Youth mental health is in crisis. Are schools doing enough?

By JOCELYN GECKER and DYLAN LOVAN

CECILIA, Ky. (AP) — This year’s back-to-school season will restore a degree of pre-pandemic normalcy. But many of COVID-19’s lasting impacts remain a troubling reality for schools. Among them: student mental health reached crisis levels last year. The pressure on schools to figure out solutions has never been greater. Districts across the country are using federal pandemic money to hire more mental health specialists, rolling out new coping tools and expanding curriculum that prioritizes emotional health.