Illinois Is Giving Kids 5 Mental Health Days a Year

Mental health is more important than good grades.

We want school to be an amazing and magical place where students can learn, feel safe and go away with experiences they will think about for the rest of their lives. Of course, there are challenges, and kids have always had to find ways to overcome them. Things are more complicated now, with many schools considering student mental health days.

Most of us can remember difficult moments in our own childhood. These school years are filled with moments of exhilaration, confusion, joy and pain. Today’s students aren’t just focused on passing tests, making the team, or impressing a crush. They worry about big things like school shootings and the pandemic. Are we doing everything we can to support them?

When schools reopen, experts predict children will need help

“Historically, our busiest times of the year are a few weeks into the school year, maybe late September, early October,” says Dr. Richard Martini, child and adolescent psychiatrist at the University of Utah. “These are times when you really start identifying kids who are struggling — schools start identifying them.”

If this is common, why are mental health professionals preparing for an influx of students in need of help? The pandemic has made things worse. Last year there was a 24 percent increase in children requiring an emergency mental health visit. “About this time last year, hospitals started raising red flags, like, ‘We’re getting overrun in the US [emergency department],’” says Amy Knight, President of the Children’s Hospital Association. “And it hasn’t really let up.”

Many children look forward to going back to school, but they also show signs of anxiety. like dr Ujjwal Ramtekkar of Nationwide Children’s Hospital explains the causes of anxiety vary by age group. Here’s what mental health professionals see:

Younger children worry about being separated from their families/caregivers, getting sick, or their parents getting sick.
Teens are concerned about adjusting to full-time in-person learning and reconnecting with their peers.
As the numbers improved, the children had hope. They thought things might be normal. As cases rose again, the uncertainty caused anger, frustration and stress.
Students with certain risk factors are currently the most vulnerable to anxiety.
Children in communities of color have experienced a disproportionate amount of trauma due to the health and economic impact of the pandemic.

A silver lining on the horizon? Schools and teachers are proactive in seeking advice and professional development from mental health professionals. At the same time, children’s hospitals have added resources to meet the need.

Schools in Illinois give students mental health days

Beginning in January, schools in Illinois are giving children five mental health excuses per school year to help them cope with the pandemic. Over the summer, Gov. JB Pritzer signed new law into law that allows students to take a day off without having to show a doctor’s note. They also have the opportunity to catch up on work they missed on their day off.

According to the draft law, students will not be left alone when they have problems. After applying for a second mental health day, a school counselor will reach out to her family. The student may also be referred to a psychologist. If children require more than two days of mental health care, a discussion with an adult or mental health provider is required.

State Rep. Barbara Hernandez co-sponsored the bill and is excited to be able to help students who need assistance. “Having this now for all students across the state is going to be really beneficial, especially with what’s going on with COVID,” she said. “Many students feel stressed and have developed anxiety and depression because they can’t see teachers and friends and may have lower grades because of distance learning.”

Illinois isn’t the first or only state to offer student mental health days. In the past two years, Ariz., Colo., Conn., Illinois, Maine, Nev., Ore. and Virginia passed similar bills.

Do teachers think schools should offer mental health days for students?

We polled our own community of teachers to find out what they think. While some mentioned that teachers also need mental health days, most were very excited that this was available for children. Here are some of the comments:

“Yes absolutely! Why is that even a question?” – Michaela K.

“Mental health IS health, so YES!” – Lindsay W.

“That’s great! Mental health is more important than good grades. If we focus on mental health, the grades will follow ” – Molly A.

“As long as educators are not left with the burden of teaching what students are missing while they are away ” – Terri Y.

“Students today are under so much pressure to be ______. They need 5 days just to be kids. I’m in.” — Cynthia R.

“Absolutely. We get personal days, students should too. They get overwhelmed too.” – Rebekka S.

“Yes, especially in the hybrid & virtual learning world. And I can see why it’s beneficial in Chicago, where there are various other environmental factors to consider, why that might help as well.” – Kristen S.

“Honestly, I wish they had something like this when I was at school. Even with jobs because my last job fired me because of my mental health.” —Missy C.

“Yes!!! Aside from the pandemic itself, many of my students are struggling with economic and social hardships resulting from the pandemic.” – Céline N.

“Growing up with ADHD, I had to dedicate at least one day of the school year to mental health. Luckily, my mom understood what “one of these days” looked like and allowed me to stay home from school. I never abused the system and always felt more productive in my days. I think that’s awesome ” —Sarah K.

Should kids get mental health days? Share your thoughts with our community.

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Should Schools Give Students Mental Health Days?

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