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Motion of the Council of Allegheny County urging the General Assembly to consider, and with all deliberate speed enact, provisions allowing for excused absences relating to mental health for Pennsylvania primary and secondary education students.
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Whereas, on December 18, 2020, Pennsylvania State Senator Judith Schwank announced plans to introduce a bill allowing for excused “mental health days” by students in primary and secondary schools within the Commonwealth, as an amendment to the Public School Code of 1949; and
Whereas, Senator Schwank’s co-sponsorship memorandum, attached to this Motion, makes a convincing case for the allowance of excused mental health days for Pennsylvania students in a post-COVID-19 world, most notably highlighting that The Anxiety and Depression Association of America found that one in eight children are affected by anxiety, yet 80 percent of those with a diagnosable anxiety disorder do not receive treatment, and that foregoing counseling, medication, and other helpful tools for treating anxiety, children are likely to experience long term mental health issues; and
Whereas, Senator Schwank also notes that anxiety disorders have been increasing in K-12 children since at least the 1950s and studies show that numbers are expected to continue rising in the coming years.; and
Whereas, Senator Schwank’s legislation, which was introduced in 2021 as SB506, would have allowed up to two excused absences for mental health purposes per student per year; and
Whereas, according to www.verywellmind.com, as of May 9, 2023 12 states already provide for these types of absences, with similar legislation pending in several other states; and
Whereas, as noted by the Washington Post in late 2022: “’If nothing else, it makes a huge statement that mental health matters as much as physical health,’ said Mike Winder, a Republican Utah state representative who sponsored a bill that became law in 2021. Winder introduced the bill after conversations with his daughter who suffered her own mental health issues. ‘This policy is communicating from the highest levels that it’s okay to take care of your mental health,’ he said of the bill, which does not limit the number of days a child can take.” See Atkins, More states are allowing children to take mental health days, Washington Post, 10/2/22); and
Whereas, as also noted by the Post: “’When students are feeling physically unwell, there is a universal understanding that they should stay home and they should take time to feel better,’ said Barb Solish, director of Youth and Young Adult Initiatives for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), which supports the use of mental health days. ‘School policies that recognize mental health as an acceptable reason for absence can help students take the time they need to care for themselves and restore their health,’ Solish said. ‘Practically speaking, if you have a fever, you’re not paying attention in class, right? You’re not learning the lesson. If you’re feeling overwhelming anxiety, you’re not learning either.’”; and
Whereas, as of the date of this Motion, it does not appear that Senator Schwank has re-introduced legislation similar to the former SB506; and
Whereas, it is the judgment of Council that allowing for a limited number of excused “mental health days” within the Public School Code has significant potential to inure to the benefit of Pennsylvania students and their families, as well as primary and secondary school teachers and administrators by reducing impediments to effective learning and the stress levels of students;
The Council of the County of Allegheny therefore hereby moves as follows:
Council hereby urges the General Assembly to consider, and with all deliberate speed enact, provisions allowing for excused absences relating to mental health for Pennsylvania primary and secondary education students.