SALENA ZITO: The Kids Aren’t Alright.

One year ago, Lena Carson was pulling straight A’s at the city’s Creative and Performing Arts School across the river from her parent’s home. She also swam every day at the local YMCA in preparation to compete at the annual state competition and enjoyed the everyday social life of a teenager.

Today, she is sitting at home. Again.

It has been nearly a year since she walked into CAPA, a magnet school she had to earn admission to through a portfolio of her work, and interacted with her teachers or friends.

Her daily swims are gone, along with her social life. Her outside activities have diminished to walking the dog around the block. . . .

A bright student who skipped a grade, her straight A’s have dipped to D’s, and Lena says she struggles to complete assignments, not because she can’t but because of the lost will. “I have nothing to look forward to,” she said.

Keeping the Karens happy comes with a lot of collateral damage.