One New York State Senator is introducing a bill that would allow students to miss school for mental health reasons as well as physical ones.

State Senator Brad Hoylman introduced legislation Thursday that would require schools to consider missing school for mental or behavioral health issues as an excused absence.

Under current New York law, schools determine their own attendance policies and decide which absences are allowed.

Hoylman pointed to a recent study finding the number of children and teenagers treated for suicide attempts or suicidal thoughts nearly doubled between 2007 and 2015.

He also noted that here in New York, nearly 4,500 kids were hospitalized for self-harm in 2016.