1)Last winter, the high school where I work suffered a cluster of student death by suicide or drug overdose.

2)It was awful for the families and friends of those students and gut wrenching for us teachers and staff who, over and over, had to inform and provide comfort for the students (and staff) wrecked by the sudden loss of life.

3) I bring this up because I know that our kids and teens are suffering right now - academically and with mental health - and there's a huge push to get kids back into schools to combat these sufferings. As much as I want kids back in school, I wish to urge caution.

4) Last winter when our community suffered so, there was much investigation and introspection about the elements in our building that might be causing these needless deaths. The answer was never found and the first wave of COVID stopped the investigation.

5) Today, we seem to know the culprit causing this stress and we're rushing them back to school to fix it. Where I'm skeptical is this: School can't be both the cause and cure to our children's mental health struggles.

6)The assumption that just sending kids back into buildings with friends, teachers, and a virus is going to make it all better is, I fear, misguided. In the best of times, schools are filled with challenges, stresses, and disequilibrium and that is a poor recipe for healing.

7) If your child or a child you care about is suffering right now, please don't hope beyond hope that sending them back to school, alone, will fix it. Most high schools are offering some form of wellness or mental health counseling.

8) Please seek it out and let it help you and your child manage these stressful times. Then, when we all eventually return, our school communities will be all the stronger for it.