A Link Between Childhood Trauma and Education - One Reason Why Children "Fall Through the Cracks"

 

by Lynn Rioth, Outreach Coordinator

 

In the same way that the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experience) study demonstrated the link between adverse childhood experiences and physical ailments, the Education Law Clinic at Harvard Law School is advocating for the creation of trauma-sensitive schools. Children suffering from PTSD as a result of neglect, abuse, homelessness, or severe bullying are falling through the cracks.  Joel Ristuccia, one of the trauma experts quoted in the article, stated “It’s only in the last 10 years that we’ve gotten a complete picture of how significantly trauma can affect kid’s learning.” 

 The article, For the Children Who Fell Through the Cracks, by Jon Marcus, cites a study of elementary students in Spokane, WA that found higher rates of acting out, bringing problems into the classroom or skipping school among children who had been exposed to trauma.  According to the article, "U.S. schools suspend more than 3.3 million students annually, according to the National Education Policy Center, 95 percent for reasons other than using drugs or carrying weapons. In Massachusetts, many students who were expelled from school in their own district just dropped out of the educational system, since no other district had to take them.”

 The Education Law Clinic asked parents if their children who had been expelled from school had previously been exposed to violence.  “We were shocked at how many parents were saying, “Yes, “said Susan Cole, founder of the clinic.

To read more, go to:  

http://today.law.harvard.edu/feature/for-the-children-who-fell-through-the-cracks/

Publication helps schools recognize and respond to minor sex trafficking

Would the staff at your local schools know what to look for, and how to respond to, potential sex trafficking of students?  Youth experiencing homelessness are at a higher risk and this publication, put together by the National Center for Homeless Education, might provide a good entree into talking with school leadership about this issue and the role CACs can play in responding to victims. You can find Sex Trafficking of Minors: What Schools Need to Know to Recognize and Respond to the Trafficking of Students at http://center.serve.org/nche/downloads/briefs/trafficking.pdf