Problem
The toll bad mental health takes on an individual is undeniable..Stress,depression,anxiety,and all of these factors can play into making students’ lives miserable.School can worsen these feelings.School itself can lead to academic pressure which in turn leads to stress and can even worsen a students present issues.Even worse,the issue of mental health is often neglected as a whole.It tends to be brushed off or not even acknowledged by most workplaces/schools.That shouldn’t be.Students do need a day off sometimes.Assumimg they have no medical excuse or remaining parent notes,would a lengthy explanation of their issues justify the absence?Probably not.This is the reason this petition was created.To acknowledge students’ inner afflictions with the same treatment as their physical afflictions.


Solution
My proposed solution is to offer students a monthly day off.The day would,dubbed as a “Mental Health Day”,would allow for students a chance to recuperate from school-induced stress or issues.In turn,this would allow a student to return to school refreshed and ready to continue with his/her education.The “Mental Health Day” would allow a student to miss out one day per month should they need it.We are often told to take care of ourselves physically,but what about mentally?Recently,there has been a spike in teens committing/attempting suicide (Source:cbsnews.com) In fact,it is the third leading cause of death for adolescents ages 12-19 (Source:cdc.gov)
Mental health should be treated with just as much care as physical health is.The change to allow students a monthly
day off to recuperate mentally.Mental health goes further than just sitting it out,so we should strive in furthering our solutions to such a devastating issue.
The Day would only be allowed to be taken on a normal day (no state tests,lengthy projects,etc.) and inclusively would allow for consecutively missed days to be excused by a mental health professionals note (similar to a medical note).

Personal story
The individual who proposed this idea is me,Andy S.The reason my mind urged me to make this petition is entirely for my generations’ mental well-being.Being afflicted by a depression and anxiety disorder,I find it easy to empathize with this cause and hope you do too.Remember this isn’t just for you or me,it’s for the mental wellbeing of the next generation.