Experts fear that, for students around the country, the stresses of the pandemic could lead to anxiety, depression, or difficulties with learning, and that groups hardest hit by Covid-19, including Black and Latinx Americans, could be the most affected. “The communities that already had less room for air have, of course, been hit hardest,” Vinson said. To help students across American society cope with the loss of their routines, adjust to new ones, and begin to heal from the stress of living in a global public health emergency, Guerriero and others say schools need to focus on kids’ emotional needs — perhaps even before they worry about the curriculum.