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 in order to 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, seeks to help clarify while also expanding the excused absence guidelines, which would affect students, parents, and teachers all across 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 accidental impact that they have on students who face real and complicated health or family situations. According to health experts and educators, students who are facing punishments or deductions from excessive absences tend to have 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, 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