more motivation to do better in classes. Although with this, there could be many problems, such as, what counts for a metal day? Do you call the school, saying that you need a day to yourself? How many days do students get for mental days?
I think students should be allowed to take mental health days off of school. There are some points in people's life where they are going through a rough patch. With high school students, they can get really stressed when it comes to school work, or if you're an athlete, and even have a job. I am an athlete and it gets really stressful going from practices or games then having a lot of homework that needs to be done by the next day. My school is very strict on absences so I never really got to actually have my days off without my absences being excused.
ot so long time ago, I felt that needed to take a day off of school to take care of my mental health. I don't completely remember what I was feeling at that time, I just know that I was worried all the time. My school tried to be comprehensive, but I did not feel that they know how to deal with me at the moment. I had the support of my family and some close friends at that time, and that's what didn't make me freak out. Offering students mental health days, could help the people understand how big mind sickness became in the 21th century, and starting to understand the problem is already a way to help.
One day I had a chem test that I stayed up all night and I was very stressed about it. I could have used a mental health day because I was so stressed, I had a migraine. I was not able to take off school and I bombed the test. We should be able to take a day if we need it as being a teenager is hard. It may be coddling some children but for others it could be a saving grace. My school doesn't really address mental health. Their favorite thing to address is dress code and no backpacks in class. Several people in the school suffer so we are all aware.
I have never felt mental health day off from school. But I have felt I want school day off to study by myself. Because sometime school study doesn't suit me. If I felt I need mental health day off from school, my Japanese school maybe don't allow me it. Because if we want to be absent from school, we need a doctor's medical certificate. So when I feel I need a day off from school to understand study of school well, I have to study at night then I go to school.
At my school we get 2 two sick days for one semester, that's four per school year, if you miss more than that then you get one of your exemptions for exams taken away, which to me exam really stress me out so I try not to miss schools ever because I have put my school work over my mental health which causes me to become stress a lot more. I have felt needs to take mental health days but I don’t because it would be unexcused and that would count against me for exemptions, so I don’t take them I just stick it out till the weekend. I had been really stressed over a lot of things like loads of homework and sports. The parents who are against this think about it as not the glass half empty but half full, what if the child is really not in good mind set, what if they have panic attacks because of stress. Some of those kids still go to schools and act fine but really all they probably is too is stay in bed at home. The benefits for mental health are there the law makers are trying to help kids, parents who can’t see that need to start, just because we are kids it doesn’t mean we don’t get stressed.
I think that mental health days for students should be given to kids every once in a while. School can be stressful and put a lot of pressure on kids and every once in a while they need a break. Mental health days with offer relaxation and time to distress and help children catch up on work if it's really needed. School can sometimes be unhealthy and make children feel trapped, being in the same environment 8 hours for 5 days a week can create an unstable and unhealthy schedule. A mental health day will give students time off to unwind and become surrounded by new environments. Mental health days should definitely be considered for school stystems
I believe the students should get mental health days. We’re all just teens that want to have a little bit of fun and sometimes school takes all of our happiness away. It can be very stressful for kids that are looking for more of a laid back approach and sometimes it can feel like they’re forcing you to do something you don't want to do. On top of all that work you have to get a good grade on it which is even more stressful. I think that these days should be limited but I believe we should have the option for a fully excused stress free day at least once a month. They shouldn’t be overused but they should be there as an occasional option. My school doesn’t do anything about our mental health but I do wish they would take some action and step in because we know they all get stressed as well as we do. I think it could be a great opportunity for both students, parents, and faculty members to help ease the stress.
I am not sure whether my school allows students to take a day off of school because of their mental health, and if my school does not allow that, I believe that my school should allow students who are mentally unwell take a day off. School puts a lot of stress on all students (not just students that are mentally unwell). I am not mentally unwell, but I have a friend who is and she does not get enough sleep because of her mental health, so I have noticed the toll not enough sleep and stress from school takes on people who are mentally unwell. So I do believe that students should be able to take a day off of school because if their mental health is adding on to the stress of school.
I believe that my school should give days off to students who need a day to focus on themself and who have metal issue like anxiety, depression, and others .It's hard to be go to school tried, and feeling bad about yourself. They should also give it to staff because sometimes they can feel bad. Sometimes school can be very unhealthy with all homework they get, never having time to be with friend because of school work. It can make a student feel trapped. Also people don't know whats going on at home or if they are working or if they are in a bad environment. All the pressures could make a student breakdown because of they very busy sheldule that has no time for friends or family. One day off can do a lot to help a student out so that they can have a fresh start and restart.
School has already been really exhausting but I don’t think we need a whole day off. What I think we should do for our schools is instead of a whole day, just have one day like Wednesday where you get out a few hours earlier. I think this is the move because our school doesn’t really give us a “mental health” break but they do offer mental health help or guidance. All of my friends including me are just drained after a hard week of school that’s why I propose to just take one day of the week where we get out before our regular dismissal time.
Mental Health Day
I believe that students should get mental health days because it is just as important as a sick day. If a student is not in a good mindset how do you expect them to learn and grow. Yet on the other hand I know that its very hard to determine what a mental health day it , like how many days should a student be allowed? How do we know if the student really needs the day or is just trying to get out of school. These are the reasons I don't make a big fuss about not having mental health days because I know it's hard to determine all the factors.
Yes many of times due to stress from either homework, studying, and test grades. I feel that way because school puts stress on yourself and you need at least a day or two to take off and just rest your mind. I was not allowed to take time off because my school will give you an absence if you call in sick or tired. I went to school and did my work to my best ability and tried getting the best grades I could get.
