Coping With the Pandemic: Implementing Social and Emotional Learning in the California K-12 School System

In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Among the massive shutdowns that occurred across the United States in response, all K-12 schools in California closed to protect the health of students. However, such a closure and its resulting consequences were associated with a host of negative mental health implications for youth. Furthermore, many of these youth may not have had adequate resources to tackle issues impacting their psyche in this unprecedented time. Social and emotional learning (SEL), a method in which children can acquire the knowledge and skills to understand and manage emotions, has a proven track record of positive social, emotional, educational, and career consequences. The California Department of Education should convene a task force to develop guidelines for local school districts that provide all K-12 students in the state with effective SEL to assist them in mental health recovery from the pandemic.