By William J. Zee & Megan E. Bomba

October 20, 2021

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) released a new resource to aid in supporting social, emotional, behavioral and mental health for children and students during the COVID-19 Era. With the pandemic lasting over 18 months and spanning three school years, ED plans to centralize efforts to assist schools in providing mental health services to students. The new resource, Supporting Child and Student Social, Emotional, Behavioral, and Mental Health Needs, serves as supplemental information found in previous guidance from the ED COVID-19 Handbook volumes.

“We can't unlock students' potential unless we also address the needs they bring with them to the classroom each day. As educators, it's our responsibility to ensure that we are helping to provide students with a strong social and emotional foundation so that they also can excel academically," said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.

The new resource addresses challenges raised by the COVID-19 pandemic for students, and offers recommendations for better practices when managing social, emotional, and behavioral issues. Topics covered in the resource include mental health needs and disparities, policy and funding gaps, and access barriers. The resource also directs stakeholders to programs, centers and sources for mental health related technical assistance.

Should you have any questions about the topics addressed in this new resource, or any other student service-related issue, please do not hesitate to contact William J. Zee or any of the attorneys in the Appel, Yost & Zee Education group.