Increased public awareness about mental health is a positive development in many ways. When there is less stigma around mental health issues, students are more likely to seek the care they need.
However, some educators believe that the pendulum has swung too far in that direction, and that when students feel uncomfortable but normal emotions that come with adolescence, such as anxiety or low mood, they are quick to I am concerned that I will miss school.
Matthew Sloan, principal at Middleborough Middle/High School in Middleborough, New York, said this is important because not only are students losing valuable class time, they are also not learning the emotional resilience they need in life. said. Explain to students about “healthy anxiety,” or how people feel before a big test or during an argument with a friend.
“In schools, especially in middle and high schools, we want students to feel safe because they’re in a controlled environment,” he says. “They are supported, they have parents, teachers and support staff here. And, you know, anxiety happens throughout their lives. Change happens throughout their lives.”
Mental Health Day raises concerns about chronic absenteeism
With chronic absenteeism rates skyrocketing in many parts of the country, the issue of students missing school for mental health reasons has become a top concern for many school and district leaders. Chronic absenteeism is generally defined as missing 10 percent or more of the school year.
Over the past few years, messaging has become more focused, and parents and students may have come to the conclusion that missing school can help improve mental health.
In recent years, at least a dozen states have passed laws allowing students to excuse absences for mental health reasons.
Meanwhile, the US Surgeon General last year called the state of children’s mental health a “crisis of our time.” And in 2021, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Children’s Hospital Association declared child and adolescent mental health a national emergency.
Kent Pekel, superintendent of Rochester Public Schools in Minnesota, added that school closures during the pandemic have sent an unintended message that attending class is not always important.
“We found that there are a lot of misconceptions about how important it is to be in school. “We didn’t come to school at all during the pandemic, so why is there now an urgent need to continue going to school?” Is there?’” he said at a recent webinar on youth mental health hosted by the Frameworks Institute, a nonprofit organization that researches strategic communication around social issues.
Media coverage of mental health issues fuels anxiety among parents
Matthew Skritmatter, principal at Elizabeth Davis Middle School in Chesterfield County, Virginia, said the overwhelming amount of media coverage of the youth mental health crisis is confusing to parents, some of whom are overly sensitive to their children’s emotions. He believes that some people are responding to this. Wrong thing.
“Parents are trying to overcome whatever they believe is right in the moment,” he says. “There’s a lot in the news and social media that shows outcry about mental health and what a lack of awareness about mental health can have. Depression and suicide rates, those things are wrong. That’s the first thing on everyone’s minds, especially[their parents].”
But experts warn that taking time off from school to deal with mental health issues is not always the answer, especially when students are left unsupervised because their parents or caregivers have to work. Especially if you’re home alone. Experts say children shouldn’t be left home alone if they’re feeling anxious, depressed, or even just a little depressed.
“Most psychologists and clinical psychologists who work with children and adolescents will tell you that the solution to school refusal is not to keep children out of school. That is absolutely the wrong path.” said Andrew Fulini, professor and director of the Institute of Psychology. UCLA Youth Development Lab, during a framework webinar.
She said it is developmentally important for adolescents to have strong emotional experiences, whether good or difficult.
“We don’t want to suppress strong emotions. We support young people’s ability to work with their emotions and think about what they mean and how to control and use them effectively. I want to,” he said. “Sometimes we need to be completely outraged about what is happening in our schools and communities.”
Why schools struggle to support mental health days
But school district and school leaders believe this is a problem in schools, that too many children are at home conflating the normal developmental challenges of adolescence with mental health issues. You may be aware of it, but Peker said it’s much harder to pinpoint how big of an issue it is and what kind of problem it is.
The issue presents a difficult tightrope for school and district leaders to walk, he said. Encouraging children who may have test anxiety to come to school and caring for children with clinically diagnosed anxiety who may need to stay home Two different scenarios.
Peker said he is seeing students using mental health days as a get-out-of-school card. At the same time, he said he doesn’t want to approach the concerns of students and parents with skepticism. “Part of the paradox for us is that we have more resources to deal with this problem in schools, so we have more resources at home to deal with kids who are struggling with their mental health. It may not be effective.”
To address this challenge, schools need to talk with students and parents about the difference between anxiety about an upcoming test or social drama among peers and a diagnosed mental health condition such as anxiety or depression. Yes, Furini and Pekel said.
Sloan said school leaders also need to be proactive in responding to student needs. Although he makes sure he knows every student in his building with a clinical diagnosis of mental illness, his school has also implemented additional supports such as Childhood Adversity Experiences (or ACE) assessments. We are identifying students who are at risk. I am suffering but have not received an official diagnosis.
Students need to feel safe and welcome at school
Finally, schools need to support students’ mental health and ensure they create an environment where students feel safe and welcome at school, said Keri Rodriguez, president of the National Parent Union. said.
Rodriguez said that even if a student does not have a formal diagnosis of a mental disorder, it is also unreasonable for parents to keep their children at home if they are suffering from anxiety or depression due to being bullied or harassed at school. Not said.
She added that it’s easier to blame parents for students missing school than to transform classrooms. But schools should resist the temptation to shift the blame for chronic absenteeism onto parents.
“If we’re not doing the job of creating an environment in our schools, whether it’s classroom management, school safety, or whether (students) have meaningful relationships with trusted adults in the building, that leaves us satisfied. We can’t ‘get to where we need to be,”’ Rodriguez said.
