Most kids dream about having an extra day off of school. Staying home, far away from the stress, work, and drama school brings. Everyone’s mental health would be so much better, right? Unfortunately, no. For some, being home is a nightmare. From family problems to food insecurity, home can be a difficult place to deal with. Staying at school can be like their mental health day. Having a day to reset from something that isn’t that bad is unnecessary.
Now, I am not saying that school cannot cause anxiety, stress, and other mental health issues, but mental health days wouldn’t necessarily fix that. Whatever work you would normally have in the week would still be assigned which would still cause a lot of stress. Tests could be scheduled for the day you come back, projects could be due, more homework could be assigned, etc. Staying home would just allow you to spend your day studying for that test or finishing that project, instead of actually taking a day off from everything. If you had school that day, at least you could talk to your friends while working on the project or get help from your teachers.
It is very common for family emergencies or issues to appear for students during the school year. In times like those, it can be extremely hard to get your mind off of it. Kids need that escape from their problems at home, and one of the main solutions to that is school. If the student is able to focus on school and or their friends, the problems at home seem a little smaller. Trying to keep kids home in the midst of all those struggles for a “mental health day” would be an oxymoron. Not to mention that when families are going through hard times, having a set schedule can really help. A mental health day would ruin the schedule that can provide the certainty some students need.
Having everything a child needs is also a big part of their mental health. When a student is deprived of food, it can cause negative effects on their mood. Having access to a cafeteria with breakfast, lunch, and dinner can alleviate that weight of hunger. Kids with these problems don’t have to worry about when their next meal will be when they are at school. They do, when they are home. With just a weekend, kids are at risk of missing 6 meals! With even one extra day off, students can miss a total of 9 meals in a week. School is the one place they can feel like a normal kid who has all the essentials for life. Being at home where there is a food shortage can have a big impact on their mental health. If we were truly concerned about students’ mental health, we wouldn’t have an extra day off.
Students who rely on the support, routine, and resources the school provides would be struggling on a day that is supposed to help them. Yes, having a break from schoolwork is important, but we already get days off for that exact reason. Mental health days are supposed to support everyone, not just some.
