Students across the world were impacted socially, academically, and mentally by the rise of COVID-19 and the isolation that came with it. One of the long-lasting effects of the pandemic can be seen in the mental health of students world-wide. In the article, Mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and youth – a systematic review by Hasina Samji, Judy Wu, Amilya Ladak, Caralyn Vossen, Evelyn Stewart, Naomi Dove, David Long, and Gaelen Snell it is stated, “Most studies observed increases in the number of depressive and anxious symptoms reported by participants, as well as a worsening trend in general mental health, since before the pandemic.” (p.181). As an educator, I can say I have seen this impact first-hand and understand the shift in the mental health needs of students.

This past school year, 2021-2022, the State of Illinois created the opportunity for students to take 5 mental health days off of school in order to better support their social-emotional needs. This change was quickly put into place in public schools and has already changed the culture in many school environments. The Illinois State Law SB1577, section 5, paragraph 2 outlines the new change in mental health days for students, “...with absence for cause by illness being required to include the mental or behavioral health of the child for up to 5 days for which the child need not provide a medical note, in which case the child shall be given the opportunity to make up any school work missed during the mental or behavioral health absence and, after the second mental health day used, may be referred to the appropriate school support personnel.” This backs up the information included in the Fox 32 Chicago news and shows that districts throughout Illinois are doing their best to stick to the parameters set by this new law.

In the Fox 32 Chicago news video the news reporter, Elizabeth Matthews, reports that these mental health days do not excuse students from missing work, so students are still held responsible for their learning. Also, if a student were to utilize two mental health days in a row he or she would then be immediately triggered for a mandatory visit with the school’s social worker. This helps ensure that students who are struggling not only receive time off of school when they are having difficulty coping, but also connect them with a professional who can assist them in working through their social-emotional needs. 

As the new school year has begun, there has been an uptick in students utilizing their mental health days to help regulate themselves. While this is a positive support for many students, there is no concrete data at this time that supports the benefit of having these mental health days. In my research on this topic, there seems to be a lack of quantitative data to confirm that this is the best way to address students’ mental health. As an educator, I hope school professionals who specialize in this area like social workers, psychologists, and therapists are working together to collect data on the impact these mental health days have on students’ overall mental health. We need to be moving in a direction of healing and growth, rather than regressing to a standard that encourages students to avoid things.

References:

Elizabeth Matthews. (2022, January 17). Illinois students take advantage of new law that allows 5 mental health days per year. [Video file]. https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/illinois-students-take-advantage-of-new-law-that-allows-5-mental-health-days-per-year

Legislation and Laws, Senate Bill 1577 1–7 (2021). Springfield, IL; Illinois General Assembly.

Samji, H., Wu, J., Ladak, A., Vossen, C., Stewart, E., Dove, N., ... & Snell, G. (2022). Mental health impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic on children and youth–a systematic review. Child and adolescent mental health, 27(2), 173-189.