As a recent high school graduate, I can wholeheartedly say that our schools need more mental health support.
Across Western Pennsylvania, the recommended ratios of guidance counselors to students are not being met, workloads are increasing and students are suffering. If “mental health day” legislation was passed in Pennsylvania, students who need just one day off would be allowed to have it. With such a measure, we could stop crises from compounding and leading to all-too-familiar outcomes. Missing one day of school will not kill anybody, but it may save them.
It is easy to look at my generation as weak and tiresome. I’m sure I would feel the same way if I was not a member of Gen Z. But, I promise that we have potential and purpose. Supporting reasonable accommodations, such as school mental health days, will help us solve some of the most pressing problems that we have inherited.
Connor Dalgaard
Findlay
The writer is a sophomore studying psychology and economics at Vassar College.