The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on students, their families, educators, and the school’s mental health workforce. The significant and known short- and long-term harm to the students, in particular, that is attributed to closed schools include, but are not limited to, emotional, social, behavioral health and academic achievement.
The American Academy of Children and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) and the American Psychiatric Association (APA) have recognized that education, including school attendance, is essential for successful and healthy development for all children and adolescents.
According to a recent JAMA Pediatrics report, young children can potentially drive the COVID-19 spread within the general population. Behavioral habits of young children and close quarters in schools and daycare settings raise concern for COVID-19 amplification for communities as public health restrictions are eased.
Reopening, and maintaining the doors open, of all schools during a pandemic is new territory for everyone, and the children and their parents are likely to experience even more stress and anxiety as the school year begins and continues than ever before.
Guiding the parents during the transition to returning their children to school is necessary for a smooth school year. Possible steps school administrators and the mental health workforce can do to ensure this are the following:
- Educate the parents on the steps your school is doing to prevent COVID-19, and the protocols in place if a positive or potential contact occurs.
- Counsel parents to consider their individual family needs and issues and develop precise socialization rules that they make clear to their children based on the age and maturity level.
- Counsel parents to educate their children in proper handwashing & mask utilization.
- Counsel parents on the importance of framing the statements positively. Child Mind Institute has several tips on supporting children during this pandemic.
- Set up a periodic “roundtable” webinars to answer any questions/concerns and, if needed, discuss new steps your school is taking to ensure safety.
Private, public, charter, and the school districts have an opportunity to do better by the students, teachers, and parents this school year. The CDC recommends that schools continue to prepare for continued uncertainty as the schools move forward in the fall semester.
It is essential to look for new ways to stay ahead of the pandemic and its side effects on its faculty, students, and families. The stress and anxiety on your faculty over the risk of COVID-19 spreading within your school can be very overwhelming. Taking steps to give your faculty, students, and parents peace of mind can help make your school run as smoothly as possible during the pandemic.
Possible steps to do so are the following:
- Create teacher professional development courses for the most appropriate ways to handle the new learning aspects for remote learning, empathy courses, and stress management.
- Align resources to design a plan to respond to each student’s needs.
- Consider adding a medical advisor to staff to formulate and guide the protocols and procedures for possible positive COVID-19 cases or exposures.
- Consider adding a complete and comprehensive COVID Exposure Management service in place to alleviate the burden of the pandemic effects from your faculty, such as all the initial, follow up calls, and the tracking of positive or exposed COVID-19 persons.
- Share innovative strategies with other schools that have worked for your school.
We are in this together and working side by side to formulate the best course of action is essential to give our future generations the best education possible. We cannot leave learning to chance for any student.
Written by: Nicole Bramblett, MHA