Global studies have shown an increase in mental health issues ever since the devastating COVID-19 pandemic. A study done by the National Library of Medicine found that, compared to baseline rates, there was about a 20 to 30 percent increase in cases of depression and anxiety post-pandemic. To address this, 12 states, including Virginia, have enacted legislation granting students enrolled in public schools mental health days. Students can use these days to focus on their mental and emotional well-being.
However, some private schools, such as Sidwell, do not allow students to take mental health days unless they have a doctor’s note or experience severe mental health issues. However, Sidwell must allow all students a certain number of “catch up” days to lead successful lives in and out of school. While students who are having acute mental health crises are already able to miss school for mental health reasons, all students would benefit from having a certain number of “catch-up” days due to the amount of obligations the average student must juggle. These days wouldn’t be limited to formal mental health emergencies. Instead, they would give students space to reset, manage their workloads, and handle the increasing number of responsibilities they balance inside and outside the classroom.
While students do not get mental health days unless they have a specific diagnosis, Sidwell teachers can use sick days to take mental health days. Allowing this flexibility for adults but not for students sends an unintended message that one group’s well-being matters more. Students, meanwhile, are encouraged to push through exhaustion and stress until their problems become severe enough to meet a formal threshold or diagnosis.
Forcing students to stay in the environment that is causing them to experience mental and emotional struggles is detrimental to the students’ well-being. Sidwell cannot expect students to get over their mental problems if they are forced to be continuously exposed to the cause of their problems.
While Sidwell does provide students with mental health workshops, these are ineffective at helping students’ mental health. Designated days off from school would be far more beneficial to students. Instead of making students wake up early and go to school, letting them sleep in would greatly aid their mental health. Many studies have proven a positive correlation between sleep and mental health. Psychologist and professor Elizabeth Blake Zakarin of Columbia University wrote that “just like our electronics need to be charged, sleep may recharge or reset the brain to optimize functioning.”
Additionally, one of the main stressors on students’ mental health is homework. Giving students the day off instead of replacing school days with workshops would give them time to catch up on work that would otherwise cause them stress.
Some may say that giving students the opportunity to take “catch up” days when they want will lead to students abusing this power. However, even if students take the day off for something that is not an extreme mental health crisis, they are still taking a rest day. Days to relax are critical, especially at a school like Sidwell, which has a busy environment and a high-caliber academic program. Even weekends are often filled with sports or other extracurricular obligations. A “catch up” day could be used effectively once in a while, and limiting them would ensure that they are not abused.
While school can affect students’ mental health in the classroom it also affects students’ entire lives. The mental health struggles students face inside the classroom extend to their relationships outside of school. When relationships are put under pressure, it often creates a new source of stress that affects students at school. While it is important to address more severe mental health concerns, “catch up” days should be allowed for all students in order to prevent the chances of such mental health crises even occurring in the first place.
By not extending mental health days for all students in the form of “catch up” days, Sidwell is not addressing the problems resulting from today’s academic and social environment. Struggles around stress should be taken just as seriously as serious mental illnesses and injuries. In response to the growing stressors on Sidwell students, the school must offer mental health days to all students.
