In The News: Students returning to school after COVID-19 facing scarce mental health resources

Cases of coronavirus in the US are going down, signs of pre-pandemic life are emerging, and students are returning to school across the country. However, as the hidden pandemic- the mental health crisis- continues to impact children, adolescents, and teens more than any other age group, school resources are in short supply. Read on for more.

Caden McKnight was elected student body president of his Las Vegas high school in February 2020. A year later he was in his room, attending a Zoom meeting of the Clark County School District Board of Trustees, pleading with board members to reopen the district’s schools. Just being together in person and having a normal routine, McKnight said, would help kids cope with mental health struggles. He told the board members about his own grief over the death of his friend, Mia, who died just after Valentine’s Day this year from an accidental drug overdose. “I knew her since I was 11,” he said of Mia, who had been his date to a homecoming dance. “I grew up with her and she got to see me grow up. It’s tough as a 17-year-old kid when these people around me are dying. I love my family, but I have no outlet to express how I’m feeling the way I used to when I was at school with teachers and friends.”

Read this full article in USA Today: ‘Students returning to school after COVID-19 facing scarce mental health resources’