As kids prepare to return to school, parents have a new school-year worry: Coronavirus. Schools across the country are scrambling to add precautionary measures to keep their students, and their students’ families, safe. One of the biggest concerns is if traditional schools are actually equipped to manage their student’s return safely.
Some parents are turning to homeschool or small school “pods” as an education alternative for their child. However, a lot of parents just aren’t equipped to teach while maintaining their job. This is especially true for parents whose students have special needs or struggle with mental health problems. For those parents, a therapeutic boarding school like Sundance Canyon Academy could be the best alternative to traditional education during the pandemic.
Benefits of a Therapeutic Boarding School During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Physical health benefits
Due to their design, boarding schools minimize contact with people outside of the school system. Because the students live at the school, they don’t run the risk of bringing Coronavirus home with them or bringing it from home to school. Though students do get to go home for certain school breaks, they don’t go home every day like traditional school students.
Many boarding schools have implemented specific Coronovirus precautions to reduce the likelihood of spreading the virus. As a semi-closed campus, there are limited visitors to the school, and there are added preventative measures when outsiders are allowed to visit the school.
Mental health benefits
For many teens, the pandemic has proven to be especially tough. Teens who already struggled with mental health issues like depression or anxiety have lost many of their positive outlets. With school closures and the increase in social distancing, it has been hard for them to connect with friends and participate in activities that used to give them joy.
Therapeutic boarding schools have mental health experts on site to work with the students. They are trained to address Coronavirus related mental health struggles and to help the teens learn new positive coping skills. Personal therapy plans are developed for each individual student to address their specific needs. Students who have felt unsupported at their traditional schools receive the support that they need for academic and emotional success.
Scholastic benefits
Teens with ADD, AHDH, and many other learning disabilities typically struggle to stay focused on classwork when learning from home. In a traditional school setting, those students should be given individual education plans to ensure that they get the support that they need. However, schools are often overwhelmed and cannot adequately support each individual student. Going into this unique school year, traditional schools are going to be even more overloaded than usual. This does not bode well for students with learning disabilities.
Because therapeutic boarding schools are so student-focused, they allow each student to get the attention that they need. This approach helps a lot of students make up any work that they’ve missed in their traditional schools and get back on track scholastically. Therapeutic boarding schools are accredited schools, so students who complete their high school requirements receive an actual diploma rather than just receiving a GED.
If you have a teenage son and you are worried about how this school year will affect his mental health, consider a therapeutic boarding school. They provide a safe alternative to traditional schools during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they will provide the academic and emotional support that he needs to stay on track.