Teen activists score mental health days for Oregon students

Oregon will allow students to take “mental health days” just as y would sick days, expanding reasons for excused school absences to include mental or behavioral health under a new law that experts say is one of first of its kind in U.S.

But don’t call it coddling. students behind measure say it’s meant to change stigma around mental health in a state that has some of United States’ highest suicide rates. Mental health experts say it is one of first state laws to explicitly instruct schools to treat mental health and physical health equally, and it comes at a time educators are increasingly considering emotional health of students. Utah passed a similar law last year.

Oregon’s bill, signed by Gov. Kate Brown last month, represents one of few wins for youth activists from around state who were unusually active at Capitol this year. Along with expanded mental health services, y lobbied for legislation to strengn gun control and lower voting , both of which failed.

Haily Hardcastle, an 18-year-old from Portland suburb of Sherwood who helped champion mental health bill, said she and or student leers were partly motivated by national youth-led movement that followed last year’s Parkland, Florida, school shooting.

“We were inspired by Parkland in sense that it showed us that young people can totally change political conversation,” she said. “Just like those movements, this bill is something completely coming from youth.”

Hardcastle, who plans to attend University of Oregon in fall, said she and fellow youth leers drafted measure to respond to a mental health crisis in schools and to “encour kids to mit when y’re struggling.”

Debbie Plotnik, executive director of nprofit vocacy group Mental Health America, said implementing idea in schools was important step in challenging way society approaches mental health issues.

“ first step to confront this crisis is to reduce stigma around it,” Plotnik said. “We need to say it’s just as OK to take care for mental health reasons as it is to care for a broken bone or a physical illness.”

Suicide is Oregon’s second leing cause of death among those s 10 to 34, according to data from state Health Authority. Nearly 17% of eighth-grers reported seriously contemplating taking ir lives within past 12 months.

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And it’s t just an Oregon problem, although state does have a suicide rate 40% higher than national aver. national suicide rate has also been on rise and recently hit a 50-year high, climbing more than 30% since 1999, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Previously, schools were obliged to excuse only absences related to physical illnesses. At many schools, absences must be excused to make up missed tests or avoid detention.

Under state law, students can have up to five absences excused in a three month period. Anything more requires a written excuse to principal.

Despite little public opposition from lawmakers, Hardcastle said she’s received pushback from some parents who say legislation wasn’t necessary, as students can alrey take mental health days by lying or pretending to be sick. Or opponents have said law will encour students to find more excuses to miss school in a state that also suffers from one of worst absenteeism rates in nation. More than 1 in 6 children missed at least 10% of school days in 2015-2016 school year, according to state data.

But those criticisms miss point of bill, said Hardcastle. Students are going to take same amount of days off from school with or without new law, but y might be less likely to lie about why y’re taking take a day off if schools formally recognize mental health in ir attendance policies.

“Why should we encour lying to our parents and teachers?” she said. “Being open to ults about our mental health promotes positive dialogue that could help kids get help y need.”

Parents Roxanne and Jason Wilson agree, and say law might have helped save ir 14-year-old daughter, Chloe, who took her life in February 2018.

Eugene-based couple said funny and bubbly teen h dreams of becoming a surgeon but faced bullying after coming out as bisexual in middle school.

When things at school were particularly rough, Chloe would pretend to be sick to stay home.

“Because she lied to get her absences excused, we didn’t get to have those mental health conversations that could have saved her life,” said Roxanne, who w mans a local suicide prevention program.

Chloe was one of five teens to die by suicide in Eugene area that month. Roxanne and Jason, who moved to rural city of Dayton following ir daughter’s death, worry that those against bill underestimate hardships today’s teens face.

“Calling kids coddled or sensitive will just furr discour m from being honest with ults about what y’re going through,” Jason Wilson said. “We need to do everything we can to open up that dialogue between parents and children when it comes to mental health.”

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