Yes, I think students should get a mental health day off if they need it. School students can get very stressed and tired with school and I think that allowing them to take a couple days off out of the school year would benefit them. This could give them time to catch up on work they are behind on or just be able to relax. There is the concern that some kids could abuse this but kids always found out a way to use things. Schools have never done a good job at looking into the mental health of their students so if they don't want to take time to figure out a way it is best that they let the students decide when they need time off.
I don’t think students should get a mental health day off from school because people will just take advantage of it and skip school. How would you even tell if they needed a day off anyway? They could lie and you would never know. You would just be letting your students skip school. But if schools did do this then I would say that they should need a doctor’s note. That way you could tell if they were being truthful or not.
I have felt I needed a break at times because I’m constantly going from school then right to work then after I still have homework to do but to me it's not really a big deal. I think everybody in high school who works hard and has a job should get a mental break. If you just say everybody gets a mental break I feel a lot of kids would take advantage of it. We don't really talk about mental health a whole lot at school. There is no issue with mental health around here I dont think I’ve seen anybody freak out to the point where they just stop.
When I was in fifth grade I was bullied a lot. I asked my mom every day if I had to go back to that school. My mom let me take a few days off to clear my head, but the school was not happy about that. They were upset because I skipped school for “non-medical reasons”. Taking a few days off did help but the bullying continued and the school wouldn’t do anything about it. During the winter of 2014, a kid was laying down in the snow and kids were kicking snow on him. Someone came up behind me and hit me with a chunk of ice. I got in trouble for saying a curse word. The kid who hit me got away with it like most kids who were bullies. The fifth-grade year was very depressing but my mom and brother helped me get through it.
I strongly believe in students getting a days off for their mental health. High school is very taxing (mentally and physically) for many students, to the point when they desperately need a day or two to reset. Last week was very difficult for me, and could be worse for others, so why not have an option to help them calm down and it’s much better than pretending to be sick. I, again, strongly think that more schools across the country should use this program, as it could improve the mental health of others.
Yes, I think we should have a mental health day because you don't honestly know what some kids are going through like you can't keep pushing them and just waiting for them to explode like i say this because for the last 9 months for me its been insanely hard for my stress and everything to not take off through the roof and I completely understand but yes the mental health i feel will have kids in a better mood to come back after the break.
I have felt the need to take a day off for mental health. Last December was a crazy time of life. I had a lot going on such as my grandpa fell and broke his hip and had to go to the hospital and they thought he may have had a blood clot in his leg which could've been deadly. Also my moms work was having layoffs which meant that she could've lost her job. This was a huge build up and it was a scary experience to have those both at once and I remember one day at school just being so unfocused with how much was going on in my life I had honestly thought it was better to stay home. But a lot of people go through much worse than I do for mental health so I think it's a need to get a day off for mental health
Should Students Get Mental Health Days Off From School?
I think students should have some mental days off, it's a lot of stress when students have work, sports, homework and school. It gets to really wear you down and be a lot on your mind. I’ve felt like I should take a lot of mental days off because I play volleyball and its hard when I have practice and work and homework so some days I do skip school to take a mental day and get my work done. Our school does not address mental health, i've never heard anything about it and it's kind of upsetting.
Yes, I have felt like I need a mental day off of school, with us being seniors and having all of the stresses that come with it like applying to colleges and stuff like that. I think that we should get a mental day because I feel like when Derek Evans said “ … honestly life-changing,” he was right on. I think that it would help a lot of people just to have a day to sit back and relax. No, we don’t get to have a mental day off at my school. School can get stressful, and I think that you should get at least a couple of days to take off and give your mind a rest. Yes, I think that we should get a day off because we work so hard every day and we only get a couple of days off.
I think students should get a mental health day off. I know multiple people in my school that are depressed and talk about how bad life is. Most of this only happens in school when I saw them outside of school they were a completely different person. when ever they have to stress of school they always talk about killing themselves and I have told people around us about it and I got a therapist for one of them. Since the therapist he talks less about killing himself and more about how he does not like how school overwhelms him. At some points throughout the year I would be so stressed out that I would sometimes just shutdown and stop doing everything because it overwhelmed me way to much. When the weekend comes by I am happy to take my homework at my own pace and get it done nicely. Now I don't really want days off from school to often, what I would prefer is if school started an hour later so I could actually sleep after doing so much work.
I think that all students deserve the option of a mental health day but only with proper cause. I think a student should have to be diagnosed with a mental illness to be given time off for it. Mental health issues are a very big problem throughout my school and America. I can’t help but think that school is a big contributor to these problems. School is extremely stressful at times, and students deserve time off for the problems that school unitentally helps to create.
I think schools should have mental health days so kids can stop all the ba things, but part of the reason is electronics.
@Emily What about electronics?
@Emily Can you elaborate more on how electronics is part of the reason?
Throughout time school has been known to cause stress and depression. In the more recent times this has become significantly worse. With the high standards of the school system children and teens are forced to work harder in order to compete. This causes high increases of anxiety, stress and depression. That it all can lead to early substance abuse and potentially maybe even suicide. So there should be mental days for students so it decreases the chances of them going over the edge and so they can be learning at their best condition.
Personally, I believe that students should have access to school allowed mental health days, since it encourages them to accept, discuss, and de-stigmatize how they are feeling. Mental health days could also be beneficial because it can normalize caring for ones mental health, and having these days would allow students to feel more comfortable around staff members, because they can then understand that they needed time away from school to help ones own mental health.
With the stress of work, its easy to assume students get overwhelmed every so often. I believe giving a set amount of EXCUSED mental health days would make the students feel heard. I believe students should be able to choose these select days because some days are harder than others. Some students may "abuse" it but if they really went as far to pretend they are sick to miss school, maybe they really need it. My school provides guidance and therapist for these things, but sometimes that's not enough or students just need time away from anything school in school related. Mental health is extremely more common than it used to be and I think its time we start making moves towards helping "fix it."
