In Northern Colorado, students have been actively protesting against proposed school closures in the Poudre School District (PSD). The district had initially announced plans to close or consolidate several schools due to declining enrollment and budget shortfalls. This announcement led to significant backlash from the community, including student walkouts and public protests.

On May 21, 2024, the PSD board held an emergency meeting and decided to abandon their plans to consolidate or close schools in Fort Collins. This decision came after a wave of public protests from parents and students, who had voiced their opposition since the plans were first announced in 2023. The board had initially considered closing a few schools to address the funding shortfall caused by declining enrollment, but faced strong resistance from the community. Students from Blevins Middle School, for example, staged a walkout to protest the potential closure of their school, carrying signs and chanting as passing cars honked in solidarity[4].

Parents and students expressed their concerns that the district was making hasty decisions without exploring other ways to adjust their budget without disrupting students’ lives. They also criticized the lack of transparency and the rushed nature of the decision-making process. Some parents accused the district and board of inflicting unnecessary trauma on students, staff, and parents[4][6].

The PSD board’s decision to suspend the closure plans temporarily was seen as a victory for the protesting students and parents, who had been advocating for more thoughtful and transparent decision-making processes. The board plans to continue exploring alternative options to address the budget shortfall and declining enrollment, with a final vote on a consolidation, closure, and boundary-change plan scheduled for June 11, 2024[7].

The impact of school closures on students and parents is multifaceted, affecting various aspects of their lives, including mental health, academic progress, social-emotional development, and family dynamics. Here is a detailed overview based on the provided sources:

Impact on Students

Academic Progress

• Educational Setbacks: School closures have led to significant educational setbacks. For instance, students were found to be four to five months behind in math and reading by the end of the 2020-2021 school year. The gap was more pronounced among students from historically disadvantaged backgrounds, such as those attending majority-Black or low-income schools[4].
• Long-term Effects: The closures are expected to have long-term negative effects on students’ academic performance, potentially leading to lower lifetime earnings[4].

Social-Emotional Development

• Increased Emotional Distress: Students have experienced heightened emotional distress, disengagement, depression, anxiety, and loneliness due to the lack of social interaction and the abrupt changes in their routines[4].
• Loss of Caregivers: Many students lost primary caregivers to COVID-19, exacerbating their emotional and psychological challenges[4].

Physical Health

• Nutritional Impact: School closures cut off access to free and reduced-price meals for over 30 million children in the U.S., leading to increased food insecurity[4].
• Physical Activity: The lack of access to school facilities also reduced opportunities for physical activity, contributing to unhealthy lifestyle changes such as increased screen time and poor dietary habits[4].

Special Needs Students

• Isolation and Stress: Students with disabilities and their families faced increased isolation and stress due to the lack of specialized support and resources during school closures. Established connections with teachers and school providers served as a protective factor, but the overall experience was highly disruptive[5].

Impact on Parents

Mental Health and Stress

• Increased Stress Levels: Parents, especially those with depression, single parents, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds, experienced heightened stress levels during school closures. The need to support children’s distance learning added to their burden[2].
• Work-Life Balance: The shift to distance learning required parents to spend an average of three additional hours per day on educational support, exacerbating time management issues and increasing stress[2].

Relationship Satisfaction

• Mixed Effects: The impact of school closures on parental relationship satisfaction varied. Some studies reported a decrease in relationship satisfaction, particularly among mothers, while others found no significant effect or even a slight improvement in relationships among couples with children[1].

Domestic Violence

• Increased Risk: There was an increase in family violence and child abuse-related injuries during school closures, particularly in vulnerable households. The presence of children at home was identified as a risk factor for violence against mothers[1].

Social Concerns

• Children’s Social Skills: Parents were concerned about the impact of school closures on their children’s social skills and the lack of regular social interactions with peers and teachers[2].

Summary

School closures during the COVID-19 pandemic have had profound and varied impacts on both students and parents. While students faced academic setbacks, emotional distress, and nutritional challenges, parents experienced increased stress, mental health issues, and concerns about their children’s social development. The effects were particularly severe for vulnerable populations, including single parents, families with disabilities, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Addressing these challenges requires coordinated efforts from schools, families, and communities to mitigate the long-term consequences of these closures.

Citations:
[1] https://archpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13690-023-01114-2
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9760518/
[3] https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED599013.pdf
[4] https://today.uconn.edu/2022/02/pandemic-related-school-closings-likely-to-have-far-reaching-effects-on-child-well-being/
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9088372/
[6] https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/education/covid-19-school-closures-caused-significant-drop-student-learning-outcomes
[7] https://www.nber.org/digest/202204/pandemic-school-closures-and-parents-labor-supply
[8] https://edtrust.org/parents-overwhelmingly-concerned-their-children-are-falling-behind-during-school-closures/
[9] https://www.joghr.org/article/36902-impact-of-school-closures-due-to-covid-19-on-education-in-low-and-middle-income-countries
[10] https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/triple-impact-school-closures-educational-inequality
[11] https://www.cambridge.org/partnership/research/impact-school-closures-beyond-education
[12] https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/18/upshot/pandemic-school-closures-data.html
[13] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/17456916231181108
[14] https://www.unesco.org/en/covid-19/education-response
[15] https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=3VeQCL0AAAAJ
[16] https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=HBtJoSoAAAAJ
[17] https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/covid19-scale-education-loss-nearly-insurmountable-warns-unicef
[18] https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=kG3qL8kAAAAJ
[19] https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=5-KoAikAAAAJ
[20] https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jcv2.12095

Citations:
[1] https://www.newsweek.com/solar-eclipse-school-closures-april-1880339
[2] https://www.denver7.com/weather/colorado-school-closures-classes-canceled-friday-as-snow-continues-to-pile-up-across-the-metro
[3] https://azdailysun.com/news/local/education/fusd-cancels-school-thursday-ccc-nau-call-off-in-person-classes/article_57542b34-c620-11ee-a214-9bb4accc2f1a.html
[4] https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/poudre-school-district-abandons-plans-close-colorado-schools-protests/
[5] https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2023/11/proposed-school-closures-on-grand-rapids-north-side-sparks-concerns-from-parents.html
[6] https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/parents-publicly-protest-poudre-schools-closing-linton-elementary/
[7] https://eu.coloradoan.com/story/news/education/2024/05/08/poudre-school-district-weighs-school-closings-consolidations-how-did-we-got-here-and-what-comes-next/73586937007/
[8] https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/some-schools-cancel-classes-april-8-solar-eclipse-ensure-safety
[9] https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/illinois-schools-closed-snowstorm-chicago-schools-snow-day/3324726/
[10] https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/florida-unf-students-protest-closing-lgbtq-center-rcna135758
[11] https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/04/02/schools-kids-total-solar-eclipse-closures-learning-plans/72947745007/
[12] https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/school-closings-massachusetts-tuesday-noreaster/3276870/
[13] https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/video/students-in-northern-colorado-storm-out-of-class-voice-concerns-about-school-closures/
[14] https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/education/2024/05/14/parents-opposed-to-poudre-school-district-school-closures-discuss-recalls-legal-action/73676682007/
[15] https://www.kunc.org/news/2024-05-02/students-parents-speak-out-as-poudre-school-district-closures-loom
[16] https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2023/8/18/23837817/denver-schools-air-conditioning-hot-weather-first-day/
[17] https://www.dailynews.com/2024/02/05/lausd-sees-big-drop-in-student-attendance-monday-amid-drenching-storm/
[18] https://boulderweekly.com/news/snow-days-disappearing/