“Students are experiencing new and ongoing trauma without the daily support of their teachers, their peers and other staff. Now more than ever, it is imperative that we reach out to our students to ensure their safety, and to determine what their needs are so that we can connect with them and connect them to appropriate resources,” Jackson said.
Studies have shown that at least one in five children and adolescents have a mental health disorder that causes some impairment in functioning, while only about 20 percent of these youth receive any mental health services, said Mayra Alvarez, presenter and president of the advocacy group The Children’s Partnership.
Although social distancing measures prevent staff from checking on students and providing services in person, Alvarez was among the speakers who noted that using telehealth services can be an effective and efficient way of providing mental health to vulnerable populations. As more devices are provided to students and more households can access the internet, such services will be more widely available to children and teens in low-income and rural areas. Guidance is available to district and school leaders interested in adopting telehealth in their child care centers and schools to expand access to mental health services at www.childrenspartnership.org/research/telehealth-report.
Regardless of the methods used to connect with students, the need to is vital, and for some children, urgency is just as important. Due to the economic upheaval and widespread school closures, children are home with parents who are often stressed out and at the end of their rope, explained California Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris.
The need to focus on student mental health will be just as crucial when schools reopen, Burke Harris said, noting that the extended isolation and sudden upending of routine will have an impact on all children. Guidance from the surgeon general’s office on stress relief for caregivers and children during COVID-19 can be found at https://bit.ly/2x5fCgo.