I'm currently a student in high school. Although I love days off, I also understand the importance of education; and while it may get overwhelming sometimes, that's just life. Isn't it? Life is learning from your mistakes and becoming a better person.The problem with these mental health days is that they could be taken for granted and used for personal gain instead of their intended use of letting students rest. I fear that the students could never learn to be responsible and may not have proper time management skills. In my school career, I've had many instances when I've let my work pile up on me. I learned from those, and now it happens much less. Not to mention the fact that when it does happen, I can cope with it better. When you get your homework piled up and you're stressed, you can just take a mental health day off and get it all done instead of getting those late assignments and consequences for your mistakes. It helps you grow as a person when you have to adapt to lifestyle changes and stress.
I believe is very essential for students to have mental health days. I say this because we are all given the responsibility of going to school for 7 sometimes 9 hours everyday and that is not even including 1 or 2 hours for homework. Then some how we have to find time for extra curricular activities which takes about another hour or 2. Keep in mind we are supposed to maintain friendships, family, and just other things going on in our personal life. Its a lot. I feel that being able to have the option for a mental health day could really benefit everyone in some way. It could give people the chance to acknowledge their health and just take some time to relax/have a break.
I do agree that mental health days should be available for students; however, I also feel that simply a "mental health break" doesn't work exactly as intended. In my experience as a junior in high school, simply taking a day off does not reduce stress; in fact, it compounds it. Due to up to 4 classes worth of missed assignments, tests, and participation grades, taking a day off from school can add to the school stress. Missing days of school can make a vacation a thing to dread, rather than a thing to look forward to.
The amount of pressure that today's students face in their everyday lives is sometimes unbearable. When talking to my parents about what life was like for them when they were in high school, it sounds like a completely different world. Social media. Advanced classes. Intense pressure on getting into the "right" college. All of these things are on the minds of today's high school students. I don't know what the national suicide rates were for students in previous decades, but today it seems to be a common occurrence. That doesn't include the rest of the students who are "running" through their days while struggling with anxiety or depression. Mental health is an important issue. I hope more school systems consider implementing mental health days in their schedule.
I believe schools should have mental health days for students because it encourages them to acknowledge how they feel and what they should do when things become too overwhelming. Allowing them to have these days also lets them know that staff members will support these students when they come back from their break. It opens up communication because staff members are acknowledging their mental illness and that it is okay not feel well one day, but come back recharged the next day.
1
I think we should be allowed mental health days off, and I'm sure that most kids will agree with me. School puts an unhealthy amount of pressure into kids and it makes them stressed, anxious, and sometimes depressed and sometimes they just need a day to not have to worry about it
1
I am not currently a student. In fact I'm 64 years old. But when I was a high school student (1969-1973) I would sometimes approach my mother and ask her if it was okay if I took what we called a mental health day. I was always careful to assure her that this was not a ruse to miss an important test or assignment, and I think she trusted my maturity and as far as I recall would always say yes. I might have done this once or twice during a school year. I have to say that I think it was very helpful, I was an introverted student although a pretty good one, and I think getting this time allowed me to hit a psychological reset button and go back to school the next day feeling more confident and happier. Thanks for your wisdom mom.
I entirely agree with the article here. I wish that more schools saw the effects that mental health can have on a student way earlier. School can be very stressful for some people, including my self. And that often leads to bad outcomes and results. People have been going on mass shootings and rampages, because of their untreated mental health status. They were crazy and not right in the head and given no chance to be heard. Just more and more stress piling up and eventually it leads to suicide, lack of social life, violence and all other sorts of problems. The only question I have about this article, is why other states. Including my own, are not following suite.
Should students get mental health days off from school? I think that yes, students should get mental health days off from school. School can sometimes get very overwhelming and many students already suffer from mental illnesses so the stress of school can make it worse. My school does not count mental health days as an excused absence, but I think they should. Everyone would be able to benefit from haven't a mental health day. I personally have had to take a mental health day and it helped me a lot.
I think we should have mental days off because school gets overwhelming and with those mental days off we can have a chance to get back focus and ready for school
Is there a stigma around mental illness in your school, family or community?
You pose a false question. The question in reality is: Does your school, family or community formally or informally teach there is? Have they been taught there is?
I think that the student should get mental health days off because if you weren't in the right mind set you might not be thinking right and hurt someone.
I entirely agree with this cause with the stress of several classes and sports there is definitely going to take a toll on kids at this fact with this that give them more
As a student I believe mental health sick days are a great idea because the workload that school brings can have an affect on a student's attitude and demeanor. The risk of a student being able to fake a sick day is greatly outweighed by the positives of these sick days allowing students to talk with their parents or guardians about their mental health. I also think a better awareness of mental health at schools would help students that are struggling and allow them to more easily express to counselors or their peers how they are balancing their mental health and their work.
I completely agree with having mental health days. I am a freshman in high school and I am already feeling the pressure of having to balance everything out in my life. I do not have this at my school but would maybe want this as a possible change in the future. I have a friend that has actual anxiety, I know some people have horrible have panic attacks and get extremely stressed out as well, and with so much pressure on students nowadays these situations already is not a very good combination. In fact, our school does not really seem to put much effort into the mental well being of their students and my peers. The only kind of mental health attention we get is with our counselor, and some people might be too shy to reach out to them. However I could see how school administration would be concerned that some people would use these mental health days to skip school, that is why I think it would be great to give kids a limited amount of days for their semester that could be a mental health day to prevent those things from happening. I think my school could definitely improve from having mental health days for their students.
