2 minute read
Recommendations
How can we improve the trauma-informed schools model in West Virginia?
The West Virginia Department of Education or other government or contracted agency should be responsible for data collection and evaluation of every county school system's response to traumainformed care.
Every county school system should share how it addresses student trauma on its website.
A public/private partnership should be formed to share best practices and emerging trends in successful programs and services supporting trauma-informed strategies, implemented on the county and school level, so counties can learn and grow from one another's successes.
Policymakers should get better connected with the school systems in their district. This relationship should include opportunities for policymakers to: ride along on school bus routes, walk the hallways while school is in session, and hold listening sessions with school staff centered on what students need to succeed in school.
More work should be done locally, led by the health care and public education systems, to connect pediatric mental health care providers with local school systems.
Our state needs a plan to expand adolescent drug treatment programs. There needs to be a centralized, updated site where parents and providers can easily access information, including capacity and the expected length of time if there is a waitlist.
Where institutions of higher learning are partnering with county school systems to train teachers, a robust educational component on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) should be encouraged and incorporated.
More funding should be allocated to train school staff on traumainformed care, building collaborations with community services, and recruiting teachers who have been or are willing to incorporate trauma-informed strategies in their classrooms.
