Oregon will allow students to take “mental health days” just as they would sick days, thanks to a new law high school students championed across the state.
It’s not coddling. The students behind the measure say it’s meant to change the stigma around mental health in a state that has some of the highest suicide rates in the US. Mental health experts say it is one of the first state laws to explicitly instruct schools to treat mental health and physical health equally, and it comes at a time when educators are increasingly considering the emotional health of students. Utah passed a similar law last year.
Gov. Kate Brown signed Oregon’s bill into law last month. High school students came up with the idea at a leadership camp last summer, according to CNN.