I believe that many students should have the option to take a mental health day when they need it. Although some people may use it to their advantage, the people who really need the day should be able to use the day. Skipping can be their way of taking a mental health day. They can skip a day and just have time to themselves, or have extra time to do a assignment that is due along with all the other assignments due the next day.
1
I believe that having mental health days for school would be a great way to combat the suicide rates in teens. I've needed mental health days before due to factors such as bullying, teachers, schoolwork, and just hating school in general before I transferred to Locust Grove Middle School. Mental health days would be a great way to combat this as it could even give students a stress-free place to catch up on work and take care of themselves mentally. Yes, students would take advantage of this and take mental health days for no reason whatsoever, but if there are a limited amount of mental health days then said students would have to make up missed schoolwork regardless. The benefits greatly outweigh the risks. Mental health in students should be addressed a lot more as people not only have all the concerns, difficulties, and worries of people before the technological era but are also more aware of issues in our world than ever and are suffering from various other factors which cause mental dilemmas.
I do agree with this article, sometimes people need breaks and as it states in the article in this society today it "could be the matter between life or death". So I do hope that other states do catch on because I would rather the states act on this matter than react before it is too late and another life is lost.
Yes, I think this would work well with the world. If all states did that then many people would be able to get away from what they're going through. But what if people took it for granted and just didn't come to school using "anxiety" as an excuse. Some people who say they're "depressed" or have "anxiety" just say that sometimes in the works of trying to fit in. But for the people who do have this, I think that it would work for them. It would be an easy way to figure out how to stop the negative emotions you have. People could also do yoga, yoqi (Chinese yoga), walk, (if possible) listen to the waves. People could use they're excuse to possibly even cure their self. So I think that it would be very beneficial.
I think students can use mental health days to their benefit. I myself as a student can say that school is stressing and causes anxiety, not to mention the people at school around you. Having mental health days could allow students to get everything back together and going with their life. The thought of students using mental health days as a way to get out of school is a valid point, but that's their choice whether they want to skip school or they actually need a sick day. Not only do students need them but teachers do too. We all work hard and sometimes or activities and priorities take over our lives, everyone could use a break once in a while.
Yes, I think students would benefit from taking a mental health day. The stress and anxiety you can get from school can be overwhelming, and taking a day to think and not worry is very helpful. When school days get hectic and students aren't able to think it can cause anxiety that can affect you physically and mentally. Another thing is some students get bullied and picked on and they need a day to think and realize that the person bringing you down is not worth listening to. A way this could benefit me is, to take a break from homework or class work, and keep my mind clear. Also, not getting overwhelmed with class work, due dates, and test. Focusing on your mental health to me is a key to being successful in anything; Having a clear mind and not worrying can help you focus on what you need to do. Schools should keep this in mind and start thinking about students mental health more.
I do think students should be able to take mental health days when they need them. School can cause a lot of stress and anxiety, and sometimes it can get so bad that all students need is to step away and relax. Personally, if I am already stressed from the amount of work I have and work just keep piling up, I will shut down. I can't pay attention and all I focus on is how much I need to do. A day off would help me with that situation by allowing me to complete my work away from school not have added pressure put on me by other things. Also, if students ask for a day off because of mental health, it will bring attention to what the student is struggling with. Mental health days will allow students to preform better in school because we will get a day to relax and attention will be brought to what students are struggling with.
No, I do not believe that students should be able to take a mental health day, because I think that students would just take advantage of it. I do not think that students should have the opportunity to be able to miss school just because they are upset, have anxiety, or depressed. I feel that if a student is absent from school just because they are depressed that does not hinder their ability to learn or put any other students in harm so they have no real reason to miss school. I think that if you miss a day of school because you have anxiety it will make things worse because then you will have the pressure of doing all of the extra work you missed. the only thing that allowing students to miss school for their mental health will accomplish is teaching them that when things get tough you can just stay home.
I believe that using a mental health day every now and then would be a good idea. Whether it's an adult in a full time job or a student attending school, we can all use a mental health day. I personally do not struggle with depression or severe anxiety, but I think days off could be wise for those who do. School can often provide stress to where the student will become extremely overwhelmed. Having a day to focus and get yourself back on track is sometimes much needed. If a student were to abuse this privilege or skip school just because, then maybe the kid and their parents should examine what the real issue is. In conclusion, I think that mental health days are a great way get back on track.
Students should definitely be allowed to have mental health days off from school, because well all have those times where things start to pile up and we really can't keep up, so having a day to relax and compose yourself can really help. And there are some kids who have to unfortunately go through bullying because of what they dress like, or who they like, etc. It could also be really helpful to kids who have depression, anxiety, or if their also just stressed out to just get away from it all. Some schools don't have mental health days because they think kids are just faking it, and some probably are, but there are kids that would think this break from society is really important. In all I think mental kids being able to take time of from school is a great idea.
Yes I think students should take mental health days off when they need them because, it allows their mind to relax from all the anxiety and possibly the depression they have. Students have many thoughts of what goes around in their school , In the first paragraph, it stated, "Depression and anxiety. The state of the country. Climate change and mass shootings. Today's students are grappling with a issue beyond the classroom". At teenage years, there's many things that go trough their brains mentally and in schools there is many things going on that these students face everyday.
