Policy Resolution EDU-24-10

WHEREAS, approximately 60% of US Citizens have exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) at some point in their lives;

WHEREAS, multiracial individuals experience significantly higher rates of exposure to ACEs than all other races;

WHEREAS, ACEs lead to increased disparities in mental, physical, emotional, economic, and social health and wellbeing;

WHEREAS, more than 70% of children access and receive mental and basic health services at school;

WHEREAS, trauma-informed responses to ACEs provide students a chance to engage fully in their education, build trust in their teachers, and share necessary vulnerable information to improve long-term social and health outcomes;

WHEREAS, few educators are trained in trauma-resilience and trauma-informed understandings of support, and most school districts lack resources and sufficient staff numbers to incorporate trauma-informed techniques; and

WHEREAS, investing in a trained, trauma-responsive educational furthers community work to dismantle structural racism within educational systems, especially from early childhood to young adulthood.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBSCL) urges the legislative bodies of all states to draft, adopt, and support trauma-responsive policies with clear definitions of trauma and trauma-responsive schools and districts;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NBSCL urges the legislative bodies of all states to ensure reliable data-keeping metrics to evaluate school and district resources, such as counselors and social workers, in support of trauma-responsive operations;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NBSCL urges the legislative bodies of all states to create an “Adversity Index” to better understand the lived experiences of students, specifically to investigate various exposures to trauma and their impacts on a student’s education and wellbeing;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NBSCL urges the legislative bodies of all states to create programs to prepare, train, and provide continual professional development opportunities for both new and current educators and education-support staff to support trauma-resilience in schools and districts nationwide; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and other federal and state government officials as appropriate.

• Resolution ID: EDU-24-10
• Sponsored by: Rep. Carol Ammons (IL)
• Policy Committee: Education (EDU)