Whether complex trauma is a disability

A group of students and teachers in Southern California have filed a federal class-action suit against the Compton Unified School District, alleging it failed to sufficiently address the influence of trauma on student learning, reports Angela Almeida for The Atlantic. Labeled by backers as first-of-its-kind, the suit will test whether federal law determines  "complex trauma" to be a disability, in which case schools are obligated to offer mental-health services. The lawsuit focuses on trauma tracing to home rather than school settings, a nod to the prevalence of household stressors and the scarcity of mental-health resources in Compton. The city's murder rate is five times the national average, and one 15-year-old plaintiff estimates he has seen more than 20 shootings over the course of his life, including the death of his close friend last September; he has been expelled from three schools and is attending an "alternative school." At present, no standard or clear-cut definition exists for a "trauma-sensitive" model of education, but the general concept involves training staff to recognize trauma and educating students about how to cope with anxiety and depression. Programs would use strategies that restore and heal rather than punish. The lawsuit's outcome could set a precedent in what role schools play in a child's mental health, especially in lower-income and crime-heavy neighborhoods. More

Source:  Public Education News Blast

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Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP) is an education support organization that works as a collaborative partner in high-poverty communities.