Four years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, student mental health remains one of the biggest concerns of educators.
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association surveys school districts each year. This month’s State of Education report found that two-thirds of districts say student mental health is one of their biggest challenges. The schools estimate that nearly half of their students have some mental health need.
“I think that's an alarm-raising number, because that's an awful lot of kids when we look at the state as a whole,” said Andrew Christ, senior director of education policy at PSBA and the author of the report.
When PSBA first started the survey eight years ago, mental health was not a great concern.
“But certainly since the start of the pandemic, we've really seen student mental health issues skyrocket to the top of the challenges that school leaders reported,” Christ said.
That’s no surprise to Riverside Superintendent Paul Brennan. Students in the Lackawanna County school district receive help from a team of counselors, social workers and outpatient therapists. The district used grant funding to provide more options for students.
“During the pandemic, we uprooted everybody and any sense of normalcy that they had,” Brennan said. “We all know that students are more likely to thrive in an environment that prioritizes their emotional well being.”
The district has also tried to eliminate any stigma with seeking help.
“As we know, learning can't take place unless a kid is safe and supported by a school district,” Brennan said.
Gov. Josh Shaprio’s budget this week includes $100 million for mental health funding in schools. Christ says continued financial support for the mental health programs is needed.
“As we look to the future, I don't think these mental health issues are going away anytime soon,” Christ said.
