Mental health days are starting to be implemented in some schools in the West Coast due to the increased suicide rates for high school students. This website includes information on the mental health crisis and legislation that has passed in several states.
Students are under stress, because they wake up early in the morning, go to school, and deal with crowded halls, hard classes, homework, bullying, and complications of puberty. Because of puberty, teen stress levels and hormones can cause them to act out, and they end up pushing themselves into a hole and causing them to be too nervous to speak up about the problems they have. Due to this, it makes teens super tense after school, and all they want to do is go to bed and sleep, or just relax.
Several BHS students have expressed interest in implementing built in mental health days. Junior Kendall Cox states, “I personally would love to see this in our school i just hope it doesn’t affect our school schedule with special test like finals.”
Class of 2026, BHS junior, Aiden Dornbos exclaimed, “I think this is a solid idea and I would like to see this in our school.”
Junior Kenny Myers did not agree with the implementation of mental health days and said, “I don’t see the reason for this in our school cause people would abuse it, but if we ever did get it I don’t think I’d really use the mental health passes for mental health.”
To improve the students’ well-being, some schools are making mental health days, so students can back away from school and get the heat from under them. Most schools give them five days off every month. Some people think that’s a lot, but I personally think that’s a good amount of days. The positives of taking a mental health day are super helpful for your mental and physical health. It can improve your physical health, improve productivity, prevent burnout, reduce stress levels, and reduce overstimulation. Some of you might be asking yourself, “What about the stuff I missed?” That’s nothing to worry about, because the school gives you an extra two days to finish what you were out for. You might also be wondering what “burnout” is. Burnout is something that happens to you once you push yourself too far, and it can cause your mental health and motivation to sink like a rowboat with a hole in it.
The fact that just a few days for mental health can prevent more suicide and increase good habits for teens is honestly an amazing idea that I was not originally aware of until I learned about the high school in Oregon that first implemented this legislation. With the up-and-coming mental health days in the near future, I can say high school students will be very grateful.
On the other hand, some people don’t agree with this cause they think it’s an excuse to run away from their problems and it won’t do anything besides for making you delay putting effort into something. Some people also think burnout not is a real phenomenon; they think it’s just being unmotivated and I can see where they are coming from. However, at the end of the day this is to help stop adolescents from taking advantage abuse the privilege.
