Students who want to take a mental health day will not be needed to present their school with a doctor’s note beginning January 1, as per a measure signed into law by Governor J.B. Pritzker. Moreover, students will be permitted to make up for any schoolwork missed during the off day. As per the proposal, if a kid seeks an additional mental health day, a school counselor will contact his household, and the child may be sent to specialized therapy.
“Having this now for all students across the state will be really beneficial, especially with what’s going on with COVID. Many students feel stressed and have developed anxiety and depression because they’re not able to see teachers and friends, and may have lower grades due to remote learning,” explained State Rep. Barbara Hernandez.
With the arrival of the new school year, child psychiatrists say they are likely to see even more children wrestling with feelings of anxiety and depression while trying to cope with the physical and emotional stressors created by the new school year.
With the spread of the pandemic, new challenges have appeared for children, families, and schools. Issues such as isolation, depression, and anxiety have emerged as critical issues in the lives of many children. Psychiatrists across the country have identified essential needs that must be addressed in order for patients to lead healthy lives during this challenging time.
The pandemic has raised concerns about safety and security for children attending schools in cities and suburbs across the country. Fear and anxiety have collided with a new sense of urgency about getting kids back to normalcy as soon as possible following the abrupt and terrible change in their lives. Fear about infectious diseases — particularly those that tend to linger in the air or spread quickly — has increased exponentially among kids and teenagers.