I am stuck on if having mental health days are good or bad. There are many pros and cons. I have never experienced any serious mental health issues like Anxiety, Depression, Panic Attacks, etc. However, there have been a couple of days when I was overly stressed about friends, family, schoolwork, etc. and I did not think I would make it through the school day without having a breakdown. Put yourself in a 4.0 GPA student´s shoes with a serious case of anxiety. Medicine is your best friend. Your grades are phenomenal but you´re struggling to keep them up. You are doing your absolute best to stay on track, but you know that another assignment will put you over the edge. All you need is one day to catch up with yourself. However, you can´t. Your parent´s tell you that the only possibility of you staying home is if you are sick and you are on medicine to keep your head in place. How would you feel? There is a concern that students might take advantage of this option by pretending to be sick, which would become a big issue. Students that don´t care about their grades would quickly take advantage of this. It prepares students to think they can always take a day off in life. To me, this would be an issue. I think that students that have been medically diagnosed should be given a couple of days, but self-diagnosis is not justifiable.
I think that students should get mental days. Sometimes we do better when we are well rested. I know i do. I focus better and my work is done correctly. Somedays, you are just really stressed and you have so much to do. That can cause anxiety, then it is hard to get you work done. Some days, you just have so much to do and you cant do it and manage to go to sleep at a reasonable time. Then, you go to school for basically no reason because you are to tired to even function. Those are the days i feel like i will use my mental days if this ever passed. Although, I feel like many many students will take these days for granted. They stay up late and then in the morning, the decide they don't want to get out of bed so they take a mental day. I feel like if we passed this idea, it would help many people and i feel like people would be in better spirits because they are rested and have their work done also, but, i feel like in the end, everyone would want to take a mental day when they just weren't feeling getting out of bed in the morning. For me, I don't really struggle for mental things, but for the people that do, i feel like this would be a great way for them to take a breather and get back up on their feet.
I have mixed emotions with this passage, I do not think this is the best solution. This is not a good opportunity, especially missing five days every three months. I believe students will use this as a way to get out of school. However, some students struggle with severe anxiety and depression, so there needs to be a way to help them that doesn't allow some get to get a "free day". Instead of giving students five days every three months, schools could allow one day every other month or something along those lines. Most people suffer from anxiety, it's something everyone deals with. I feel like students would use their stress for a reason to skip school, and the students actually struggling wouldn't speak up.
No i do not believe that kids should get mental health days off because that is not what the real life is like so i think school should be as close to the real world as possible.If your mental health is bad enough to where you want to commit suicide then you should see a actual doctor and not a day off.This is also teaching kids that when life gets hard you can just take a break where i think that isn't good and will reflect on there future life.
Yes, I think students in my school should be allowed to take mental health days when they need them. A lot of people get overwhelmed by how much work they have and how their grades are doing. We have a lot of work to do and on top of that, extra studying. Most of us have to live up to our parents expectations and get compared to many other people in our lives that have succeeded. We are almost always being told to be better than everyone else or be the top of the class. The pressure gets really hard to handle. I think we should be allowed mental health days because of this.
I think that mental health days for students is a good idea. School can be very overwhelming at times, and it is good to have a day where you can just think about how your doing, what you need, and to be able to rest and get a clear head.
I think that we should have mental days off is because, every student deserves or needs a break to refresh and regather themselves from events and trama that happened. Another reason we should have breaks is because it´s not healthy for someone to keep doing something over and over without taking a break to gather yourself.
I believe high school students should have the option to take a mental health day because school can be stressful sometimes and it can be overwhelming. It could benefit their school life drastically. I have suffered from severe anxiety multiple times when it comes to schoolwork. Spreading out the time when I do certain work in school has helped me pace myself and not have so much anxiety. I believe the benefits of taking a mental health day outweigh the risks because many parents want their children to succeed, and the best way to do that is to do good in school, and sometimes, anxiety and stress can get in the way of that, So students should be able to take a mental health day if they need it. My school does not currently allow mental health days. I have learned from this passage that a mental health day from school could be a great help when it comes to school because it can relieve a lot of stress. Overall, I believe taking a mental health day from school can be a great thing because it can relieve a lot of stress and can help students focus more in class and get better grades.
I think mental health days would benefit a lot of people. I know that I struggle with terrible anxiety and I know many people other people who do too. Sometimes, people just need to take a break to refocus. Bullying is still an issue and that can make kids scared and they could lose focus on their work. There will be people who say this is a bad idea, but if you really think about it this is actually an amazing idea. If I had a day to just unwind and focus on my mental health for a day, I know I could do better in school. Even us kids struggle with stress and anxiety. School can be hard and it can take a toll on our mental health. Sometimes, people are busy on the weekends, so they can't have a mental health day. I believe a few mental health days a year could help.
Yes, I do believe that students should be given mental health days not only because of the suicide rates increasing but just because of the simple fact that school just isn't the same anymore and can get stressful. Keeping up with my school life, and my personal life has been so stressful to the point where now I struggle with really bad anxiety and have struggled with depression in the past. Although I try my best not to let it affect my grades sometimes it genuinely does become a challenge to focus and learn what I need to move on to the next standard. Another reason this is a good idea is that I know I'm not the only person in my entire school to feel this way I'm sure some have it way worse. Although my school does address mental health to a certain extent I feel as if we could do so much better into bringing a conversation into the mix. Overall I believe that the idea of taking mental health days could positively impact our society.
Personally, I'm on the edge with the idea of "mental health days." Some people have serious mental problems, whether it be anxiety or depression, and could use these days to get a break from school and get their mind back on track. For example, some people at a school may be the reason you have depression or anxiety, and it would really help if you took a day away from them. On the other hand, some may use this new system as an advantage to get out of school and not do any work. I think I'm starting to lean more towards the idea of it, because I know from experience what anxiety and depression can do to somebody. On those days where people feel depressed or they're having anxiety problems, and need to use one of those mental health days to calm down, they could go talk to a counselor and try to resolve the problem so they don't have to worry about it again. The easiest way to fix the problem of students using "mental health problems" to skip a day of school, would be to have a doctor's note brought in to excuse the absence.
