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Students' stress, grief a concern County school system may not be capturing gravity of situation

Capital - 5/26/2020

School and county officials worry data that shows decreases in reports indicative of student mental health aren't fully capturing grief and stress students are feeling during the school closures for coronavirus concerns and what that will mean when schools reopen.

Right now, the mental health of Anne Arundel County students is wide ranging depending on household situations, Director of Student Resources Ryan Voegtlin said.

In the beginning of school closures, the system worked to address immediate needs such as food insecurity and internet access with distribution sites for meals and Chromebooks.

"Now, we will probably see the mental health come up as we get in deeper and the uncertainty is still there. We still don't know what the rest of the year looks like, we don't know about summer or the fall."

Similar to a classroom setting, the school system transitioned in-person mental health resources to online for students. Voegtlin said social and emotional lessons all students can access have moved onto Google Classrooms and staff members rely on telehealth.

He noted that the school system has seen a decrease of reports of suicidal statements or behaviors. From March 10 to May 5, 2019, the system counted approximately 600 reports. Between that time period this year, the school system has seen approximately 100 reports.

"I can't attribute that to a decrease in what children are feeling," Voegtlin said. Instead, students may turn to others who are near rather than who they would talk to in school.

But he said anxiety could increase as schools remain closed and students experience different types of grief.

"Kids are going through a grieving process of what they experienced as the normal is not the norm anymore. The longer we go through this and that grieving process gets a little longer, I would predict an anxiety of coming back to school and an increase."

For school counselors, the face-to-face interactions and small group meetings with children have shifted. Tracey Spain, a school counselor at Hilltop Elementary, said now she uses Google Classroom for things like mindfulness and stress reduction lessons for students.

Even though Spain saw less referrals since school shutdowns began in March, she doesn't believe the numbers reflect that there is not a need for counseling.

"With COVID-19, you are in the house and you are talking with someone about what is going on with other people in the house so that looks different. I don't believe in any way that it is not happening, it is happening, students probably need to talk to a counselor or a mental health professional," Spain said.

In particular, Spain said schools will need to be prepared for when students come back to the classroom, looking forward to deal with stress reduction and grief.

"We don't know how families have been directly impacted by COVID-19. We don't know what grief the students are going through right now," she said.

Mary Stuart Kempton, a school psychologist at Southern Middle, said during the school closure some students may be less stressed due to less social interaction or school-related anxiety while others may be grieving the lack of social interactions.

"It is hard to know what the fall will look like and what mental health issues students may return with - some will relish being back with friends and involved in activities. Others might go back to having some of that social stress or school related anxiety," she said.

Sabina Khan, a senior at Severna Park High and co-founder of a mental health awareness group called Our Minds Matter, said the stay-at-home orders have taken a toll on students.

"People have found solace in their friends. I think a lot of students have come up with their own coping mechanisms, if they haven't already they are definitely working on it now...everyone around me is at their most depressed that I've ever seen."

She pointed out that the Anne Arundel Board of Education and school system are dealing with a range of issues to address the pandemic and compared it to a Hydra - cutting off one head just means another appears.

"I think right now, mental health is being handled by friends and by families, which is definitely really difficult for a lot of people who aren't as privileged as their neighbor."

Amy Stapleton, a bereavement manager for the Chesapeake Life Center said students can experience "an ambiguous loss." She said it is a type of loss that is not often named and happens with a transition.

As students remain at home, they may not be able to see friends or teachers, participate in sports or walk across a stage for graduation, "all the things that give their life meaning and purpose," she said.

"Kids really thrive on structure, on knowing who and what they can count on and so much of what we are living in is ambiguity and uncertainty," Stapleton said

Once families are able to address basic needs and routine settles back in, Stapleton said that is when responses to loss can occur. She advises adults and guardians not dismiss how children feel but instead acknowledge the emotions and feelings.

The center was scheduled to train school counselors on ambiguous loss to provide them help on what to do for children who experience that loss, Stapleton said.

One particular population of students may be hit hard.

Earlier this month, Jen Corbin, the director of Anne Arundel Crisis Response, recalled seeing an increased number of homeless youth and families, and the anxieties born out of uncertain job prospects or housing situations.

"We're assessing the parents who are struggling but over time what happens to those youths if we don't wrap ourselves around them and make sure they're OK," Corbin asked. She said parents are scared they will not be able to pay rent and others are concerned about job security.

Overall, her team has seen an almost 50% decline in youth assessments conducted by the mobile crisis staff. Normally, her team will have around 45 but for the month of April had only 20, Corbin said.

Corbin said addressing mental health needs will require a county effort.

Last year, the county mental health department and school services came together to form a task force on mental health.

Voegtlin, a co-chair of the task force, said a summary of recommendations have been sent to Superintendent George Arlotto and for the board to review. But he pointed out that the board could extend the task force timeline to the fall in order to give the group more time to assess possible needs based on pandemic concerns.

Corbin said the response from the school system and county agencies has come with good communication and an online environment for resources.

The Department of Student Resources is working to help families access what they need, said the homeless education liaison Jennifer Laque.

"I would certainly say, school is a place that offers stability and safety for students experiencing homelessness. They were a vulnerable population prior and even more so during this time. We are trying to be proactive and outreach to our homeless families," she said.

The school system supports 1,093 students who are considered homeless as they are not in traditional housing situations but could be in shelters or living with others, Laque said.

Staff are connecting families to food aid like SNAP, medical assistance and unemployment applications, Laque said. Her team also connects students to call lines or other resources though she noted that right now families are focused on basic needs.

Throughout it all, students remain resilient.

Stapleton pulled up examples in the past with students who experienced violence or loss and said children can adapt and cope.

"If we help kids shape the narrative of this experience right now, not as something that will define them but something that has impacted them and we provide them with an experience where they can talk about that freely without judgment - they're going to be OK," she said.

Students can use the Anne Arundel County Crisis Warmline at 410-768- 5522, the Student Safety Hotline at 877-676-9854, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800-273-TALK) or Crisis Text Line (text TALK to 741741). More resources are available at aacps.org/crisisresources.