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Letter to Legislative Draft

Dear Representative Hoang Nguyen,

My name is Jana Betty, and I am a 12th-grade student at Judge Memorial High School in your district. I am writing to you about school excused absences, an issue that directly affects students, families, and teachers across Utah. I am particularly concerned about the mental health of high school students, including myself, and their education being beneficial for them, which is connected to proposed legislation such as Bill HB0145 School Excused Absence Amendments. I respectfully urge you to pass this bill because students and families need clarity and fairness for them to be able to take care of their mental health and make their education the most successful for them.

This issue is significant because the attendance policies directly impact every student’s academic success and their health and well-being. The proposed bill, HB0145, aims to clarify and expand the excused absence guidelines, which would impact students, parents, and teachers throughout Utah. Given the current conditions in our state, this issue requires serious attention because of the need to bring awareness to students' mental health challenges and family responsibilities.

One major concern with complex attendance rules is the unintended impact they have on students who face real and complex health or family situations. According to health experts and educators, students who face punishments or deductions due to excessive absences tend to experience more stress and become discouraged from communicating with the school or even their parents. This matters because, when students fear the punishments of a valid excused absence, like mental health struggles, they don’t seek any help or follow up with teachers or the school, which directly affects their ability to perform well, academically and emotionally.

Research and personal accounts from students from an article on mental health becoming a “valid excused absence”, written by Catherine Gewertz, interviewed a junior high student who struggled with mental health, stated, “If we don’t normalize having excused mental health days, then students’ stress and anxiety could get worse. It could turn into physical health issues and longer absences if we push students too far.” This demonstrates that schools need to develop a supportive attendance policy to help improve the students' engagement and ability to seek help when they need it. As a result, if the legislation doesn’t pass this bill on clarifying and adding mental health as a “valid absence excuse”, this will place many students' performance at school and mental well-being at risk.

This issue matters to me personally because I myself have struggled to balance school while facing mental health struggles. In addition, I have witnessed many peers struggle with their mental health and real-life obstacles, and it has shown me that this is not just a policy debate—it is a lived reality for people in our community.

I respectfully urge you to support HB0145 School Excused Absence Amendments because it will make a large impact on students' abilities to perform to their highest and best abilities in school while being able to take personal time with no penalty.

Thank you for your service and commitment to our community. I appreciate your time and consideration of this issue and hope that you will continue to work toward the policies that serve the long-term well-being of the people of Utah.

Sincerely,

Jana Betty

2666 E Comanche Circle

Salt Lake City, UT 84108

General Document Comments 0

Feb 19

Jana B's Question Jana B and/or Thinking Partner (Feb 19 2026 4:09PM) : Can you tell me a little bit more about my representative, Hoang Nguyen, and about her position on bills like HB0145? more

Thinking Partner with Jana B's edits:

You’re doing something powerful here: you’ve grounded your letter in a specific bill and your own experience as a student.

Here’s what I can tell you about Rep. Hoang Nguyen and what that might mean for HB0145:

Rep. Hoang Nguyen is a Democratic member of the Utah House from Salt Lake City and has sponsored or supported several education- and student-related bills, like HB351 on school vision screening, which suggests sustained interest in student well-being and access to services (PolicyEngage, Utah HB351, 2026).
In earlier debates about limiting diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, she publicly described how those programs helped her own refugee family succeed, arguing that policy should expand—not restrict—opportunities for students from all backgrounds (Utah News Dispatch, 2024).
More recently, she opposed a bill to tax certain money transfers abroad, warning that it would hurt immigrant and low-income families who rely on those funds for basics like food and medicine (KSL, 2026).
HB0145 (School Excused Absence Amendments) is currently moving through the 2026 Utah Legislature, but as of now there isn’t public vote history or a recorded statement from Nguyen on this specific bill, so we can’t say for sure how she’ll vote (Utah Legislature, HB0145 status page, 2026).

If you had to guess, based on what you now know about how she talks about equity, mental health, and families, what is one specific sentence you might add to your letter that connects HB0145 to her past positions—and do you want to click Continue with AI to draft that sentence together, or go to Create Document to start a fresh piece or upload another source?

