Ky. bill would excuse student absences for mental health, which 'suffered' in pandemic.

Jan. 12—Amira Bowman, a Marion County High School 10th grader, was upbeat and extroverted with classmates before the pandemic, but that changed when she returned to in-person learning after months at home.

She told Kentucky lawmakers that the social anxiety she developed, her new nervousness in a crowd at school, is an example of why they should approve legislation that would excuse student absences for mental health reasons.

"It really hit me in ways I didn't expect," Amira told House Education committee members who approved House Bill 44 Tuesday. "Going back to school was really hard for students like me."

State Rep. Bobby McCool, R-Van Lear, who sponsored the legislation, said the pandemic has impacted children in ways no one anticipated and that mental health is just as important as physical health.

"We're hearing from parents and educators alike that children's mental health has suffered because of this pandemic. It is time to take a common sense approach and treat mental health like the health condition it really is," McCool said in a statement. "As parents and lawmakers, we must do everything we can to remove possible barriers associated with seeking help. This is a small step in the right direction."

Co-sponsor State Rep. Lisa Willner, D-Louisville, said the bill which was sent to the full House with no opposition during the committee meeting, had bipartisan support and was student-led.

Students who testified at the committee hearing discussed workload and social pressures. Even students without diagnosed conditions have days when their mental health is not right, they said.

"Our students need the ability to take a day off here and there to decompress and regroup and to do so without judgment," Jonathan Cole Butcher, a student at Johnson Central High School said.

Jonathan said before COVID, data showed that school problems were identified in 44 percent of Kentucky youth suicides. He said the mental health of students had "declined dramatically" since the COVID pandemic.

Jonathan said passage of the bill would show students that the state and its education system "takes their mental health seriously."

At least 13 other states that have laws allowing excused school absences for mental health reasons, Amira said.

"Anything that we can do to encourage conversations and raise awareness of the mental health of students we need to be supportive of," Committee Chair Regina Huff, R-Williamsburg, said

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