ILLINOIS (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- At the start of the new year, students at public schools in Illinois will be allowed to take off five days for mental health purposes.
Illinois is joining several other states allowing mental health days.
"That health whole child that shows up at school-that's the child that is ready to learn," said Beth Crider, the Regional Schools Superintendent for Peoria County.
"It's important to me that we end the stigma of mental health. If you need a sick day, you need a sick day."
She told WMBD that teachers need to be able to spot kids who need help.
"They need to have education in the mental health field, so they are at east aware of what's going on.
Ann Bohls, a behavioral health clinician at at UnityPoint Health-UnityPlace said that there has been an increase of children seeking mental health services by about 31 percent, which may be related to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Their access to school has changed, their access to their recreation, and other services, churches, everything like that has changed,” she told WMBD.
There are still details to be worked out regarding how schools will handle mental health days.
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