I think mental health days are very important and students could benefit from them. It could give students a time to detox and breathe, but I think the most important thing about mental health days would be that it would give the students a chance to get help instead of suffering silently. A lot of students would probably try to pretend to be sick, but I think the idea of giving students time for their mental health outweighs that. If that were a problem, the school could make some kind of rule to prevent it. Students have a much more chaotic and stressful life than people realize, so I think mental health days would be a great way to bring a light to that.
I think that this is an amazing idea. Students who have mental health issues need a break from every day life sometimes. I myself struggle with anxiety and depression and have to go to therapy. I avoid medication because of my family history so dealing with every day tasks is hard. My family understands that sometimes there is no avoiding missing days of school when I wake up in tears. They let me stay home on days that I can't leave my bed because I am too sad or too scared. Other students should be able to have those days and not have to lie about it to the school. Just like going to the doctor, therapy is a necessity for many students and getting a day off school allows students to go to therapy and reflect and work on what they need to without being judged by peers or being pressured with assignments. The law should have been put in place a long time ago and will benefit many students.
I believe it would be very beneficial of students were allowed mental heath days. Although I see many other comments that suggest that many students would misuse the days, but if it was required to have a note from a counselor or therapist, the misuse of those days could be easily prevented. Students who also have mental health issues would not misuse the days, as they actually may be in dire need of them. There have been multiple occasions where I have been up extremely late doing homework, and I am usually very upset when that happens, especially if I am unable to finish the work. Having those mental health days could prevent copious amounts of stress, as it would also give the student more time to work on the assignment, most likely lowering stress.
In my personal opinion, I believe that the overall idea of mental health days for students could be very beneficial. I myself struggle with anxiety and sleep deprivation when it comes to balancing my education, school athletics, and church. Even so, my weekends are also always busy and filled with numerous plans, so it's like I'm constantly going and I never get a break. Today, students across the country are also struggling with mental blockades throughout every day. I believe that keeping a student's mental health in good condition is very important in order for them to work to the best of their abilities in the classroom. In the passage a former student quotes "Dealing with anxiety throughout high school has always left me tired, exhausted up against some weeks, and the difference one day makes is life-changing." With personal experience, I can support this statement. When I stumble upon a free day of mine and I get the opportunity to slow down and catch up on my priorities, it's a very big stress reliever that eventually helps me work better throughout my upcoming school days. Overall, I support and uphold the idea of mental health days off at school.
I think mental health days could highly benefit teens nowadays. There are so many kids that suffer from anxiety and depression that these days could help them a lot. They could be able to talk to counselors and their parents about their situation and how to help. But during these days there would have to be something that the kids are doing about it or else it would be used for kids just wanting to skip school.
I agree with the fact that some students should be able to have days off for mental health reasons. As a student myself I fully agree with the concept to have a free day for mental heath. Sometime students have a lot of homework or need to just "take a break." I've been there, once I had a homework that was due the next day for multiple classes and there was no way I was going to be able to get it done. In that case I wouldn't mind having that extra day off to finish that. But on the other hand some students would take advantage of this ability and pretend to be ill or sick. Some students could take the day off for no reason at all. Some students could take the day off just to get out of school or do something else not related to school. But like I said, the thought of an extra day wouldn't be too bad, only if it truly was used for school.
Psychology today says that a teen's anxiety now is as high as a mental patient's in the early 50's. This article states that suicide rates have also risen. I struggle with anxiety and depression, and having mental health days seem like a great idea. There have been several occasions where I have no energy after being in school for so long, and it affects how I learn and get assignments done. Many others struggle with the same issues, so having a mental health day would benefit all. Some people may try to take these days and use them wrongly, but most students and even teachers need them to be their best at school. After all, school can easily be compared to a job with all of the assignments due, being punctual, and doing extracurricular activities. Trying to make time for all of this stresses out many as if they were already adults.
I am on the fence about this subject. I believe some students would really benefit from having a day off. Sometimes you just need a day to take a break. I think some people may really benefit from having a mental health day, they may need some time to catch up on late work or maybe just a day to relax. But, you also have to think about students using this as an excuse to skip school. I feel that if this rule was put into place, students may take a "mental health day", but in reality they just want to stay home and hang out. So, I feel that some students may really need and appreciate a mental health day, but others may misuse it.
I agree that students need mental health days. There is a lot of things going on in the world and school. I know I feel constantly pressured to do my best. I come from a very successful family and I have a lot to live up to. With all my homework and studying I don't have time for myself. The only time I do is the weekends and even then I'm probably doing something productive. I try my best to be the best and that causes me to breakdown at least twice a month. A day to just relax would be so beneficial for students because that means less anxiety attacks and mental breakdowns.
