Reopening schools alone will not solve student mental health issues, Penn GSE experts say

Wednesday, July 8, 2020

Caroline Watts and Marsha Richardson say re-opening schools and supporting the mental health of both students and school staff is not an either/or issue.

Media Contact: 
Jeff Frantz, Penn GSE Senior Associate Director of Communications

(215) 898-3269 | frantzj@upenn.edu

*Note for TV and radio: The University of Pennsylvania has an on-campus ISDN line and ready access to a satellite uplink facility with live-shot capability.


This week, several members of the Trump Administration argued that a key reason America’s K-12 schools need to open in-person this fall is to support “children’s mental health and social development.”

Penn GSE counseling experts Caroline Watts and Marsha Richardson agree that schools are the only place many American children can access some kind of mental health services. However, Watts and Richardson caution that reopening schools is a complicated issue, and re-opening schools and supporting the mental health of both students and school staff is not an either/or issue.

“Reopening itself will be a source of stress for children and families. As we see states reopening and cases rising again, fears about how safe contact really can be are also rising. Schools must come up with approaches to reopening that maximize benefits and minimize stress and risk where at all possible. It’s a very complex course, as we see with businesses and communities around the country and around the world. Rushing is irresponsible and will carry great cost.”

—    Caroline Watts, Senior Lecturer in Penn GSE’s School Counseling and Mental Health Services Program

“We need to recognize that professional counselors not only are working hard to support students, but they too, have experienced similar stressors that their students and families endured during these challenging times. We need to create more supports for these counselors. And counselors should be encouraged to identify other viable community-based supports for students within the schools and broader communities even before the return to school.”

—    Marsha Richardson, Senior Lecturer in Penn GSE’s School Counseling and Mental Health Services Program

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