For schools, seeking a return to normalcy is only natural, but it may actually be counterproductive. Students coming back through our doors in the fall will be carrying the stress, anxiety and trauma of the past year. As Lorena shared in 2019, and as I have seen over the past decade consulting with schools on health and safety-related issues, reinforcing the idea of normalcy dismisses how abnormal things may feel for them.

So, what’s the alternative to getting back to normal? Ultimately, it’s being comfortable with another abnormal school year—even if that’s the last thing students, educators and parents want. And it’s building systems that ensure no students fall through the cracks and escalate to violence or self-harm.

With so many competing priorities this fall, this will be no easy feat. But the good news is that most schools have already built a solid foundation for this work through their COVID-19 response protocols.

All of the hard work schools have done since March 2020 to build out health and safety measures and mechanisms does not have to go to waste just because the likelihood of severe illness and death from the virus has been diminished. Schools can translate those protocols to address mental health.

  1. Destigmatize mental health challenges by integrating questions about mental health into daily COVID-19 health screenings.
  2. Build a strong threat assessment system that mimics COVID-19 response protocols to address concerns before they become greater issues.
  3. Utilize resources that have been dedicated to contact tracing to strengthen connections with families.

Read the full article about mental health by Chris Joffe at EdSurge.