By: Amanda Fernandez, Founder & CEO

Even before the pandemic, I knew Latino students and families were hurting, but the pandemic exposed them to a catastrophic event that wreaked havoc and decimated entire Latino neighborhoods and families. Nearly 200,000 Latinos in the United States have died of COVID-19, and millions of Latinos lost their homes, jobs and their sense of security while mourning the loss of abuelitos, tias, vecinos, and parents.

In 2020, Latinos for Education surveyed Latino families in Massachusetts and Houston, Texas about the ways COVID-19 was affecting their children, and to no surprise, mental health was their top concern. 43% of Latino families in Massachusetts and 46% in Houston noticed a decline in the mental well-being of their children during the pandemic; and 27% of Latino families in both Massachusetts and Houston noticed a loss of socialization among their children.

Latino families in Houston and Massachusetts are not alone; 43% of Latino parents nationwide say they are extremely or very worried their children might struggle with anxiety or depression at some point, and 48% worry their children might be bullied while at school. The growing mental health crisis is alarming considering that the lives of students are at risk; in fact, more than 1 in 5 (22%) students have seriously considered attempting suicide and 1 in 10 (10%) have attempted suicide according to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

Even one child suffering from anxiety or depression is one too many. As a parent, I know that if my child is suffering, the whole family suffers. Now multiply this by hundreds of thousands and that is the reality we are facing in education now. 

Unfortunately, Latinos often get left out of the conversation of mental health and well-being, but this Mental Health Awareness Month it’s important to spotlight why the future of our nation, and education, requires us to pay more attention to and address the mental health needs of Latino students.

Mental health, afterall, is a vital precursor to students’ academic success. When students get the mental health support they need, they are more likely to attend school, do better in the classroom, and are more likely to graduate from high school. The future of our education system, and our nation, demands that school leaders and policymakers prioritize the mental health and wellbeing of Latino students who will soon make up 30% of all students nationwide.

While the focus since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic has been on stabilizing the experience of students in our education system, now is the time to turn to healing and transformation.  There is no returning to normal in education when so many students are hurting and suffering from mental health issues. We need a different approach.

Policymakers and school leaders must invest in more school counselors and mental health professionals, particularly Latino mental health counselors and therapists, who can provide the appropriate support students need. Latino families already face significant barriers accessing culturally appropriate and affordable mental health care services in their communities; therefore schools might be the only place where Latino students can access these supports. 

Accordingly, policymakers and school leaders must think about meeting the social, emotional, and mental health needs of our students by restructuring our education system so it truly engages students, inspires them, and taps into their potential. While it has been critical to return students to the classroom, we know that it has not been easy for many students and many are still mentally and emotionally disconnected. Too many of our Latino children do not find their schools welcoming and engaging; nor do they find them inspiring or like they are meeting their personal passion. It is important to build on the interests and curiosity of students, use innovative, evidence-based approaches to teaching and learning, and provide culturally and linguistically relevant instruction.

Finally, policymakers and school leaders must create warm and welcoming environments for Latino students. This requires having caring and trusting adults in the school, teachers who share the experience and cultural background of students, healthy meals and activities for students, and a place where they feel safe and able to express themselves. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Latinos for Education along with YMCA of Greater Boston and Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción launched our own version of community learning pods to ensure that Black and Latino students would not be left behind due to the nature of virtual learning.

These community pods reflected the type of nurturing environment we should have at all our schools. Students were greeted by teachers who shared their culture and ethnicity and affirmed their identity; they had access to the technology they needed to be successful; they had interactive activities that inspired their imagination; and meals throughout the day. The students that participated in these learning pods fared better academically, and their parents expressed that their children were happy and motivated to attend these pods.

If we want all students to succeed, we cannot turn a blind eye to the growing mental health challenges that our Latino students are experiencing, but rather we need to find ways to help them heal and find ways to transform our education system so it inspires, engages and supports them to be successful throughout  their educational journey and beyond.

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