As schools plan for reopening, they must prioritize meeting the physical, social and emotional needs of students and staff.

This post was co-written with Kathy Higgins at the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

We’ve long known that unexpected crises can quickly highlight our society’s successes and failures.

The year 2020 has proved no exception, with a life-altering pandemic and stark exposé of racial injustice showing us that Black Americans, especially children, are shouldering the brunt of these circumstances.

COVID-19 has claimed the lives of more than 116,000 Americans and revealed a staggering racial divide among victims, with Black Americans dying at nearly three times the rate of White Americans. The pandemic has unmasked profound shortcomings in our quest for health equity and—coupled with the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, Tony McDade and countless other Black Americans at the hands of law enforcement—ignited a wave of pain and trauma across the nation. It’s left us all trying to understand what the right next steps should be as we begin to confront the pervasiveness of racism and injustice in all of the systems that support our society.

In a nation that is preparing to reopen schools and find normalcy in our education system—we must ensure that we are ready to meet children’s physical, social and emotional needs amid an era of incredible pain and trauma. And we must do so with a clear respect and understanding of the ways that racism is present in every aspect of health, both upstream and down.

Changing the educational landscape

Our nation’s schools will never be the same as before this pandemic. Classroom teaching, shared cafeteria meals, transportation to and from home—everything that once was in place to educate and care for students must be reconfigured.

As part of that reconfiguration, we must reconsider and replace policies that, whether through design or implementation, have led to an opportunity gap between students of color and White students. When schools eventually re-open, they will have to navigate daunting challenges to ensure the health and well-being of students, staff and teachers with a renewed emphasis on equity for students.

Keeping an eye on stress

Children may not be the primary victims of COVID-19, but they will be disproportionately impacted by its social, emotional and economic aftermath. Black children, in particular, will feel this pain even more acutely.

In the United States, around 3 in 5 children have dealt with at least one adverse childhood experience in their lifetime, which can affect their overall learning and development and put them at increased risk for chronic health and mental health conditions later in life. COVID-19, coupled with the latest and largest exposure of our nation’s deep-seated racial inequities, have the potential to magnify these traumatic experiences.

Chronic exposure to stress impacts a child’s ability to focus and learn. Uncertainty, worry, disruption to routines, and, for some, the grief of losing loved ones leads to high levels of stress. Reduced access to friends and other social connections, as well as nutritious food and safe places to play for months on end could have lifelong impacts. And while experiences with racism are not new to Black children, the latest calls to end racial injustice in America have likely unearthed additional trauma.

As we move forward, our schools and our education system should help ensure children and families are safe, supported and healthy, and that students receive the education they need and deserve. This can be a reality for schools across our nation if education leaders invest and prepare now.

Putting health first

During this time of transition, state and local leaders must:

1. Ensure that educators, an already stressed workforce, have the information, resources and support to prioritize their own mental health and well-being. When school resumes, they will be called upon even more to provide assistance, stability and resources to their students. We must focus on educators’ well-being and resilience so they can remain mentally and physically healthy for the path ahead.
2. Invest in the well-being of parents and caretakers, providing them with the resources they need to juggle challenges around working and schooling from home. This includes support for self-care, distance learning strategies, assistance navigating activities and resources during the summer months, and clear information about how schools will safely reopen. Having ongoing connection and support will enable them to be full partners in supporting their child’s return to school and feel comfortable openly communicating concerns.
3. Support educators in accessing the training and support they need to create equitable, diverse and inclusive schools. Demand equitable, comprehensive learning opportunities for students both academically and in terms of developing social-emotional skills. Communities of color are already experiencing inequities in housing, transportation, economic and educational opportunities—all of which are tied to physical, social and emotional health. The social-emotional needs of Black students in particular should not be overlooked, as they may be feeling the pandemic’s effects more acutely than their peers.
4. Set a strong post-COVID-19 school reopening strategy at the district level that emphasizes reconnecting and reestablishing safety and routines; ensures school-based mental health providers are available to students and staff; and reinforces equitable wellness policies that focus on the whole child, including their social-emotional health.

This pandemic has the potential to have long-lasting effects on this generation of children. Taking these critical steps now will help ensure every school is adequately prepared to respond to the needs of students, educators and families, as well as mitigate some of the secondary impacts of COVID-19.