Student Wellness Tip: Add Syllabus Policy on Mental Health Days

A 2024 Student Voice survey by Inside Higher Ed, conducted by Generation Lab, found one in five students believes if institutions encourage faculty members to build student mental health day policies into their syllabi, it would be helpful in promoting their well-being.

Mental health days, or an excused absence for students to focus on their well-being, are more commonly found in K-12 schools, where attendance and excused absences are state and school issues. In higher education, some institutions have added mental health days to the academic calendar, but mostly the policies remain faculty-level decisions. (One example of an institutionwide policy: The University of Maryland includes mental health conditions as an event that justifies an excused absence.)

Students strongly advocate for mental health day policies in classes, asking professors to forgive absences as they would for a physical illnesses or extenuating circumstances. Many centers of teaching and learning advise faculty to offer one excused absence for mental health during the term. Often, students must make up that work later, but they are not required to attend that class period.

For professors considering adding a mental health day policy to their course expectations, Inside Higher Ed compiled six practices to consider.

1. Use supportive language. Often, attendance policies can be seen as punitive or harsh, but their purpose is to promote learning and engagement. Faculty members can frame their attendance and excused absence expectations to be more inclusive and student-focused, according to Indiana University Bloomington’s Center for Teaching and Learning. 
2. Look at physical and mental health similarly. Historically, absences due to physical health conditions have been excused or forgiven as barriers to class attendance. In the same way, Montana State University notes that many faculty do not differentiate between health-related absences, as both can be disruptive.  

3. Don’t require explanations. To protect students’ privacy, professors should not require rationale or details about what caused the student to take a mental health day. Professors can require advance notice before the class, but requiring a doctor’s note or explanation may be overstepping.
4. Add a de-stress day. A professor could schedule a day focused on student wellness prior to midterms or finals that encourages students to practice self-care and use campus services, writes Cynthia Rutz, director of Valparaiso University’s Institute for Teaching and Learning.
5. Promote wellness resources. In addition to allowing students a break from their academics, professors should connect learners with relevant campus departments or resources that can help address some of the mental health issues that can be barriers to success. These resources may be included in the syllabus as well or shared during class or office hours. The University of South Carolina offers syllabus statement examples on mental health resources and contact information for these groups.  

6. Create reflections. Mental health days can also be an opportunity for learning. At San Diego State University, Professor Jay Sheehan added mental health days to the syllabus, during which students must engage in some kind of wellness practice and write a reflection on how they spent their class time. This practice holds students accountable for engaging in healthy behaviors and creates an easy way for students to earn points for an assignment.

Do you have a wellness tip that might help others encourage student success? Tell us about it.