One of the greatest impacts is for parents who are worrying about the education of their children. If there is virtual education available, do they have digital capacity? That causes a lot of stress on the families who are trying to keep their kids in front of an iPad or a computer or a laptop and connected to a classroom. They are used to being on those devices probably for gaming and other kinds of social reasons, but for parents who are trying to work and support their children in maintaining their wellness, it's is a challenge.
I've heard from many families that their children have said, “If I have to continue education virtually next year, then I want to take the year off.” Parents are asking about home-schooling, because there's too much stress. We've heard this across the country in populations outside of first nations communities. It's about managing the wellness of children.
If you're on a screen like this and you have your hand up and you want to contribute and participate in the activity of the classroom and your teacher doesn't see you—or is responding to another person—then that youth, who might already have mental wellness challenges, goes to a place of feeling as if they're still not recognized, still not heard, and they withdraw. That child will then be less likely to engage in that virtual environment. Meanwhile, the teacher is doing all that is possible to manage a number of students, for kids who are participating and are required to check in with attendance being taken in the virtual environment.
For kids who are participating face to face in a school, it's the worry about how kids are being protected, the number of kids in the classroom and whether they are required to have personal protective equipment like face masks. Is that enforced? Are they able to have discussions in their classrooms with somebody who has the skills to respond to the worry and concerns? Smaller kids are having anxiety issues related to those concerns.