“We can’t have a full recovery without full-strength schools, everyone back, sitting in those classrooms, kids learning again,”  Says Bill Deblasio after announcing to the public that New York city public schools will now be reopening and there would be no more online school. After a full year of online school, we have now resumed in-person learning but with safety restrictions.

We may be back to school, but there is something that needs to be talked about, which is how this new transition has affected students and how schools can help them.

  Saadman Nur, a freshman at the NYCischool said “The new transition has not affected me one bit. I really don’t mind it”. It seems that he really does not care about the new transition because it has not made his life any bad. Saadman Nur was also asked how teachers can help him everyday to make him feel better and more comfortable, and this is what he says.  “Less assignments especially when I’m absent because I have other classes and responsibilities outside of school.” According to Saadman, he thinks he is getting lots of assignments and especially math is the one that hits him hard since his self-esteem gets lower and does not know if to put his mental health first or his homework.

Not only was Saadman Nur affected Malachi Peters, a freshman who also attends NYCischool and has also been hardly affected by the whole new transition. “I like it in person mostly. It’s just been though, still using laptops and coming back to school just brings lots of nostalgia.” Responded Malachi Peters while being asked how his transition affected his mental health.  Not only that but he wishes there was a day when teachers can spend time with students talking mainly about “life.” He thinks it will benefit all members of NYCischoool and any other high school there is. Not just that but he thinks that students work hard and it is not fair that we don’t get a mental break.

It doesn’t end there  Julia Gray, a NYCischool freshman, has had some thoughts of her own. “ I feel like I am more mentally stable and feel more happy because I am not looking at a computer screen for hours non stop” Says Julia Gray. Oh and it does not stop there she also has a very strong suggestion that schools should start doing so students and teachers can stay healthier. “ I do prefer to have a mask on all day instead of having online school but sometimes it’s hard because I feel like I’m suffocating so I think it’s a smart choice that people have to take a break from the mask and actually start breathing! Oh and especially with the stairs, trust me it’s hard to go up 5 flights where there are a bunch of high schoolers and I am wearing a mask. I feel like I am being suffocated”

Aside from the interviews, the CNBC  news website  has made a statement on how the transition to school has affected students. “The pain these children felt exemplifies what too many underserved families endured during the pandemic. But studies indicate that children from all kinds of families also suffered, if only from losing their routines and missing their friends. Others watched family members die or fall ill or suffered the fallout from their caregivers’ lost or down-sized jobs.” This shows how all the challenges in students life outside of school plus school it self can build in so much stress on these students. Oh and that’s not it, teens feeling sad can lead to stress which can lead to mental health diagnosis such as depression, anxiety, OCD, and so much more. 

There is more than that. The New York Daily News website has mentioned how schools are getting more security instead of counselors that will actually help students’ mental health. “I can’t believe I have to even say it, but an NYPD gaming console on wheels is the last thing youth of this city need. Black and Brown young people are desperately in need of more school counselors, social workers, and restorative justice practices to teach us how to handle conflict in healthy ways. We also need youth employment and training programs that are designed to empower youth and prepare us for the world outside of the classroom doors.” This just says how school is already enough for students to be stressed out but having cops in school just makes students uncomfortable and especially with the knowledge that we have from the past of some cops being racist to people of color and hurting them. With more counselors, schools will be safer and better for all students because there will be more help for everyone’s mental health. This is not just going to impact their mental health, it will impact their behavior and choices.

At last, there are still a few questions that remain unanswered, but public schools in NYC are still trying to figure things out on how they can make a difference in their school environment. Not just that but some New York City public schools have yet not made an impacting change in how they can help to improve their students’ mental health. Will NYC public high schools become worse or better? Yet we don’t know.