Has your district provided required trauma training for your staff members (per SB 11)?
SB 11 requires a district to adopt and implement a policy requiring staff to be trained in trauma informed practices in each school. Research indicates when schools move to a trauma-informed school, benefits include an increase in student achievement, a safer school culture, fewer drop-outs, and teacher retention.
Contact us if you would like TxSP to provide training for your district or you would be interested in purchasing our training materials if you are not a subscriber.
TxSP Subscribing District Administrators: Please be sure to share this newsletter within your district.
Statutes/requirements of the trauma-informed training per SB 11
- All staff is required to participate this 2019-20 school year. A TEA-adopted schedule shall be followed thereafter.
- All new staff will receive this training as part of their orientation to the District in the future.
- This training must be a classroom-like training session and cannot be done through online training.
- Implementation of trauma responsive practices should occur after training.
- Sign-in sheets must be kept and reported to TEA who received the training.
- Available counseling options for students affected by trauma or grief must be offered.
Effects of trauma in schools
Texas and the nation is seeing:
- an increase is suicide ideation
- suicide completion
- threats of harm to others
- school shootings, and
- ongoing behavioral issues in our schools and educators must begin to look at how we can impact change on this increasing set of events without adding another program.
We see a cycle that is currently occurring in our schools.
- Students are subjected to trauma in their homes or community which causes emotional and psychological damage.
- If students do not have access to support to learn and encourage healthy ways to respond, many unhealthy reactions will be chosen by these students.
- Schools will see these students exhibit behavior problems.
- Teachers and administrators will often react by using punishment as a way to stop these poor behavior choices.
- This cycle then re-traumatizes the student and the cycle continues.
How can educators break this cycle that re-victimizes these students and confirms their thinking that they deserve no better?
Training should provide educators with the following information:
- teach educators how to respond to de-escalate and show compassion to these students;
- establish structures and preventive measures;
- provide discussion in options for considering disciplinary action; and
- develop systematic support needed.
Shifting the paradigm!
Every response or interaction with a student is an intervention
Educators do not go into the field of education to make lots of money, rather to make an impact on our children’s lives in their learning and to help them to be better prepared for post-high school experiences.
Educators must get in touch with their own experiences with trauma or evaluate loved one’s experiences for whom they love and care in order to change perspectives of what our students experience coming out of trauma. Understanding the emotional and social impact and understanding that trauma causes reactions in our brains and our central nervous system affects the ability for any of us to respond appropriately. TxSP uses a quote by Annette Breaux in our training, “Remember, everyone in the classroom has a story that leads to misbehavior or defiance. Nine times out of ten, the story behind the misbehavior won’t make you angry. It will break your heart.”
TxSP Resources for Implementation and Training for Trauma Informed Training
Training Modules in our Trauma Training Section (presenter notes, participant handouts, and activities are included in each part):
- Part 1 - Understanding our Own Trauma
- Part 2 - How our Body Responds to Trauma
- Part 3 - Trauma and Variables for Our Students
- Part 4 - Trauma Informed/Responsive School Practices
- Part 5 - Trauma Responsive School Practices
- Part 6 - Self-Care
Additional TxSP protocols and documents that will support Trauma Responsive Schools found in the Student Support Section:
- Alternative Behavior Program for students in grades K-2
- Best Classroom Management Practices
- Tools for Motivating Improvement in Classroom Behavior
- Specific Behavior Strategies for 35+ Behaviors
- Tiered Student Support System
Come Visit TxSP at Midwinter in Austin, Texas! January 26-28, 2020 at Booth 349!
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Many of our new districts are coming to us from referrals from our current subscribing school districts! We appreciate those referrals!