July 31, 2019, Staten Island Live: Should schools allow students to take mental health days? https://www.silive.com/news/2019/07/should-schools-allow-students-to-take-mental-health-days.html STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- In an effort to make mental health a priority, some schools are beginning to allow students to take mental health days, according to a report from CNBC. A recently passed law in Oregon will allow students to take days off from school for their mental health, similar to traditional sick days. Under the state law, students can have up to five excused absences during a three-month period that can be either a sick day or a mental health day, according to CNBC. Anything beyond those five days will require a written excuse from a doctor or professional. … The bill was signed by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown in June, as the state looks to combat high suicide rates among teenagers, CNBC reported. It’s one of the first state laws to explicitly instruct all schools to treat mental and physical health the same, as Utah passed a similar law last year. Last year, a new state law went into effect that requires New York to teach mental health to students in elementary, intermediate and high schools. … According to the National Institute of Mental Health, research shows that half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14. Changes in the body leading to mental illness can start early, before any symptoms appear.