Yes, I think many students could benefit from mental health days. I struggle with severe anxiety and have panic attacks sometimes and since the weekends are so busy I have never had time to speak to a counselor. Mental health is a big issue for teens, and I have some firsthand experience with it myself. You may recall watching the news and seeing things about a gun scare at a homecoming dance in 2018. That was my school. I still have severe anxiety when I think about that night and I am still fearful to participate in school events because of it. My English class and I have decided that we are going to try to get these laws passed in Illinois, as many people at my school, including some of my close friends, have pretended to be sick when they needed a break. While many people are saying that students will misuse the days, we are going to propose that in order to take one of these days, you must have a note from a counselor or therapist so that kids cannot pretend to be ill. I know that I could benefit from these days, and I know many others who could too. If anyone reading this has any suggestions for me or my class, they would be greatly appreciated! -Maddy
I totally agree with this! Honestly, I’m a junior in high school and the previous 2 years of high school we’re filled with “sick days” because I was unable to finish my homework by the next day. I went to a college prep school, which of course is hard, but even just one of those mental days improved my body so much! I play sports, so AP classes, and am super involved in my school so I’m super busy! Mental health is crucial to our bodies, minds, and overall well being! I mean let’s be real, even teacher so take mental days. Plus our parents and elders had school so much easier! Even my younger siblings are growing up in a different era so it isn’t unfair to expect us teenagers to succeed. Plus addressing this issue gives parents a way to talk to they’re kid about their mental health without sounding fully concerned. Personally, sophomore year of high school my mental health was so low to the point where I almost committed suicide. If I wasn’t able to take those mental days without feeling shameful, judged, or unimportant I think we’d Ben having a different conversation. Whoever isn’t addressing this issue, go you! I can tell you right now that every kid in high school is rooting for you full heartedly! Don’t give up until you succeed! Thank you for using your power to save lives, you have no idea how’s much this effects today’s population! <3
Yes, I have felt the need to take a day off before. It's typically when I'm overly stressed and drained. Like the article states, taking just one day off truly does help. Taking a breather really helps me. It gives me time to think and sort things out without the pressure of when my next assignment is due, or how much time do I have before the bell rings? I fully support mental health days. However, not every single student would use it fairly. Sometimes, we already take mental health days, we just don't publicly announce it. The mental illness' I see most commonly around me are depression and anxiety. Sometimes it's severe, other times it's minor. It all depends on the underlying factors. In conclusion, I believe that schools should invest in mental health days. It could greatly benefit our society as a whole.
I think that the risks of having mental heath days outweighs the benefits. I believe that students would take advantage of the mental health day instead of using it to get better. I think that most students would see this day as an opportunity to skip school and stay home.
Personally, there have been many times I needed a mental health day off from school. I feel having this option could help kids with their mental health and give them a good break from school. But kids could fake problems to stay out of school. According to the article "Should Students Get Mental Health Days Off From School? Students are grappling with a variety of issues beyond the classroom." Being a student myself, I know this will have a couple flaws to it, but I believe having metal health days are worth a try.
I feel like everyone needs to have a break sometimes, whether you're an adult working a nine to five job or a child at school learning, we all need breaks. Many people believe that students shouldn't have mental health days at school because we have nothing to stress about, But just because we don't have to juggle bills and bosses doesn't mean we don't juggle at all. Students are motivated to always have social interaction, and that can be positive just as it is negative. I think that students need to have a few days a year to just calm down from all the stress, In moderation. Sometimes it helps to talk to someone, so maybe after they miss a day they can talk to someone at the school. If they really are struggling mentally then the student will not take advantage.
I have felt the need for a mental health day, but not to the point where I have to take days off from school. I think that weekends and breaks are our mental health days. We shouldn't be able to take days off during the week because we're tired or just need a day off. If someone does have a mental illness, then they should sea doctor to get help, but shouldn't be allowed to have days off because of it. I feel that we get enough days off during the school year. Also, some students might take those days for granted and just do it to get out of school. I don't think this is a good idea and students should just use the weekends and breaks as mental health days.
I have felt like I needed a mental health day. I struggle with anxiety, stress, and sometimes depression so I feel thats its best to get a day to yourself to think and rest. It's almost the same as if your doctor has told you to stay at home and rest from being sick or whatever it may be. You should be able to go home and rest your mind. I have not ever been able to stay home and just take a day for myself but I know it would help more then having to go to school and deal with all of my stress or anxiety there. I really believe that we should have this option. I know for most people it would help so much then having to come to school and face it in front of all the people or things that are probably causing the stress. And yes I also think that some kids might be able to take advantage of it however it would do more harm to the kids that really need it. I feel that my school doesn't address mental health enough, which can make the students feel like they are not supported, which could also end up harming the students more.
I believe that students should be aloud to have mental health days. Many people who face mental health issues would probably need the days off. Sometimes people just need a day to recuperate their mind. Students can be overwhelmed with work and after school activities. Students could also use the off days to work from home because for some people that is how they work best or work with less stress. So every once in a while a missed day from school is not a bad thing.
I feel that the kids at my school and any other school in the country should have all rights to take a mental health day. People get bullied on a day to day basis and if they can't handle that or tell an adult they should be able to take a day off. Then, if they take a day off and turn in a note an adult will ask if everything is okay. It is not fair for kids to suffer each and every day they might just need a day off. However, it could make it worse because first, they could keep thinking about everything and not talk it out with anyone, and also they could get behind on schoolwork.
I don't think that students should have a mental health day. Yes, in many ways it would be necessary; however, students would abuse it. It's an unfortunate reality, but students would see this option as an opportunity to skip. Sometimes the work at school can be overwhelming, but if you took a day off when no one else did, then you would fall even further behind.
I believe that students should get mental health days off but also allow schools to compensate for that by giving help and working around these days. But, these days would really help pull ourselves together on those days and fix our "mind"
I believe that students deserve mental health days. Being a student causes much stress, much more stress than teachers and parents think about us having. I feel like a mental health day would give us the opportunity to have a day to ourselves and really focus on staying positive and getting any work done if we feel up to it. If parents think we are taking advantage of this day off and pretending to be sick, they should really consider what is going on outside the house. Many children are getting bullied for their looks or even choice in how they live their life. Which isn't right but it happens.
I think mental health days are much needed for students. I myself have without a doubt needed a mental health day to get myself together and focused again. I think students at my school should have the option of taking mental health days when they feel they need one. There is a stigma around mental health. some people don't recognize that children are susceptible to a mental disease. Times have changed since our parents went to school, and there are more harmful and stressful situations in today's schools. I believe that kids would do better in school and become a happier person if they took time to work on their mental health and better themselves.
