Increase in student suicides has prompted 5th largest school district in US to accelerate return to in-person learning

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The Clark County, Nevada school district, with more than 326,000 students enrolled, has been totally isolated since March 2020 – when the Covid-19 pandemic began. In nine months since March, there have been 19 student suicides in the district, a school official confirmed to CNN. The year before, there were only nine.

The district did not find a direct link between the deaths and distance learning. However, six students died by suicide between March 16 and June 30, and 12 students died between July 1 and December 31. There was one more death earlier this month, a district official confirmed to CNN on Monday.

Partly citing social and emotional well-being, the Clark County Board of Trustees voted unanimously to begin bringing students back for in-person learning at a meeting on January 14.

“The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be very difficult for education,” said Superintendent Dr. Jesus Jara. “We will continue to make the health and safety of students and staff a top priority.” As we continue to examine the academic and health crisis that the pandemic has caused, I believe the proposed plan provides the first steps in returning our students and educators to the classroom. “

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The district has established an early warning system to help monitor the mental health and well-being of students. Through this system, students received over 4,300 virtual wellness checks and over 1,400 in-person wellness checks. Suicide protocols have been initiated 30 times since March 2020, according to a report released by the district.

The district report also highlighted the pressure that long-term distance learning places on students academically, stating that 90.4% of schools donated more F this year than the previous year, and 77 , 2% of schools gave more D than last year. Among those who obtained an F during the fall semester, 11.2% of them obtained all Aces and Bs in fall 2019.

In-person learning during pandemic is possible with the right precautions, CDC researchers say

As cases of Covid-19 climb across the country, school districts face an impossible dilemma of protecting the mental health of students by returning to class or keeping them at home.

In October, a group of researchers warned of the mental health consequences of Covid-19, predicting a second wave of problems such as increased suicide deaths and drug overdoses.
However, some teachers in the United States have died from the virus – which has prompted some teachers to switch to fully virtual classes.

In an article published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that the type of spread seen in crowded offices and long-term care facilities did not not reported in schools.

Transmission at school has taken place, but researchers said there was little evidence that it significantly contributed to increased community transmission.
For assistance, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). There is also crisis text line. For crisis assistance in Spanish, call 1-888-628-9454.

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