PSS: Increased anxiety, depression among students

After experiencing the triple calamities of super typhoons Soudelor and Yutu and the COVID-19 pandemic—which all seemed to have happened in quick succession—the Public School System is seeing increased anxiety and depression among students, including thinking of and even attempting suicide, according to PSS associate commissioner for Student and Support Services Bonnie Pangelinan on Tuesday.

For special education, though, PSS Special Education Program director Donna Flores is happy to disclose that they have realized some positive outcomes as far as distance learning is concerned.

Pangelinan and Flores, along with Education Commissioner Dr. Alfred Ada and other PSS officials, testified at a public hearing for PSS’ budget request before the House of Representatives’ Committee on Ways and Means.

With respect to vaccination rate for COVID-19, Ada testified that, according to their tally, 67% of PSS teachers and staff are now vaccinated.

Committee vice chair Rep. Ivan A. Blanco (R-Saipan) later told Saipan Tribune that the PSS team presented many issues but the main factor they focused on is the timely allocation of the federal Educational Stabilization Funds that have filled major gaps in PSS funding.

Blanco said this source of funding, among other federal sources, should be able to carry out PSS programs and goals for this remaining fiscal year and fiscal year 2022.

When asked about PSS’ other unmet needs, Ada said that PSS needs 12 more counselors on top of their full-time employee submission for fiscal year 2022.

In response to Rep. Leila Staffler’s (D-Saipan) inquiry, Pangelinan said the increase in anxiety and depression, with suicide attempts, were mostly disproportionate with students who are LGBTQ. Pangelinan said they’re also looking at students who were experiencing higher behavioral referrals through their discipline referral system.

“We have seeing this throughout the years and there has been a need for several years, but right now this school year is really hard,” she said.

When asked if there are any positive takeaways that PSS learned from this pandemic, Flores said most of their students in the PSS Special Education Program have already been exposed to online interaction through their online therapy services “so it wasn’t as big as a struggle as we anticipated for the students to be able to familiarize themselves with sitting in front of the keyboard or in front of the screen and learning.”

Also, having the children learning at home with their parents’ involvement, was a big takeaway for PSS. “Because, of course, in our program, parent involvement is critical for the overall success of the student because we can only do so much at school and it takes a team effort—the parents to help at home as well,” Flores said.

Flores said they were able to graduate 55 students from their special education program despite the pandemic. “We’re able to boast that we were able to graduate students and they were able to meet their minimum graduation requirements, despite our situation. That’s a big plus for us,” she added.

On the vaccination issue, Ada said their goal is to increase the rate to 75% from the current 67%.

Ada said they don’t have the numbers yet for students’ vaccination as the program had just opened up.

Ada said Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. chief executive officer Esther Muna and Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force Warren Villagomez have reached out to him to help with the vaccination campaign for high school students.