Lasting, Systemic Change

Apr 15

Yesterday I spent a several hours in a Zoom meeting (welcome to the new world). It was the San Francisco Unified School District Board meeting, and while that may not sound fun at first take, it was fantastic to see the student delegates passionately entering discussion, and to hear from so many community members. Lots of interesting things were discussed, including grading and other plans for going forward this year.

Another point of discussion was Resolution No. 204-14A1, To Establish Policies and Procedures for the San Francisco Unified School District to Provide Trauma-Informed, Coordinated Care that Promotes Resilience and Healing During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic, Commissioners Faauuga Moliga, Gabriela Lopez, and Allison M. Collins. Dr. Joyce Dorado, the co-founder of Healthy Environments and Response to Trauma in Schools (HEARTS), helped with the draft, working with Leslie Hu from Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Middle School, and I was there to speak in favor of it.

For those of y’all who don’t know, San Francisco Unified School District has been doing trauma-informed work for more than 10 years. There have even been stories about that work! All of the social workers in the district receive multiple days of training on trauma informed practices, trainings that are open to other folks, too. Nurses, administrators, school psychologists, para educators, PE teachers, and noon monitors have come to those and other trainings. Some schools have spent years specifically working on developing more trauma informed practices. Many other schools have begun that work, through trainings, consultations, wellness plans and other creative methods. School social workers have come up with many different ways to support students, families and educators. So much good work has already been done.

This resolution is in part a way to coordinate and consolidate all that work, to support both students and families, and also educators and support staff. It recognizes the way that this crisis is affecting all of us, and the way that it may impact people who have already experienced trauma, including structural racism and disparities. It acknowledges the way that those traumas are exacerbating the impact of the COVID-19 crisis. I was also heartened to see student and family voice included in the plan, directly in terms of gathering input on what’s needed.

I hope that this helps schools move toward lasting, systemic change. I’m glad the resolution passed, and I’m ready to support it in any way that I am able.

Healthy Environments and Response to Trauma in Schools (HEARTS) logo with HEARTS spelled vertically. Logo has two overlapping heart outlines, the larger heart has different colored circles making up one side.