Students are some of the most overworked people at such a young age, have high expectations from school, and no time to breathe or time to themselves. 

Students have to go to school five days a week for nine months, often waking up at 5 or 6 am. Neurological research suggests that the adolescent brain does not reach peak cognitive function until closer to 10:00 am. By forcing students to wake up at 5:00 or 6:00 am, schools are essentially asking them to learn while in a state of induced sleep deprivation. Having four classes a day, each assigning a lot of work, lots of students have after-school activities.

Students often don’t get home until late afternoon, yet they’re still expected to do loads of homework and somehow fit time to study in and get a good night’s sleep. Furthermore, on the weekends, some students may have work or extracurricular activities that require them to travel on the weekends.

Research and studies have shown that students who have mental health days off have less stress and anxiety and are less of a chance of burnout. Having a day off could help students, especially high school students who have a lot on their shoulders and lots of expectations, and having a high pile of homework that takes hours to complete can cause burnout rather quickly.

Students who experience burnout have no choice but to go to school or else there would be consequences for missing school and much work to catch up on, leading to more burnout and, in some cases, causing depression.

Many teens are on the verge of burnout throughout the school year and have no choice but to continue going to school and not let the burnout affect their education or attendance. But between seven hours of instruction, extracurriculars, and hours of homework, many are left with no time for recovery, pushing them to the perpetual verge of burnout. Because the system prioritizes attendance and grades over well-being, students have no choice but to mask their exhaustion to avoid academic penalties. Implementing excused mental health days is not a luxury; it is a necessary reform to prevent a cycle of burnout and depression that treats students like machines rather than developing individuals.