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Experts call on states to consider teacher mental health as officials push to reopen school

In Jefferson and Rapides parishes in Louisiana, more than half of early ed teachers who were recently surveyed are making less money than before the coronavirus pandemic. More than 40 percent are experiencing food insecurity. Eighty-five percent of teachers are worried that children will come to school sick and more than half are worried that they will have to go to work while sick. And nearly 1 in 5 have spent their own money on supplies like face masks and cleaning supplies. All this stress is taking a toll on teachers: Nearly 40 percent of those who responded reported clinically relevant signs of depression.

These findings, which were published in a new report by EdPolicyWorks at the University of Virginia and the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, are focused on Louisiana but echo concerns from across the country. As child care centers have reopened nationwide, the educators are facing stress from strict new state health and safety regulations, ongoing Covid-19 outbreaks and financial concerns about the viability of the businesses where they work. Yet many early childhood educators have no choice but to return to their jobs. “I could probably die if I go back to work,” one Louisiana teacher said in response to the early ed survey. “But I have to.”

As the Trump administration pushes states to open schools, K-12 educators will soon face many of the same concerns as their early childhood colleagues. And many were already dealing with mental health challenges: only a month into school shutdowns, teachers were already reporting feeling exhausted and stressed.

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