Cincinnati Magazine June 9, 2021 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 1 in 5 U.S. children have a mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder and only about 20 percent get the help they need. The pandemic added a new layer of issues caused by isolation and anxiety around health. Beechwood Independent Schools Superintendent Mike Stacy says the pandemic has highlighted both kids’ and adults’ social and emotional needs. Illustration by Emi Villavicencio “Everyone I’ve been in contact with has had a difficult 12 months,” he says. “The schools just really aren’t designed by traditional staffing formulas to be able to do the amount of catch-up work that’s going to be needed over the next 12 to 18 months. We’ll still have a residual effect from this.”