Research Paper Example: Should Students Get Mental Health Days Off From School?

“A child’s mental health is just as important as their physical health and deserves the same quality and support. No one would feel embarrassed about seeking help for a child if they broke their arm-- and we really should be equally ready to support a child coping with emotional difficulties,” stated Kate Middleton. Including this quote is important because it shows that children aren’t taken as seriously with mental health as they are with physical health. It is just as important that a child has good mental health as it is for a child to have good physical health. Pupils shouldn’t be ashamed to go to an adult with problems that they have. Also, it isn’t just a small number of children dealing with this. For about every five teens between the ages of twelve and eighteen, one suffers from a mental health disorder. This means that 20% of teens suffer from at least one mental health disorder according to “The Growing Acceptance of Mental Health Days for Students”. Although many people believe that students shouldn’t have mental health days off of school, the use of mental health days is more logical because it can positively impact a students academic performance and can decrease the amount of mental health issues in children.

Recognizing both sides of an argument when reading into it can help people form stronger opinions, which can lead to a solution. With the ongoing debate over whether or not schools should allow students to take mental health days off, understanding the impact on schools could be a game changer. The first thing that comes to mind is considering how taking time off could improve students' academic performance. According to the article "The Growing Acceptance of Mental Health Days for Students,” this claim is supported by the statement, “Giving students mental health days makes teaching and learning more effective as students will grasp concepts sooner and retain them more deeply if they experience less chronic stress.” Giving students mental health days allows them to study more effectively since they will be able to comprehend and recall material more readily without the extra stress. It also makes it easier for teachers because it engages the students making it seem like the teacher isn’t talking to the wall. On the other hand, schools could lose money from the amount of students taking a mental health day. To support that statement, the article titled, “Why Taking a Mental Health Day Often Isn't Enough” states, “A 2018 analysis from Penn State University found that ‘a single extra poor mental health day in a month was associated with a 1.84% drop in the per capita real income growth rate, resulting in $53 billion less total income each year.” This implies that if even one mental health day occurs, schools would lose money and students will receive a poor education. The more money a school has, the better its education will be. However, even though it might make the schools lose lots of money, mental health days can give students a break to gather themselves. Also, the importance of mental health should easily trump the little worry that schools are losing money. That is why with the addition of mental health days, students can improve their academic performance.

Secondly, there should be mental health days because there are a lot of kids who develop a mental health issue at a very young age. Supporting this is an article titled, “The Growing Acceptance of Mental Health Days for Students” stating that, “According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, in the United States, one in six children aged 6–17 experience a mental health disorder each year. And 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14.” This implies that mental health ailments can begin in a student's life as early as the age of six, with roughly one in every six pupils suffering from one. This could be addressed with mental health days, which allow kids' minds to rest for a day or two before returning to school more relaxed and rejuvenated. However, there should not be mental health days off from school because children will use this to avoid school. The website, “Opinion: mental health days can lead to laziness and procrastination | Fenton InPrint Online” states that, “According to NPR, the new mental health days laws will prompt students to find more excuses to miss school. Beginning a habit of taking a day off school to skip a test, or taking a day off because you didn’t finish your homework can lead to lazy habits in the workplace. Creating a pattern of fighting through these adversities, rather, will lead to perseverance in the workplace.” This means that students will use the mental health days as an excuse to skip school for unnecessary reasons. On the other hand, taking days off can help teens feel better when they’re struggling emotionally. With the addition of mental health days off, there could be a decrease in the amount of mental health issues found in students and can help a child feel better when they are struggling emotionally.

As a result, while some argue that adolescents should not be allowed to take mental health days from school, the usage of mental health days is more reasonable because it can improve a student's academic performance and reduce the number of mental health disorders in children. Students should feel comfortable telling adults how they feel and should be able to take some time off of school to fix some mental health issues they have. They could also be used as a reset from stress and the workload given to students. So was Kate Middleton correct when stating that mental health should be treated the same as physical health?