WORRYING

Nearly 50% of Public Schools See Rise in Classroom Fights, Threats After Pandemic Disruption

Federal data released this week paints a disturbing picture of what one expert described as “pandemic-related harm.”

Public schools across the U.S. are seeing an increase in behavioral issues among students long after classroom learning resumed following the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s according to federal data released Wednesday that one expert cited by The Washington Post said showed a trend of “pandemic-related harm to students and their teachers.” Kevin Welner, director of the National Education Policy Center, was commenting on a survey that showed 70 percent of schools reported chronic absenteeism among students in the 2021-2022 school year. The survey by the National Center for Education Statistics, taken among 846 public schools, also revealed that 46 percent of schools saw a rise in fighting and threats between students, and 56 percent of schools reported frequent disruptions due to student misconduct. Nearly 80 percent of schools also said they need more mental-health support, for students or staff, and 70 percent said more efforts need to be taken to help students’ social-emotional development.