Opponents of continued lockdowns and keeping kids in remote learning pointed to the likely increase in emotional and mental health issues in our kids and a central Illinois school leader is indicating this past year they experienced a dramatic spike in those cases among their students.
Heyworth Schools Superintendent Dr. Lisa Taylor indicates they are dialing in on the emotional and mental health issues their students are experiencing. She says the hospitalization of students with these concerns doubled this last year.
According to Dr. Taylor, they have seen an increase in students seeking help from their counselor. She indicates the focus is going to be on increasing those resources in the school but also giving parents of the kids the information they need to better equip them to deal with these issues.
Dr. Taylor indicates the increases in mental and emotional issues among her students are not outliers. She says her peers are seeing and discussing the same things.
Many parents are concerned about the permanent damage we've done to our kids by forcing them into isolation throughout the pandemic. Dr. Taylor says she hears that all the time and believes the recourse is going to have to be getting more resources into schools to help kids.
To make the situation better Dr. Taylor says districts need to have local control going into the new school year in the fall. She believes Superintendents, principals, and school boards know what is best for their kids and community and that control needs to be put in their hands.
Dr. Taylor also points out they are hearing a lot from parents wanting to know how to help their kids and so they are doing as much as they can, but their biggest effort might be the resources they've put up at their district website.
Dr. Taylor points out almost every student they sent home to quarantine because of being exposed to COVID in the school never contracted the virus, and if they did, there were extenuating circumstances where a sibling in the household had the virus and that was where they contracted it.
