Students wear mask as they arrive at school for in-person learning at Holmes Middle School in Wheeling, Ill., on Oct. 21, 2020. Students in Illinois schools will be able to take up to five excused mental or behavioral health days beginning in January 2022. Nam Y. Huh/AP hide caption
toggle caption Nam Y. Huh/AP 
Students wear mask as they arrive at school for in-person learning at Holmes Middle School in Wheeling, Ill., on Oct. 21, 2020. Students in Illinois schools will be able to take up to five excused mental or behavioral health days beginning in January 2022.
Students across Illinois will be able to take up to five excused mental health days starting in January.
Under a bill signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker last month, students who decide to take a mental health day will not be required to provide their school with a doctor's note and will be able to make up any work that was missed on their day off.
"Having this now for all students across the state will be really beneficial, especially with what's going on with COVID," State Rep. Barbara Hernandez, who co-sponsored the bill, told the Journal-Courier. "Many students feel stressed, and have developed anxiety and depression because they're not able to see teachers and friends, and may have lower grades due to remote learning."
