In The News: CDC Study: Virtual School Can Be Damaging To Children’s Mental Health

While virtual learning has kept our school communities safe amid the coronavirus crisis, a new study points to the impact that remote instruction takes on students’ and their families’ mental health.

Virtual instruction may pose more risks to the mental health and wellness of children and parents than in-person learning, according to a study published Thursday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More support may be needed to deal with the effects of the pandemic.

Parents whose children received virtual instruction or a combination of virtual and in-person instruction were more likely to report increased risk on 11 of 17 indicators of child and parental well-being, according to the new CDC study. The agency’s researchers looked at survey responses from October and November 2020 from 1,290 parents with children ages 5 to 12 years old.

Nearly 25% of parents whose children received virtual instruction or combined instruction reported worsened mental or emotional health in their children, compared to 16% of parents whose children received in-person instruction.

Read this full article in CBS News: CDC Study: Virtual School Can Be Damaging To Children’s Mental Health

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In The News: Amid attacks, school principals concerned over Asian Americans’ return to class

Parents are scared not just of the bullying in school but also of the harassment other adults could direct at their families on the way to school.

A New York City principal said the families of many of her Asian American students have been fearful as heightened levels of anti-Asian sentiment continue alongside the coronavirus pandemic and with violence toward Asian Americans gaining more national attention.

Racist incidents and attacks on members of the Asian community in public have, in part, persuaded some families not to send their children back to in-person schooling, administrators say.

The New York administrator, whose school has a Title I distinction — meaning it has a significant percentage of low-income students — said students’ “fear is real even if they are two blocks away from school.

Read this full article in NBC News: Amid attacks, school principals concerned over Asian Americans’ return to class

For community resources, information, and to report anti-Asian incidents in English and 11 Asian languages, visit Stop AAPI Hate.

Here are some links to resources for families and educators to discuss this issue with students from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP):

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In The News: Joe Biden administration will devote $650 million to help schools expand testing

The White House recently announced more details around the plan to get students back in classrooms- and school testing programs are a main priority. Here’s what you should know about the “initial investment” meant to help K-8 schools reopen by the end of April.

The White House announced Thursday the administration will host a summit on safely reopening schools and direct $650 million in funding to schools to expand testing in underserved communities.
During his prime time speech Thursday, President Joe Biden noted his announcement last week to vaccinate teachers and school officials by the end of March will help the majority of K-8 schools reopen within his first 100 days in office, or by the end of April.

“This is going to be the number one priority of my new Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona,” Biden said.
The Department of Education will host a national Safe School Reopening Summit this month to provide assistance in implementing the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s strategies for in-person instruction, according to a senior White House official.

Read this full article in USA Today: Joe Biden administration will devote $650 million to help schools expand testing

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In The News: Most Principals, District Leaders Predict Their Schools Will Be Fully In-Person This Fall

The vaccine rollout has picked up speed and states across the country are easing COVID-19 restrictions, but when will schools return to in-person learning? Some districts plan to head back to classrooms as early as this Spring, while others predict a sense of normal in the Fall.

The current rate of in-school instruction is continuing to rise as most educators predict their schools will be fully in-person next fall, a new EdWeek Research Center survey shows.

Most of the teachers who took the survey reported that, compared with prior to the pandemic, they are spending more time on review and on addressing basic, essential academic standards; district leaders said that the frequency of COVID-19 testing in schools is inching up; and teachers, principals, and district leaders predict that one surprisingly specific pandemic-era change—enhanced cleaning and ventilation protocols—may be here to stay.

The nationally representative, online questionnaire was administered February 24-26 to 1,196 educators, including 629 teachers, 265 principals, and 302 district leaders. It’s the latest in a series of monthly surveys the EdWeek Research Center has been conducting on the pandemic’s impact on schools and other timely topics.

Read this full article in EdWeek: Most Principals, District Leaders Predict Their Schools Will Be Fully In-Person This Fall

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In the News: I’m A Therapist Working With Children And Families. Here’s How COVID-19 Is Affecting Them

The pandemic has replaced the steady routine of daily life with uncertainty. One therapist in New York City explores the impact that the pandemic has on students’ development, education, and mental health, while sharing advice for parents during this challenging time.

As a psychoanalyst and parent guidance expert working in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic with parents of children and adolescents, and often with the children themselves, it has broken my heart to see the pain and emotional suffering that families are currently experiencing.

Not only am I busier than I have ever been in my long career as a clinician, but the intensity and degree of my patients’ stress has increased exponentially.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that 18- to 24-year-olds have reported high levels of anxiety and depression, and nearly a quarter have considered suicide. I’ve also seen this rise in despair among younger children, adolescents and their families in my own clinical practice. COVID-19 has opened a Pandora’s box of emotional, behavioral and mental health issues that will be difficult to put back in the box once the pandemic is under control.

Read this full article in HuffPost: I’m A Therapist Working With Children And Families. Here’s How COVID-19 Is Affecting Them

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