New report shows pandemic's impact on Virginia public schools

New report details impact of the pandemic on students in Virginia

Learning loss, severe mental health problems, and a crushing teacher shortage are among the issues that continue to hamper Virginia schools well over two years since the start of the pandemic, according to a new report.

ARLINGTON, Va. - Learning loss, severe mental health problems, and a crushing teacher shortage are among the issues that continue to hamper Virginia schools well over two years since the start of the pandemic, according to a new report.

The Pandemic Impact on Public K-12 Education was requested by the Virginia Legislature and released earlier this week.

"There’s a variety of negative impacts, both for kids as well as for teachers," said Justin Brown, associate director of the Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, which compiled the study.

Among the findings: Chronic absenteeism "nearly doubled last year compared with pre-pandemic rates."

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Students reported "disconcertingly high levels of mental health issues," and in fact, "ten percent of middle school students and 13 percent of high school students indicated that they seriously considered attempting suicide in the past 12 months."

Academic achievement declined, and teacher vacancies are a major issue.

Before the pandemic, there were about 800 vacant teacher positions across Virginia. By August of this year, there were about 3300, according to the report.

"That teacher workforce piece is arguably the most concerning aspect of this," Brown explained, "because they’re the ones that are gonna really help these kids get the improvement that they need inside the classroom and outside of the classroom frankly."

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Virginia Secretary of Education Aimee Rogstad Guidera joined FOX 5 to discuss REACTION to a dismal report showing just how far students fell behind during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brown said the state legislature and many school districts have started taking action, however, some parents said they believe more needs to be done.

"This has been a monumental issue," said Reginald Goeke, a parent and board member of the group Arlington Parents for Education. "It’s not just in Arlington, it’s across the country, and it needs to be met with a very concerted effort, a substantial investment of money, a substantial investment of additional learning loss time."

You can view the full Pandemic Impact on Public K-12 Education report here.