Maryland bill would give students mental health days off - The Washington Post

College Park, Maryland-A bill by the Maryland legislature will give students a reason to take leave for mental health reasons.

According to the proposed law, students will be allowed to skip school once a quarter without a doctor’s note.

The bill was initiated by Alonzo Washington, the prime minister of Washington, DC, to alleviate the mental health problems exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Washington told the Capital News Agency: "At present, we know that mental health and mental illness are rampant, especially among students."

Washington expressed concern about the overall mental health of students throughout Maryland.

He pointed out that 70% of teenagers admitted to experiencing anxiety and depression, and one in six said they had committed suicide.

Washington said many of these problems can be traced to difficult teaching environments.

Washington said: "We know that high school students put a lot of pressure on the school."

This pressure may have a negative impact on academic performance and mental health.

Washington said, therefore, the HB0461 legislation aims to increase the success rate of classrooms, because a better environment will promote better test scores.

Washington also compared time off with paid sick time teachers.

He believes that allowing students to enjoy the same privileges will fair competition and benefit both parties.

Although teachers have not yet considered the bill, Washington said that given his chairmanship of the House Education Subcommittee, he hopes he will have their support.

This is a far cry from the new concept of Maryland. The Montgomery County School Board (Montgomery County School Board) put forward the idea of ​​allowing students to participate in Mental Health Day activities in September, but has never confirmed the measure.

When Washington legislated, it drew inspiration and language from initiatives passed by other states.

In 2018, Utah became the first state to treat absentees with equal treatment of mental and physical health-legalizing mental health as a legitimate reason for not going to school.

A year later, Oregon passed a law that stipulated that students can forgive students for absenteeism up to five times in three months, the reason being mental health.

HB461 is narrower, but considers mental health as a specific problem.

Some people believe that the bill can take valuable measures to solve the mental health problems of elementary school students.

Dr. Sharon Hoover, professor of child and adolescent psychiatry and co-director of the National Center for Mental Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said she believes this will help eliminate student depression.

Hoover said that while there are many ways to do this, state-supported changes may be a solution.

Hoover said: "It doesn't hurt at all to involve the states."

However, Hoover hopes to take further steps.

That is, she believes that extending mental health literacy to school curricula will further enhance mental health awareness and advocacy.

Hoover said: "We should not wait for students to really need psychological services before providing them."

Washington believes that this is a win-win for both teachers and children.

Washington said: "If students need to spend a day on mental health work every quarter, then I think it's okay."

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