Why are the kids depressed, anxious, and even suicidal?...

 from the combox.

Comment from an esteemed blogger buddy:

I worry about my grandson on a daily basis. I worry about all of the issues you brought up. I can see his social skills declining, and it worries me. The democrats had a plan and I'm afraid it isn't fully implemented yet.

My answer:

I would look to how home-schoolers handle their kids. In all the years of hubby teaching music the most well adjusted, happy, socialized, and smartest kids were the home-schooled. Therefore, I have to wonder what is going on to make the public school kids so unable to cope. Is it how the parents are handling all this?

Discuss...

To kick it off, here's a few comments on both sides of the issue from an article at WaPo: She hates distance learning. Is home schooling an option?

I am not a teacher but a someone who firmly believes that part of America's school problems have to do with "homeschooling." The concept is ignorant in that it presumes parents have the knowledge, time and energy to properly educate their kids, and if they are working parents, do such after work -- all of which is frequently wrong.
Why not call it instead what Republicans want: Bible-based education or rather information. Useless to intellectual advancement.
I suggest that homeschooling not be used to pretend to educate kids. That's a plain lie. But
teachers must be paid better; students who fall behind should get the benefit of free tutoring to keep up and advance. A well educated public commits few crimes and is a good thing for all of us.

and

With 3 out in college and grad school, and our fourth facing another uneven year of middle school - we decided to homeschool this year. And we couldn't be happier with the decision. We consulted several families in the area that homeschool and settled on a few curriculums that would put us ahead of where the county standards would have us end up for the year. We added some extra extra curriculars, heeding the advice of our friends (they said our student would fly through the curricula).

We've enjoyed splitting teaching duties. We are not tethered to the laptop. We have flexibility to (safely) visit relatives and do some side field trips when convenient. We are taking extra time when we need to dive deeper and we can move quickly on things that are quickly mastered. In sum, this has been fantastic - especially while I've watched our county schools struggle with the school year.

On one hand, we are fortunate to be able to do what we have done. But it is not without sacrifice of time, energy and resources. In the end, it is worth it for the student to have the best year possible.