Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. students attend rural schools. After a two-year pandemic, issues related to funding, teacher recruitment and retention, and serving disadvantaged students have become more severe in rural school districts. In the five-part report series, "Educational Equity for Rural Students: Out of the Pandemic, but Still Out of the Loop," the National School Boards Association's (NSBA) Center for Public Education (CEP) examines the growing diversity of rural students, and the urgent need to fix the digital divide and support rural student well-being. The series explores five topics about unequal learning opportunities and the achievement gap that affect these students. This report presents data about how the COVID-19 pandemic changed rural student behaviors and aggravated mental health issues in rural schools. Challenges and considerations are examined in the areas of preventing suicide in rural schools, preventing school violence in rural areas, and partnering with parents and communities to foster a safe and healthy school culture. [For "Educational Equity for Rural Students: Out of the Pandemic, but Still Out of the Loop. A Five-Part Series. Part 3: Thinking Broadly and Deeply about Rural Student Achievement and Teacher Pipelines," see ED628333.]