SPRINGFIELD — A local lawmaker has proposed a bill that would allow K-12 students to take up to three mental health days per year.
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The bill proposed by State Senator Willis Blackshear Jr. aims to provide students with excused absences to address mental health needs, a move that supporters believe could improve student well-being and academic performance.
“We see it in their test scores, we see it in their attitudes, and then we wonder why they’re acting like this or performing like this,” Blackshear said.
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Larry Campbell, a Springfield resident, supports the bill, stating, “I think it’s a really good idea, as long as the kids are good in school, and they make up their work.”
Joyce Chilton, a substitute teacher in Springfield, opposes the bill.
“I’m sorry, when are the kids going to learn if you’re giving them another three days?” Chillton said.
House Bill 619 has been in development since April 2022, and if passed, it would require schools to engage in discussions with students, parents, and faculty about the implementation of mental health days.
Campbell noted that children have struggled to adjust back to school since the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting that mental health days could provide an opportunity to address these issues.
Chilton expressed concern about the impact of additional days off on student learning and advocated for mental health days for teachers and substitutes instead.
You can follow the bill here.
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