For thousands of low-income students in Georgia, barriers to learning have been exacerbated by COVID-19. We need to make sure students’ needs outside the classroom are being met: access to food, housing, health care, mentors and counseling referrals. How can we expect children to focus on schoolwork when they are hungry and living in unstable environments? The impact will be greatest for students who, triggered by the pandemic, drop out of school entirely.
Communities In Schools® of Georgia is already working in 244 schools in 38 school districts across 34 counties providing integrated students supports to approximately 90,000 students. And, even throughout the challenges of this past year, the statewide network was able to keep 98% of their case managed students in the education system. Whether it’s mental health checks, meals, internet access, tutors to help with digital learning, or mentoring to provide emotional support, CIS of Georgia’s evidence-based model empowers students and supports their families.
Students are feeling disconnected and distressed in what has been a difficult school year. Before schools closed a year ago, in the Georgia Student Health Survey completed by 725,000 middle and high schoolers, 46% of students said they felt depressed, sad or withdrawn over the past 30 days and 30% experienced intense anxiety or fears that got in the way of daily activities. Now that students have lost family members, connections with friends, and their support system inside schools, mental health ER visits for kids are up 25-30%1.
But, across the state—even in rural communities—Communities In Schools has been working inside school buildings and beyond the classroom to ensure their students have a trusting, one-on-one relationship with a caring adult, no matter where their learning is taking place. “CIS is like family. Mrs. Ali (CIS site coordinator) listens to me and never judges. I know she is always there for me,” said Communities in Schools of Georgia 9th grader, Tamarion in Catoosa County.
Physiological needs (food, clothing, shelter) and safety needs related to the coronavirus are the first step in helping schools reengage with students and keep them on track—from technology for distance learning to personal protective equipment. In remote communities like Hancock County, where the population is less than 90,000, there is little broadband access. “Our students have continued their education with Wi-Fi hotspots where their use is possible. Where it’s not possible, paper copies of schoolwork must be picked up or delivered to students so they can complete their studies,” said Communities In Schools of Hancock County Executive Director, Regina Butts.
Food insecurity has doubled for families with children since before the pandemic, growing from roughly 14 percent in 2018 to about 32 percent of households in July 2020. These rates are even higher for African American households2. “For students who cannot be reached through remote means, I make home visits, delivering hard copies of schoolwork, weekend backpack meals, and providing support and encouragement while still being safe and social distancing,” shares CIS site coordinator Ted Reid.
In response to COVID-19, the Communities In Schools of Georgia network went beyond school walls, delivering learning materials to students without internet access or computers, tracking down parents and kids who were not participating in virtual class, meeting with families to encourage online learning, checking in with teachers about online learning participation, performing mental wellness checks on students, making sure students have hot-spots, and providing virtual mentors and tutors.