Everyone has had those days where you really just don't feel good, not physically but mentally. I believe that all schools should have mental health days for the kids, I also believe that all schools should address mental health more. I say this because it is becoming a big problem with this generation. Not many people pay attention to how much this generation is affected my mental illnesses. An example is of this is how much the suicide rate has gone up in the past few years. The only problem I have with this is that not everyone would take it seriously, there are many kids out there that would rather stay at home then be at school, so they would just say they needed a mental health day just to miss school. Many people need to realize that mental illnesses are very real, and they don't need to be taken as a joke.
I genuinely believe that mental health is an extremely important issue that is not nearly talked about enough in schools. I have, along with many of my friends and peers, lied about being physically sick so I could stay home and give myself a break. I believe mental health days are extremely important for not just students, but teachers and staff as well. Keeping me home from school if i was sick and in pain, it's not coddling me.
I think that students having mental health days is a good idea. I think this because sometimes students get overwhelmed with lots of work and other things going on that they kind of shut down and it impairs there ability to focus a little bit. That is why I think we should have them because I feel like having mental health days for students might improve test scores and work scores just because they have had time to wind down and get back on track. This is why I believe that having mental health days would benefit our school and social environment
I believe that students across the country should be allowed to take a mental health day from school. I think this because a lot of students across the country have mental health issues that don't come to the light that often. Some of these students have these mental health issues just because of school. They could have anxiety, depression, and such. Also, with how schools are associated nowadays they don't take mental health that seriously as most people out of the school system do, so that needs to change and give these students a break from all the stresses of school. My final reason for letting students have some mental days is because 7.4% of students attempt suicide because of all the stress of school and things that happen in school like bullying.
I do not think students should get days off for their mental health. I think having a mental illness is a valid reason not to come to school, but I don't think students should be given days where they don't have to come to school. Children could easily fake having a mental illness and therefore don't have to come to school that specific day. However, if a child is diagnosed with a illness, they should be allowed to take a few days off if school is threatening to their health.
I think mental health days would be a great idea. Nowadays, it like you cant go through school without being anxious or depressed. I myself have taken "mental health days" because of having just this fear of going to school, even though its not a part of my schools policy. Kids are very mean these days. Bullying affects millions of people. recent events in in the U.S. have affected millions of people. Just certain classes stress people out. With everything going on in the world, plus personal issues, and what goes on at home, how are kids supposed to show up and give there undivided attention? Much less, how are they supposed to perform properly in class? Some parents just don't understand. Their children really do suffer from these things, and I think that they would be more content with there child "pretending to be sick" than hurting themselves or committing suicide. I think all states should adopt the policy to allow students to take mental health days. Maybe you could save a life.
I believe students should get mental health days because sometimes you just need a break. For example you get home at 9 one night then don't get in bed until 10 you won't be able to fully concentrate on school and will be falling asleep in class. Although I don't think it should be just for your mental health because it would be very difficult to use that day properly. I think it should be a day where you can relax and not have to worry about what you need to get done in school. My opinion is that students should have a certain amount of days to stay home and not worry about getting behind in school and be able to sleep in and not be stressed out all the time.
I think giving kids mental health days is a good idea because for the kids that actually have anxiety or that are very stressed with school, this can calm the students down and give their brain a day to rest and could improve the students ability to learn. With having mental health days, this could lower the anxiety and suicide rates of teenagers. Seeing as suicide is the second leading cause of death of people from ages 10-34, this would be a great bill to pass for all states.
I think with a mental sick day, a student should write a statement. This way the system could not be abused and students taking these days should be checked up on frequently. The communication aspect of this would be very important.
I think that if students should not get mental health days out of school. Mainly for the fact that is you take days out of your school year you will get behind very quickly, and most student will abuse this privilege. That and if you get behind because you took a day of you get behind in your classwork, and then when you come back the next day it will put even more stress then what you started of with. Then what would be the point.
I believe that kids with mental health problems, severe or not, deserve to be able to take days off because of them. It is such a massive problem in our country now, and around the world. Even if some kids do take advantage of this time off, the ones that really need it will benefit a lot. Some kids skipping school vs. someone killing themselves? The choice is clear here, and I don't think enough people are willing to talk about it.
I have an understanding that this would be a great idea to put into schools nationwide. I think that every student no matter how smart you are has had or deeply needed a mental health day. Schools, teachers, and even peers won't ever fully understand what you're going through, so when they need a day off they shouldn't have to explain and beg to your parents to stay home. Plus I would rather someone pretend and skip school than someone who needs it and commits suicide.
In my opinion students should get mental health days off. I feel like in order for us to actually learn and pay attention in school we have to be in our right state of mind, meaning if we take off the days we need to pull our selves back together and do what we need to do to stay in our right state of mind. I also feel as though we should have out mental health days off because then maybe we wouldn't stress as much because we would have days just to get ourselves together so we won't stress and get our minds right.
I believe students should have to ability to take mental health days. Not only older kids but younger kids as well. This might just save their lives. As we read "Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for 10-34 year old's" Which is crazy to think that 10 year old's are struggling but are afraid to show it so they take their own life. The mental health community in our country is huge and deserves more attention in our world. Everyday people are taking their precious life and taking it away just to make the pain stop. We need to come together as a society and realize that stepping up needs to happen and mental health is real.
I think that this is a great idea for schools to have mental health days. Some days are better than others but I often feel that I need time to re cooperate myself and my mind. Having mental health days could really help me sometimes I just need a break from seeing some people at my school or just a day to get stuff done and get my mind in check. This is something that people in charge of the schools in my area should look at. I think that everyone could benefit from this.