It comes as no surprise that with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, students' mental health has greatly declined. MCPS students deserve time to relieve stress from home life, school work, and the tremendous anxiety the pandemic has caused.

After receiving feedback from dozens of students and teachers across the county, it is crucial that schools close on May 21st 2021, in order to address the needs of students and staff.

We implore the Montgomery County BOE to also consider how this pandemic has disproportionality affected the health of communities of color, and how rates of anxiety and depressive disorder have specifically skyrocketed in Black and Hispanic communities. The average share of adults reporting symptoms of anxiety disorder and/or depressive disorder increased from 11.0% in Jan-Jun, 2019 to 41.1% in January 2021.

Therefore, changing the last day of school for teachers and students will improve the overall health and well-being of the community at large.

To find more information about how the pandemic has affected our community, read this article about: The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use