VOA慢速英语2019--美国俄勒冈州学生将可请“心理病假”

Student Activists¹ Gain Mental Health Days for Oregon Students

A new law will permit students in the American state of Oregon to take “mental health days” just as they would sick days. The law is one of the first of its kind in the United States to clearly instruct schools to treat mental health and physical health equally.

The law comes at a time when educators are increasingly considering the emotional health of students. Utah passed a similar law last year.

Oregon’s governor Kate Brown signed the bill in June. It represents one of the few wins for youth activists from around the state. The students also asked for legislation² to strengthen gun control and lower the voting age. Both of those efforts failed.

Hailey Hardcastle of Sherwood, Oregon helped champion the mental health bill. The 18-year-old and other student leaders were partly influenced by the national youth-led movement that followed the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

She told the Associated Press that they wanted the measure in order to deal with a mental health crisis³ in schools and to “encourage kids to admit when they’re struggling.”

Debbie Plotnik is with the advocacy group Mental Health America. She said having the law in schools was an important step in challenging the way society approaches mental health issues.

Plotnik added, “We need to say it’s just as OK to take care for mental health reasons as it is to care for a broken bone or a physical illness.”

Oregon health officials say suicide⁴ is the second leading cause of death in the state among those aged⁵ 10 to 34. Nearly 17% of eighth-graders reported seriously thinking about taking their lives within the past 12 months.

Oregon has a suicide rate 40% higher than the national average. The national suicide rate has been on the rise and recently hit a 50-year high. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that the rate has increased more than 30% since 1999.

Previously⁶, schools only excused absences related to physical illnesses. At many schools, absences must be excused to make up missed tests or avoid detention⁷.

Under state law, students can have up to five absences excused in a three-month period. Any more requires a written excuse to the school principal.

Hardcastle said she has received criticism from some parents who say the legislation was not necessary. They say students can already take mental health days by lying or pretending to be sick. Other critics have said the law will encourage students to find more excuses to miss school.

But Hardcastle argues that students are going to take the same amount of days off from school with or without the new law. She added that students might be less likely to lie about an absence if schools formally recognize mental health in their attendance⁸ policies.

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in This Story

advocacy – n. the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal; the act or process of advocating something

challenging – adj. difficult in a way that is usually interesting or enjoyable

detention – n. a punishment in which a student is required to stay at school after the rest of the students have left

1 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 legislation   

n.立法，法律的制定；法规，法律

参考例句：

• They began to draft legislation.他们开始起草法规。
• The liberals band together against the new legislation.自由党员联合一致反对新的立法。

3 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

4 suicide   

n.自杀，自毁，自杀性行为

参考例句：

• The number of suicide has increased.自杀案件的数量增加了。
• The death was adjudged a suicide by sleeping pills.该死亡事件被判定为服用安眠药自杀。

5 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

6 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

7 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

8 attendance   

n.出席，出席人数，护理，照料

参考例句：

• The attendance of this class never dropped off.这个班的出席人数从未下降。
• The young man danced attendance on his rich aunt.这个年轻人小心侍候他有钱的姑妈。