As reported by Education Week, school districts are now figuring how best to work with students affected by the two kinds of trauma affecting our children as never before.

  • TYPE I results from a single incident that affects a number of children or even an entire community with possible broad community responses. Examples include devastating hurricanes and school shootings.
  • TYPE 2 though more common is also more complex and harder to recognize and can lead to “toxic stress,” a result of chronic neglect, housing or food instability, physical or sexual abuse—severe, prolonged, or repetitive and without any caregiver support.

As coined by the CDC, ACEs—such Adverse Childhood Experiences—when experienced four or more times, the worse the child’s education, physical, and mental health outcomes, and the likelier it is that they will engage in risky behaviors.

The troubling bottom line: Our children are in crisis and educators everywhere are taxed with finding ways to reach them and foster “trauma sensitive schools.”

But that also begs the question about parenting in this 21st century and our toxic society…

With my many thanks, Carol