(WSVN) - A newly introduced bill could grant students in Florida the ability to take days off from school to focus on their mental health.
House Bill 315, introduced by Representative Susan Valdes, would give individual school districts across the state the flexibility to include mental health as a reason for an excused absence.
Under the bill, students would be able to use one mental health day off per semester.
Data from the Florida Department of Health found that 744 people under the age of 34 died by suicide in 2018, making it the second-leading cause of death in the state.
A Pew Research Center study earlier this year found that 70% of teenagers say anxiety and depression is a major problem among the ages 13-17.
Opponents of the bill have argued that this would lead to students who aren’t legitimately experiencing mental issues to abuse it.
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