Mental health days, while essential to students, can often be overlooked. Even with growing recognition of the importance of mental health, many students are unaware that these days are considered excused absences in numerous schools. In 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into state law a bill that allows students to miss school with an excused absence on account of mental or behavioral health. Despite this policy, the discussion of mental health days remains minimal, and there is a necessity for increased awareness. 

The mental health crisis among teens has been widely acknowledged, as it is discussed in social issues classes and often on social media. But it’s also a lived experience, as, according to the Office of Population Affairs, “an estimated 49.5 percent of adolescents have had a mental health disorder at some point in their lives.” The impacts of this can follow adolescents in various ways, interfering with regular activities and daily functions, such as relationships, schoolwork, sleeping, and eating. Mental health disorders can have an early onset despite the misconception that they don’t emerge until young adulthood; according to the Parent Institute For Quality Education, up to half of all mental health conditions start before the age of 14. This makes the jump into the new environment of high school very difficult for incoming students with mental health disorders, as it can disrupt their mental state, leading to negative outcomes. 

Redwood provides various offerings to combat mental health disorders, helping students balance their well-being, such as the wellness center and school-provided counselors. Wellness counselor Spencer Dewoody sheds light on the growing education for mental health at Redwood through student participation.

 “There’s a lot of psychoeducation that we try to get out there. The peer resource class is a perfect example of us teaching other students to teach their peers about things like mental health, sexual health or substance misuse,” Dewoody said.

Additionally, the district holds parent-education nights that focus on mental health topics. These educational meetings are free to attend, and the district encourages parent participation. A way in which we can combat mental health issues is mental health days, where students can take the day off to focus on themselves.

 “Sometimes, you need a day for yourself for self-care, and that’s fine,” Dewoody said.

 Students must take a day off for themselves. If they don’t allow themselves to rest, stress can accumulate, potentially leading to negative outcomes. 

“Students wait until things get pretty bad and sometimes by the time all this accumulates, they feel so much pressure that they almost have to take a day off at that point,” Dewoody said.

At the attendance office, Tami Pias-Lee has clarified that if a parent or guardian messages the attendance office that their child is taking a mental health day, she will mark it as an excused absence.

As mental health in this generation is acknowledged and we are learning more about it, many students are still not aware of the accessibility of mental health days. Legally, mental health days are offered at Redwood. However, they are not discussed or even talked about at school. When understanding more about the mental health crisis for adolescents, we should be aware of the opportunities we have to improve our mental state. Allowing students to be aware and have access to a right they have, allowing them to take time to improve their mental health.