Mental Health Days Off From School: A Necessity or a privilege?

If you’re one of the 60 million Americans who experience mental illness every year, school can be stressful and overwhelming. If your child has a mental health condition, it can be even more so. That’s why many schools have taken steps to provide students with resources and support, such as mental health days off from school. But are these necessary? Are they really helping or are they harming kids? Should students get mental health days off from school?

What are mental health days for students

Often, students experience stress and anxiety as they try to balance schoolwork with extracurricular activities, relationships and family life. Stress can take its toll on students both physically and mentally. While many schools have counseling centers and other mental health resources for students, there is only so much those resources can do in terms of helping alleviate a student’s stress. For some high schoolers, taking time off from school may be exactly what they need to recharge their batteries and make it through the rest of the year. Still, others believe that missed class time has negative effects on students' academic performance—and would rather see schools implement preventative measures than let students go home early when they are struggling academically.

Schools can benefit from mental health days off

While students don’t need mental health days off from school to gain valuable experiences, they can serve as helpful reminders that children need time to play and heal. Kids who return to school after a long break have significantly better attendance records than those who don’t, so taking time off school every now and then is actually beneficial for student achievement. Rather than viewing time off as wasted class time, schools could start teaching their teachers and parents how to help their kids engage in self-care, even during school hours. If you think your child needs a mental health day off from school, make sure you educate yourself on your rights and responsibilities before requesting one—and be open with teachers about what help you need at home. 

Reasons why schools may oppose mental health days off

Students who skip school for mental health reasons often cite stress, anxiety, and depression as their primary causes. If schools create days off for students with serious mental illnesses, more kids may start skipping school to take advantage of these days. Teachers report an increase in student absences when they offer extended time-off policies. These special arrangements can be difficult to track and enforce, so if teachers see that students are taking advantage of mental health days without just cause, they might feel frustrated and resentful—which can affect both teacher-student relationships and overall morale within a school community. Is it worth it? Schools have limited resources to devote to each student’s needs; when one student takes time off to rest and recharge, there is one less seat in class for another child.

The best option

Find some form of therapy. It could be anything from online therapy groups to an in-person therapist. Even just writing down your feelings and thoughts can be therapeutic if you feel comfortable doing so. Be sure to talk with your parents about your mental health and make sure they know you’re getting help, even if it’s not directly from them. And don’t forget that friends are also an excellent resource when it comes to seeking advice, support, or guidance—just remember that true friends will never judge you for sharing what you’re going through; they will do their best to help in any way they can.

Letting kids have time off from school may save lives

It’s critical that we create spaces in schools to allow kids to deal with their stress and mental health issues, as well as making sure they have access to mental health professionals outside of school. We must continue to talk about and destigmatize mental illness. This issue is not going away anytime soon and we need our leaders to understand that just because it’s not talked about openly doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist at all.

Is there ever a reason to say no?

Is there ever a reason to deny mental health days off from school? No, there isn’t. The most important part of being at school is student’s happiness and well-being. If students are having trouble keeping up with their classes because of personal issues, it would be wrong for them to not have time to focus on themselves and recover from what’s troubling them. Taking time off from school is better than any medicine that could be prescribed by a doctor.

Concluding remarks

Students need to be mentally and physically fit to do well in school. Often, stress and tension cause problems in school performance. What are your thoughts on mental health days off from school? Do you think they could benefit students by giving them a break and providing an opportunity for them to improve their mental health, thereby improving their physical health as well as school performance?