Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/635847
e lawsuit is winding its way through the court sys- tem, and if both sides fail to come to an agreement, it could result in a trial. Efforts by the district to have the case dismissed were unsuccessful. In October, U.S. Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald ruled that students growing up in poor, crime-ridden neighborhoods can be considered dis- abled, but it does not guarantee disability. e district's attorney, David Huff, argues that label- ing traumati zed students as disabled stigmatizes them as hav in g a phy si cal or m ent al handicap und er fed eral l aw. He a l s o s ay s it w o u l d b e a n unfunded mandate that that the district can't afford. However, proponents argue students who are traumatized deserve equal access to an edu- cation and can only do that by having their needs met. They argue that a legal victory would save money in the long run by helping keep kids in school, teaching them needed career and life skills, and among other things disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline. "THE CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE OF OUR TIME" Not a great deal of research has been done about stu- dents who suffer from complex trauma. Researchers have found degrees of trauma, and say that students may be on a spectrum to indicate levels of function- ing similar to students with autism. A new study found that kindergartners with traumatic experiences struggle more in school and exhibit social problems, aggression and difficulty concentrating. Most studies have focused on those who have survived wars. In these, imaging software shows that trauma changes the structure of the brain, stunts the receptors that help regulate stress, and floods the brain with chem- icals that interfere with short-term memory. New research on childhood trauma from Marleen Wong, associate dean and clinical professor at the USC School of Social Work, shows similar results from stu- dents in gang-infested, violent neighborhoods, which she calls "devastating." Her 2003 study of thousands of sixth-graders in South and East Los Angeles found that nine out of 10 had witnessed or experienced violence and had lower reading scores, higher absenteeism and other problems. " This is really the civil rights issue of our time for our children and their futures," Wong said to the Los Angeles Times. While she was director of mental health, crisis inter- vention and suicide prevention for Los Angeles Unified School District, Wong co-created a group therapy pro- g ra m f o r stu d e n t s e x p o s e d t o trauma that became a national model. e program incorporates relaxation and problem-solving techniques and is used in con- jun ction w ith a m ent al h ealth scre enin g sur v e y, w hi ch h elps schools know what their students are experiencing and address spe- cific needs. The lack of funding, however, often constrains similar efforts. For 20 years the state funded a program that provided mental health services to K-3 students struggling with symptoms related to trauma, but the $15 million per year program was shelved four years ago due to funding cuts, despite findings that nearly 80 percent of children receiving services showed improved social skills and behavior. Now Attorney General Kamala Harris and legislators are sponsoring AB 1644, which would restore funding to the School-Based Early Mental Health Intervention and Prevention Services Support Program and extend application to students in prekin- dergarten and transitional kindergarten. Castro says that his district once had anger manage- ment groups and programs for substance abuse, but these services are no longer provided. However, once the law- suit was filed, his district held a "token trauma training" that described what trauma is, but offered no strategies for educators to help students suffering from trauma, he asserts. Another training has been scheduled. He believes the district is using money as an excuse for failing to provide badly needed services and resources for students, and that funding would likely be found if it was made a priority. "Schools need to be the leaders in helping these kids," says Castro. "And if schools can't help them, who can? Where else can they go? It's up to us to meet the needs of every child in our school system." "Schools need to be the leaders in helping these kids. If schools can't help them, who can? Where else can they go? It's up to us to meet the needs of every child in our school system." Armando Castro Chavez Continuation High School 42 cta.org