CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – School districts across the nation say they are seeing a surge of bad behavior in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Ever since students came back and returned to in-person learning, it seems they are having a hard time adjusting and abiding by the rules of the classroom. In a recent survey, 70 percent of teachers, principals, and district leaders said that students are misbehaving more now than they did in 2019, which is up from 66 percent in December of 2021.

One-third of the educational staff in the new poll said students are misbehaving “a lot more.” Some educators say that they’ve seen more fights and aggressive behavior. So what seems to be the issue?

Experts say the culture shock and whiplash from the extended period of remote classes is one of the psychological and academic factors behind the problem. 22News spoke with families about how behavioral issues are impacting the classroom.

“My daughter comes home and complains about how kids don’t pay attention to the teacher or they don’t listen I’ve expressed the importance of how much she needs to despite what she sees. I think it has to do a lot with the parents we have to sit down and let them know how we expect them to be when we’re not around,” said Sean Cangieter of Springfield.

Some students seem to be emotionally unavailable which in turn is causing them to act out and not socialize with others, and this directly corresponds to the youth mental health crisis that has continued to gain momentum in the last decade.

In recognition of these growing concerns, recent policy measures, including the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and the American Rescue Plan Act, have provided pathways to support school-based mental health services for students, to ensure all students have what they need to work
on both their academic and mental health.