Hall County School Superintendent Will Schofield said he understands parents are concerned about their children contracting COVID. However, he told school board members Monday night the intense focus by national leaders on COVID cases is one-dimensional, when students are facing a number of more serious health issues.
"Our teachers have been telling us for the last 18 months that they're seeing significant increases in trauma/mental health issues within the home," Schofield said. "I think it was telling that the first year we went out of school we saw record low reports that May of students at DFCS who were referred for child abuse...we know that children were suffering in those environments with no outlets and nobody to tell."
Schofield cited studies - including one from the Atlanta-based CDC - that point to an increase of as much as 51% in instances of attempted suicide by school-age girls since the onset of the pandemic.
"So when we talk about the fact that making decisions based on children being home or wearing masks or mitigating issues only has to do with whether or not they may contract COVID, we certainly don't agree with that assumption in the Hall County School District," Schofield said.
After he made those points, Schofield told board members he and other district officials had been working on an online survey to get parents' perspective on how their students are navigating the emotional issues they have been facing since the onset of the pandemic.
"We've explained emotional well-being as 'the ability to deal with life's challenges,'" Schofield said. "As a dad, I could tell you today how well I thought my children were in a position to deal with the everyday challenges of life. What we're really interested in with this survey is 'what is your perception since the pandemic began of where your kids are today?'"
The survey, which can be completed anonymously, includes questions on a number of mental health issues, including anxiety.
"We continue to see studies that say children's anxiety is through the roof," said Schofield. "By the way, the average age onset of anxiety now - five. I don't know about any of you, but when I went to kindergarten about the only thing I worried about was what was for lunch and whether or not I was going to get to take my nap today, and that is not the normal experience for kindergartners today and it breaks my heart."
School Board Vice-Chairman Nath Morris asked what the district plans to do with the data, noting that some parents might be hesitant to share such personal information, even if they are guaranteed anonymity.
Schofield said he doesn't think parents will be shy about sharing their worries and concerns.
"I would see it as a key touchstone for some of the big decisions we have to make as we move forward," Schofield said. "Isn't it unfortunate that a lot of times a few people get in a back room and make decisions that affect the well-being of 28,000 kids without asking the families that they come from?...I think it's unfortunate that local schools are having to ask these questions. We are making a lot of high-stakes decisions in this country based on one metric and that is 'what is the rate of COVID spread in a community?'"
Schofield noted that the school district is using about $2 million in federal CARES Act funding to make additional mental health resources available to students, so the survey results should help know how to steer that funding.
The survey, when it is complete, will be sent to parents by each school. It will not appear on the school district website in order to maintain the integrity of the responses.
