When the COVID-19 pandemic began in the early spring, school shutdowns helped safeguard the physical health of students. But those same closures had a significant effect on mental health, contributing to a rise in depression, stress, anxiety and suicidal thoughts among some children.
That surge was one of the reasons some parents and educators were eager to reopen and resume physical classes this fall. However, many schools only held physical classes for a few weeks or even days before spikes in COVID-19 infections forced shutdowns again. That means plans to reopen schools, though well-meaning, have had the potential to cause more harm than good for the mental health of students. This open-or-shut uncertainty can act as an added stressor for children and adolescents who are already struggling.
