Back to News

What does it mean to be Trauma-Informed? (Part 1 of 2)

Published on

September 17, 2019

Laws and policies pertaining to trauma-informed education are moving at a rapid pace in Pennsylvania and across the country. The Barley Snyder Education Practice Group will bring you up to speed on what your district needs to know about trauma-informed education in this two-part series on what it takes for a district to be trauma-informed, both legally and educationally.

With trauma-informed education now mandatory in Pennsylvania public schools, the state has devised a slew of requirements and recommendations to help schools implement their own trauma-informed program.

The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency recently provided resources and advice for implementing trauma-informed education in its Model Trauma-Informed Approach Plan. The commission administers school safety grants and supports the School Safety and Security Committee.

The Model Trauma-Informed Approach Plan provides local educational agencies with minimum criteria and elements that they can and should tailor to their unique needs when applying for grant funding and implementing trauma-informed education.

Some components of the model plan are required, others are recommended.

Legislatively Required Components

  • Designating an individual with certain qualifications to oversee implementation
  • Coordinating between students, their families, community-based organizations, local government resources and schools to provide services
  • Ensuring that those coordinated services are trauma-informed, which requires well-qualified and trained providers, culturally responsive practices, and a plan for addressing secondary trauma on school employees
  • Using evidence-based approaches – requiring multiple data sources and levels, and also identifying responses through a data-driven approach
  • Implementing professional development to foster a culture in which the entire school community is informed on how to understand, recognize and respond to trauma

Recommended Components

  • Using the already existing multi-tiered system of supports to implement trauma-informed education
  • Selecting a team to support the designated individual to oversee plan implementation
  • Conducting a readiness assessment to gauge the current state of the district’s policies, awareness and needs

The model plan is the most recent step in a series of responses to a 2018 Pennsylvania School Safety Task Force Report. The report found that a necessary component of improving school safety includes enhancing social and emotional instruction. That should be done by addressing the impact of trauma and improving coping skills and resilience. Beginning last year and before the legislative mandate requiring trauma-informed education that came about through the latest state budget process, districts were permitted to apply for funding specifically for trauma-informed programming and support services under two separate grants administered by the commission on crime.

Its model mirrors the ACEs, trauma-informed education, resiliency and restorative practices guidance Barley Snyder Education Practice Group attorneys have been presenting on since 2017. If you have any questions on tailoring the Model Trauma-Informed Approach Plan to your school’s unique needs, or on any other topic, please contact any member of the Barley Snyder Education Practice Group.


Related News

View More News
News Alert
August 3, 2023

New Cyber Rule Places Additional Requirements on Colleges and Universities (and Other Types of Organizations)

It has been a busy summer for cyber and privacy legal matters. We recently ...

Learn More
News Alert
June 30, 2023

U.S. Supreme Court Effectively Ends Affirmative Action in College Admissions Programs

On Thursday, June 29, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a historic decision eff...

Learn More
Newsletter
February 28, 2023

Barley Snyder 2022 Year In Review

Check out what the professionals of Barley Snyder have been up to in 2022 a...

Learn More

Other Upcoming Events

View All Upcoming Events
Dec
07
3:30 pm
-
6:00 pm
event
Location

Barley Snyder’s Reading Open House!

Learn More
Dec
12
4:30 pm
-
6:30 pm
event
Location

Barley Snyder’s Gettysburg Open House!

Learn More
Jan
10
12:00 pm
-
1:00 pm

Complying with FinCEN’s Beneficial Ownership Reporting Rule Under the Corporate Transparency Act Webinar

Learn More

Get in Touch

Our attorneys, paralegals and staff look forward to hearing from you. Please reach out to let us know how we can help.

Get In Touch
RECOGNIZED IN
Super Lawyers
Best Law Firms US News
Best Lawyers