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Students urge board to create formal mental‑health leave for intensive treatment
Summary
Student leaders and advocates at the Howard County Board of Education’s April 30 meeting urged the district to create a formal mental‑health leave of absence policy for students receiving partial hospitalization or day‑treatment, saying current rules leave students juggling intense treatment and full academic expectations.
At the April 30 Howard County Board of Education meeting, student leaders from the Active Minds chapter at Long Reach High School asked the board to develop a formal mental‑health leave of absence program for students who are engaged in partial hospitalization or day‑treatment programs and may miss multiple days per week. A student speaker (listed in the board roster as the Active Minds chapter speaker) said the district’s existing home‑and‑hospital provisions cover students who are out 20 or more consecutive days but do not address intermittent but intensive treatment schedules.
"Currently, Howard County Public Schools provide home and hospital instruction for students who are out for 20 or more consecutive days. This policy does not support students who are participating in partial hospitalization or day treatment programs where they may miss 1 to 5 days of school per week," the student told the board during public forum. They asked the board to create a structured program so students would “no longer have to choose between getting help and staying on track in school.”
The student said Maryland law recognizes behavioral health as a valid reason for absence and noted neighboring districts have begun to adopt mental‑health related absence policies. The speaker asked the board to consider a policy that would explicitly accommodate ongoing intensive treatment without penalizing students academically.
Board members responded with questions about current policy alignment, timeframe and implementation. Chair (speaker 1) acknowledged the request and said the board takes student well‑being seriously. Superintendent Barnes (speaker 6) later described broader efforts to expand school‑based wellness centers and partnerships that support student access to care, but did not commit to a timeline for a formal leave policy at the meeting.
The district did not take formal action on a mental‑health leave at the April 30 meeting. Staff and board members said they would review the request, but emphasized the need to align any new procedure with state law, existing attendance and IEP processes and operational constraints. The student group provided written testimony and was told to email full testimony to boe@hcpss.org for staff review.
What happens next: Board staff will review the student request alongside legal and policy teams and may bring options back to the board for discussion. No formal policy change or vote was recorded at the April 30 meeting.
