During the pandemic, virtual learning was something that teachers, parents, and students complained about, as some said it presented barriers for learning.

However, some are saying that in person learning may not be the best fit for teenagers struggling to maintain their mental health.

According to the Office of Population Affairs, mental health conditions are on the rise among youth with almost 50% of teens struggling with a mental health disorder in their lifetime.

Allie Schleifer, Insight Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School Lead School Counselor, said virtual learning provides students struggling with their mental health the opportunity to learn in a safe place, have more flexibility, learn with more family support, improve their academics and overall functions as human beings, use chat boxes and turn off their camera for comfort, and relieve the pressure of making friends and dressing to fit into a school environment.

"I think that there's a lot that can come with moving to a virtual model for students, especially those struggling with mental health, because it allows them to focus on their academics and takes away some of those other factors that might be distracting them," Schleifer said.

She also said, she thinks there will be an increase in the number of virtual options that are available to students as the demand increases.

Schleifer's school has increased their focus on social and emotional learning for students and she advised that in person schools integrate that kind of learning in their curriculum as well.

"We hear from many in the workforce that its those soft skills that students are leaving high school and potentially lacking," Schleifer said. "So really making sure that we're giving those skills to students, that we're modeling it but also directly instructing them on all of those social and emotional aspects are so important, whether virtual or in person."

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