To better understand the toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on student mental health, I encourage you to read the disturbing Texas Tribune article from over the holidays, “As pandemic grinds on, Texas students increasingly feel alone and scared, and some are thinking about suicide.”

The article reminds us why the legislative actions taken in 2019 to address student mental health and provide students with safe and supportive learning environments — including bills championed by Chair Four Price, Chair Larry Taylor, Chair Dan Huberty, Chair Senfronia Thompson, Senator Jose Menedez, Rep. Greg Bonnen, Rep. Steve Allison, and others — are so critical for both the health and education of youth in Texas.

The fact is, students do a better job of learning, managing their behavior, and making healthy choices when they attend schools that intentionally support their social, emotional, and mental wellness.

The widespread distress created by COVID-19 among students, families, and educators makes these school-based mental health efforts all the more important. Stress, anxiety, frustration, and feelings of grief or sadness are all normal responses to the pandemic, but these emotions can interfere with a student’s ability to learn and a teacher’s ability to teach. And because trauma and adversity can lead to chronic stress — which disrupts the normal functioning and development of areas of a child’s brain that control things like attention, judgement, and behavior — the effects of the pandemic on student learning will remain long after the pandemic itself has ended. Students from low-income households, students with pre-existing mental health concerns, students in foster care, and students of color are particularly at risk for chronic stress, which means the existing educational gaps among these groups will widen if schools fail to address the social-emotional effects of the pandemic on student learning.

This session, the Legislature must take action to ensure school districts put their student mental health and supportive school plans and procedures into effective practice. The Legislature needs to provide school districts with funding that supports robust implementation of the laws passed in 2019. Legislators should also strengthen the capacity of TEA and education service centers to work with school districts in using effective school-based strategies that promote the social, emotional, and academic development of students.

We look forward to working with you on these goals during the session.