By Chelsea Meyer
Rock River Current

SPRINGFIELD — Starting in 2022, students in Illinois will be able to take up to five excused mental health days, 13 WREX reports.

Last month, Gov. JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1577, which will allow kids to take five excused mental health days without the need for a doctor’s note.

The new bill states that students are under an increasing amount of mental stress, mainly due to the pandemic. This will apply to all public school students from ages 6-17.

In fall 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a study that showed mental health-related emergency room visits among kids under the age of 18. Compared to 2019, visits for children ages 5-11 and 12-17 increased by 24% and 31% respectively.

This article is by Chelsea Meyer. Email her at chelsea@b103fm.com.