Should PA Students Get Mental Health Days? New Bill Proposes It

PENNSYVLANIA — Pointing to a rise in anxiety orders and depression in school children, Pennsylvania lawmakers have proposed legislation that would allow K-12 students two mental health days per semester.

The change is needed now more than ever, some officials argue, in the wake of the pandemic and all its attendant disruptions.

"Due to the increase of academic stressors in a population with heightened pre-existing stress levels and a potentially reduced ability to rely on typical coping strategies – such as family who themselves may be experiencing heightened distress – the COVID-19 pandemic has placed an unprecedented mental health burden among students," State Sen. Judith L. Schwank (D-Berks County) wrote in a co-sponsorship memorandum. "This urgently requires further examination and immediate intervention."

Students would still be required to provide a parental note under the proposed legislation. The two mental health days would count as an excused absence.

Schwank pointed to statistics from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America indicated that one in eight children are impacted by anxiety, and 80 percent of those with an anxiety disorder do not receive treatment.

"By going without counseling, medication, and other helpful tools for treating anxiety, children are likely to experience long–reaching issues," Schwank added. "Anxiety disorders have been on the rise in K–12 children since at least the 1950s and studies show that numbers are expected to continue rising in the coming years."

She also pointed to similar measures passed in Utah, Oregon, and Colorado. Florida and Washington are considering legislation as well.

The bill has bipartisan support from a sponsoring coalition of nine other state legislators. However, it remains unclear what level of support it may see on the Senate floor at large.

The bill is currently in the Education Committee, where it was referred to on April 9.