Milwaukee school leaders provide support to students during COVID-19 fatigue

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee school leaders say COVID-19 is something no student could prepare for, which is why they say public schools and colleges have to come together to provide support. 

"This is real tough times, uncertain times we will get through and we will be better and greater," said Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Keith Posley 

Officials from Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC), and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) sat down Wednesday, Oct. 28, to share what their students face day-to-day during the pandemic. 

They say dealing with the mental health impact has been their top priority. 

"This is exacerbated because of family circumstances, unemployment and so many other areas," said UWM Chancellor Dr. Mark Mone. 

They're making counselors available and adding programs to help students deal with stress. 

"We've increased the number of suicide prevention programs," said Milwaukee Area Technical College President Dr. Vicki Martin. "As you can imagine, many of our students want to talk to someone in person and that's just part of some of the stress they are experiencing." 

The crisis has meant schools have to provide equipment to meeting student needs. 

"We have distributed Chromebooks for students since the initial start and we've also had to add three different hubs around the city to make sure our young people are able to pick up devices, hotspots, computers, things of that nature," said Posley.

MPS Superintendent Dr. Posley said he and his colleagues understand that for some students not having enough food is also a major challenge. 

"We've been able to provide fresh fruit and vegetables for our families because we have a number of families that may be in need," said Posley.

School leaders say they are continuing to do their best to accommodate students and their families' needs during this time.