Trauma-Informed Policy in Schools
When students come to school, not all students are coming to school with just their backpack and lunch bag. Some students are coming to school with the trauma that they have experienced outside of school. Not all students are coming to school excited to learn. Some students are coming to school excited to experience a safe place for a few hours.
The Family and Children’s Trust Fund of Virginia reports “more than 60 percent of children in the US have been exposed to a traumatic event within the year; 20 percent of which reported experiencing three or more events” (2017). These children are then coming to school and their academic performance is being negatively impacted, to no fault of their own. There is a strong correlation between trauma, below average academic achievement, and behavioral issues. Adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, are defined by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control as:
“potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (0-17 years) [including] experiencing violence, abuse, or neglect, witnessing violence in the home or community, or having a family member attempt or die by suicide. Also included are aspects of the child’s environment that can undermine their sense of safety, stability, and bonding such as growing up in a household with: substance misuse, mental health problems, or instability due to parental separation or household members being in jail or prison” (2020).
Trauma creates stress within the brain, which then creates lasting, harmful effects in a child’s life. Cognitive ability and academic performance is compromised, causing further stress for students and schools. It is time for changes to be made within our schools to support each student that enters the classroom.
There is a push for trauma-informed policy in schools, which educates the school and staff in what trauma is and how to respond to it. Voices for Virginia’s Children have designed a campaign to push for trauma-informed policy that meets the four R’s: “(1) Realizing the prevalence of trauma; (2) Recognizing how trauma affects all individuals involved with the program, organization, or system, including its own workforce; (3) Responding by putting this knowledge into practice; and (4) Resisting retraumatization” (2019). This policy would make it a requirement for schools to be educated on the ways to support and teach students effected by trauma. This is a policy that I fully stand behind.
Before judging students when they are not performing to the best of their ability, we should be working to understand students. Trauma is a prevalent issue in our world, and as educators, we should be working to better ourselves to be informed on the issues. Prior to legislature being developed, becoming educated on research or participating in professional development are small steps in self-growth that will support students.
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Violence Prevention (2020, April 3). Preventing adverse childhood experiences. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/aces/fastfact.html Resler, M. (2017). Facing the facts: Trauma-informed schools. Family & Children’s Trust Fund of Virginia. http://www.fact.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/FACT-ISSUE-BRIEF-TRAUMA-INFORMED-SCHOOLS-final1.pdf Voices for Virginia’s Children. (2019). Trauma-informed policy. https://vakids.org/trauma-informed-va/trauma-informed-policy