at the start of the year, 22 per cent of students faced stress, but by the end of the year, up to 30 per cent of those surveyed had stress that interfered with daily routines, like sleeping, eating, or extracurricular activity.
schwartz explained that exceeding the critical cutoff can also mean students are facing so much stress they may need such outside supports as counselling in some situations.
“a lot of the students’ frustration was having to move from in-person to online learning, changing expectations, and not having access to available supports.
“the key difference was available and accessible — you can have support that’s available, but it may not be readily accessible.”
schwartz explained older, high school-aged students faced the most stress academically, worrying about achieving grades high enough to meet post-secondary requirements.
but most importantly, schwartz said, when students reconvene in the fall, the fallout of the pandemic will still be evident, and school boards will have to be closely in tune with student need.
“the residue of this pandemic could be that we have students who have been managing ok, but now as life returns to pre-pandemic norms, there are still expectations socially and academically.