Several concerned parents spoke out about the presumed ill effects of COVID-19 health measures on children’s education and mental health at Rocky View Schools (RVS) Board of Trustees’ final meeting of the 2020-21 school year on June 17.
Delegates Alana Constance and Mike Cann made a formal presentation to the board that included impact statements and testimonials from youth, parents, and health-care practitioners from across Canada. Their presentation included an analysis of the possible psychological harms of public health measures, primarily focusing on social distancing and masking in schools.
“We are aware that restrictions are lifting, but we feel it’s important that our voices are heard right now, especially with the uncertainty that the fall will most likely bring,” Cann said. “We are advocating for our youth that all COVID restrictions are lifted permanently in the school setting.”
The presentation included audio and video recordings of students who were willing to share the impact of public health measures on their mental health and academic performance. One Grade 6 student from Bearspaw School said the masks meant he could not see other student’s faces, and as a result, made it difficult for him to interpret their emotions.
“I didn’t know if [teachers and students] were smiling at me or if they were angry at me,” he said. “In my opinion, it’s really hard to understand what people are thinking and what people are saying [due to] mumbling.”
The student added that COVID-19 health measures have also impacted his academic performance and overall school experience.
“[Restrictions have] impacted my grade. I can’t keep track of assignments online. It’s really hard to get the work done at home with a bunch of distractions,” he said, adding that he wishes he could “re-do” Grade 6.
A parent of a Grade 8 student at Bearspaw School said her son has been diagnosed with a non-verbal learning disability, which inhibits him from picking up on the subtleties of body language, social cues and facial expressions.
“Facial masking and social distancing have only added to and intensified his daily struggles,” the parent said. “His disability also brings anxiety and mental health concerns.
“Prior to COVID, he was starting to thrive at school. He was gaining independence and so much confidence in himself. [It took] many years of continuous work, repetition and encouragement for him to gain his newfound confidence.”
She added that 16 months into the pandemic, her son has now lost much of the confidence he had previously gained.
A third testimonial came from a Grade 7 student from Mitford School in Cochrane, who said she missed out on most of the school activities that she used to look forward to, including field trips, assemblies, spirit rallies, school dances and parades.
“There was nothing even close [to those events] this year, which made it really hard to have anything to look forward to,” she said. “I went through many struggles and I was feeling depressed a lot of the time. I felt lonely and I was very frustrated.”
The presentation also included studies regarding an increased suicide rate among young people, along with an increase in unhealthy coping mechanisms such as substance abuse and self-harm. Finally, the presentation included a risk-cost analysis of mandating mask-wearing in schools that indicated the harm outweighs any perceived health benefits.
Constance said the cause hits close to home as she has struggled to facilitate homeschooling and online learning for her children who were once thriving in the school setting. She added that they missed the routine of a regular school day.
"It was a full time job managing their school day while having a three year old with Down Syndrome needing care and attention at home as well," she said. "All of this created an increase stress in the home during these school isolations and closures and [we heard] from other families we were not alone."
While no formal discussion took place at the meeting, Ward 5 Trustee Judi Hunter thanked the delegates for “coming forward and standing up for our kids.” Similarly, Ward 2 Trustee Patty Sproule recommended the delegates make a formal presentation to the Alberta government in the coming months.
Constance added that she and her fellow delegates will continue to communicate with RVS to ensure transparency and lifted measures for the 2021/22 school year.
"Our children matter. Their mental health matters," she said. "Their development in every aspect matters and if we as parents and educators collectively don’t advocate and stand up for our children, who will?
"The long term effects of these isolations and lockdowns are unknown."
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