Feb 22

Jana B's Question Jana B and/or Legislative Letter Coach (Feb 22 2026 12:46PM) : Do you think Representative Nguyen will be persuaded by my letter? more

Legislative Letter Coach with Jana B's edits:

This is already a clear and respectful start that fits the formal civic audience your framework describes.
You’ve done Part 1 really well: you say who you are, your school, the bill number/name, and your clear position, just like the guide recommends in “Part 1. Introduction (Establishing Ethos + Purpose)” from the (Framework for your legislative letter, n.d.).
You’ve started Part 2 too: you explain why the issue matters beyond just you and what the bill changes, which lines up with “This issue is significant because ______. The proposed legislation ______ seeks to ______” from Part 2 in the same framework (Framework for your legislative letter, n.d.).
One choice you might think about next is whether you want to add 1–2 concrete examples (a quick story, a statistic, or a scenario) so you’re also touching Part 3: “Evidence & Reasoning (Logos + Ethos)” in that framework (Framework for your legislative letter, n.d.).

If you imagine Representative Nguyen reading this after a long day of meetings, what is one short, specific example (from your own experience or a friend’s) you might add next to make the impact of excused absences feel more real—and do you want to click Continue with AI to talk through that example, or go to Create Document to keep drafting or upload another source?

Feb 22

Jana B's Question Jana B and/or Legislative Letter Coach (Feb 22 2026 12:55PM) : How do you think state representative Carol Spackman Moss of Utah might respond to my letter? more

Legislative Letter Coach with Jana B's edits:

You’ve set up a clear, respectful request, so a likely first move from Rep. Moss would be to thank you for writing, mention your school by name, and acknowledge your concern about students’ mental and physical health.
Because she has a history of supporting education and student‑focused policies in Utah, she might say she agrees that health and learning are connected and that schools should give students reasonable flexibility with excused absences (Utah State Legislature).
She could then briefly explain what the current law allows, what HB0145 would change, and where that bill stands in the process (for example, whether it is in committee, awaiting a vote, or being revised) (Utah State Legislature).
Finally, she might tell you whether she supports HB0145, describe any concerns (like how schools would track these absences), and invite you to keep in touch or even testify or attend a committee hearing as a student voice.

If you imagined Rep. Moss writing back right now, what are a few exact sentences you think she might say to you—and do you want to click Continue with AI to draft that reply in her “voice,” or go to Create Document to start a new piece or upload a source to respond to?

Feb 24

Mia K Mia K (Feb 24 2026 8:45AM) : Feedback more

I think this is really awesome and you hit all the key points! You were direct, formal, and clear without being rude, and I thought your flow was great.

Feb 24

Emi H Emi H (Feb 24 2026 8:52AM) : feedback more

I think this is very good you have a lot of really good evidence, getting the point across of your letter while also keeping a super respectful and proactive tone.

Feb 24

Jana B's Question Jana B and/or Legislative Letter Coach (Feb 24 2026 11:00AM) : Can you recommend ways for me to anticipate the response of the legislator to whom I'm writing? more

Legislative Letter Coach with Jana B's edits:

Your letter already follows the six-part framework really well, especially in how clearly you state who you are, your connection to the district, the bill (HB0145), and your position, which matches Part 1 of the (Framework for your legislative letter).
One way to anticipate your legislator’s response is to look up how Representative Hoang Nguyen has voted or spoken about similar issues like student mental health, attendance, or school discipline, using the Utah Legislature website or trusted local news, and then ask: would they worry more about student well-being, accountability, or costs? ((Utah State Legislature)).
Once you know a likely concern (for example: “Will this bill cause more unexcused absences or lower standards?”), you can add 1–2 sentences in your evidence or civic action sections that gently answer that concern before they even say it, which is exactly what Part 3 and Part 5 of the (Framework for your legislative letter) ask you to do.
You can also think about shared values your legislator almost certainly holds—like wanting students to graduate, keeping families involved, or using clear rules instead of confusing ones—and then show, in your own words, how HB0145 supports those values, which strengthens your ethos and logos at the same time ((Framework for your legislative letter)).

If you picked one likely worry your representative might have about HB0145 (for example: “students might misuse mental health days” or “schools might lose track of kids”), what short, specific answer could you add to your letter to respond to that—would you rather click “Continue with AI” to talk it out here, or go to Create Document to keep drafting and exploring on your own?

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