More than 20 school districts nationwide extend Thanksgiving break for teacher and student mental health days – CNN

Districts in at least six different states including Missouri, Kansas, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, and Maryland have amended their schedules to include "wellness days" this school year.

Missouri's Ladue School District is among at least a dozen districts in the St. Louis area that built in extra days of rest around the holiday.

"We were noticing a common theme and that was stress," Ladue Superintendent Jim Wipke told CNN. "When you talk to (teachers) about 'how can I help you?' a lot of them said, 'I just need some time, time to decompress.'"

"My hope is these extra couple of days will allow everyone to take a little extra time for themselves and their families. Family is, after all, much of what Thanksgiving is all about," said St. Louis Superintendent of Schools Kelvin R. Adams, according to the district's release.

Kansas City Public Schools is one of the multiple school districts in Kansas to add November 22 and 23 to the existing break to give students and staff the full week off.

"While this is not something that's been done before, we felt there was never a more appropriate time to show our appreciation and our recognition of efforts made each and every day across our district," said Misty Belford, Chairwoman of the School Board of Brevard County.

Districts in Central Virginia and Chapel Hill-Carborro Schools in North Carolina have all extended their breaks by two days as well.

In addition, Detroit Public Schoolsannounced Wednesday itwill switch to remote learning for Fridays in December, in part due to the need for "mental health relief."

CNN's Evan McMorris-Santoro and Liam Reilly contributed to this report.

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More than 20 school districts nationwide extend Thanksgiving break for teacher and student mental health days - CNN