ESCANABA — Administration and staff at five school districts — Bark River-Harris, Big Bay de Noc, Escanaba, Mid Peninsula, and Nah Tah Wahsh PSA — attended a course Jan. 9, at the Delta-Schoolcraft Intermediate School District (DSISD) to learn how their school can be trauma-informed.

“Understanding how trauma impacts our students increases our ability to more effectively teach all children by acknowledging and appropriately addressing social, emotional, and academic behaviors which manifest from trauma exposure,” said Big Bay de Noc Superintendent DeeDee Thill.

In 2018, DSISD Superintendent Doug Leisenring knew staff from local schools were feeling overwhelmed due to the increased number of poor student behavior and mental health issues.

“The problems are becoming more significant and local educators are feeling overwhelmed, trying to support these students and their families,” said Leisenring.

He found local agencies were reporting the same problems. Leisenring and schools staff, Pathways, law enforcement, medical businesses, clergy, and agencies, created the Mental Health Task Force. Trauma-Informed School Training was one of 12 plans created by the task force.

Trauma-informed training helps teachers understand how trauma impacts a student’s behavior and provides strategies for behavioral intervention. The group decided to call on SaintA after researching trauma trainers.

SaintA provides courses on trauma informed care and teaches how a brain develops, functions and recovers from trauma to help children overcome adverse experiences and thrive.

SaintA Vice President of Educational Services, and Senior Trainer, Sara Daniel travels from Milwaukee, Wis., to train staff of school districts and early care businesses on how to work with students affected by trauma, behavioral challenges, and mental health issues.

“Schools across the country are choosing to learn more about creating a trauma sensitive school because they are recognizing that many students are impacted by significant stress and adversity in their lives,” said Daniel. “This stress can impact their developing brains and stress response systems in ways that get in the way of optimal learning.”

According to a recent National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence, 24.5% of surveyed children had witnessed violence in the past year in the family or community, 18.4% witnessed an assault, and 6.1% had witnessed a bomb threat at school. School-aged children experience a range of reactions when encountering trauma in their lives. Trauma can affect a child’s brain development, which can activate stress responses, resulting in behavioral and emotional issues.

“Creating a trauma sensitive school means that we are recognizing these potential challenges and creating school environments where all students can learn,” said Daniel.

Bark River-Harris Superintendent Jason Lockwood is concerned about the increase of challenges teachers face each day while instructing students.

“It’s a very important moment we’re going through. Kids are going through toxic stress trauma at an increased, alarming rate,” said Lockwood. “Teachers are effected by secondhand stress trauma, a challenging situation. All the more reason to have the training.”

Lockwood said the training provides insightful, medical reasons, physical and psychological reasons, and how to maximize teaching.

“There’s going to be a shift in the way we teach,” said Lockwood. “It’s not business as usual anymore. There is a general increase in student bad behavior and we’re addressing the problem by adding training and staff. Training helps us acknowledge and respond.”