Everyone should, but just treat it like a normal sick day. Its the parent's call.

I don't have to explain why my kid isn't coming in today. "Noise Jr. Isn't feeling well and won't be in". "Ok, cool, think she will be in tomorrow or should we ask for work to be sent home?"

Hell i've called in and said she wasn't going in because we were going skiing or to a ballgame.

If your kid needs mental health days AND sick days enough that you are in danger of falling under attendance mandatories, someone should be looking into it.

I get it, sometimes you just need a day. Sometimes I do. No shame in that. I think classifying stuff as that does more harm than good.

Maybe the better approach here is not being as black and white with attendance when you relate it to how they are performing at grade level.