CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Chicago Public Schools is rolling out a new initiative that will allow students and staff to cope with trauma.
Chicago Public Schools, in partnership with Chicago Beyond and the Children First Fund: the Chicago Public Schools Foundation, announced Monday a first-of-its-kind, multi-year effort to build upon the district’s foundation of supports through the ‘Healing-Centered Framework,’ a transformative roadmap and collection of resources for CPS to proactively and responsively meet the wellness needs of each individual student.
Education experts have said that the COVID-19 pandemic has hit students on two fronts: the impact of remote learning on education and the mental health impact of the pandemic. A number of students have lost a parent, relative, or friend to COVID-19. For others who got through the pandemic with their health, they have had to cope with fewer opportunities for social interaction.
CPS is unveiling a three year, $24 million effort to develop a framework for helping students work through their trauma in order to find healing. The investment will ensure every school has a behavioral health team and a trusted adult in the building to support students, and more.
The district hopes to create guidelines for mental health treatment, train staff, and make resources available to students and faculty.
“Fundamental to our commitment to educate the whole child is a focus on our students’ social and emotional wellbeing,” said CPS CEO Dr. Janice K. Jackson. "Trauma is a debilitating force that can derail a student’s focus, and as educators we need to ensure our students feel entirely supported both in and out of the classroom. Now more than ever, we are committed to the mental and emotional wellbeing of our students and I’m proud to be able to expand our already robust SEL supports for every CPS student.”
According to the CDC, almost two out of every three adults have experienced at least one adverse, or potentially traumatic, childhood event. Additionally, the experience of trauma extends far beyond adverse childhood experiences to include historical and racial trauma, as well as the social conditions in which many communities are contending with daily. Today, this trauma has been exacerbated as cities across the country continue the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and reckon with racial injustices.
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Chicago Public Schools high school student Cheyanne Ligutan said she needed social interaction to work through her trauma.
"What I discovered is that I need validation from adults that I'm going through something. That it's not just a phase or that I'm acting out. Hearing words of validation was one of my first steps to healing," Ligutan said.
Student Zivinka Neri said mental health treatment in schools could help break down cultural barriers against talking about mental health at home.
"Having that open environment to be able to talk to whoever and not get criticized or not get pushback is something that's really important," Neri said.
As part of the Healing-Centered Framework, over the next three years, CPS commits to:
• Expanding Behavioral Health Teams to all CPS schools to coordinate wellness support and ensure targeted supports reach those students that could most benefit from them
• Having at least one staff member in every building trained in group interventions to support students on topics like trauma, anger, and depression
• Expanding the number of schools with at least one community partner providing support on social-emotional learning or mental health
• Curating a coordinated set of professional development opportunities for staff
• Developing resources for families and caregivers to be healers for their children, while still supporting their own healing
• Building a comprehensive set of resources and supports for staff wellness
• Establishing a robust network of community partners to support each school's unique healing needs
Already, more than 1,000 staff members have been trained in small group evidence-based interventions, including Rainbows’ “Silver Linings,” a curriculum to support students experiencing grief and loss in the event of community trauma (such as a nationwide pandemic). The district has launched a pilot program to train 30 6th-8th grade teachers and 10 counselors in Stress and Coping, a curriculum of 20 lessons and activities that help students build healthy coping skills and enhance resilience in the face of stress. To navigate the challenges of this year, several schools have been using healing circles to support the overall wellness of staff.
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"As we move into our post-COVID recovery, we must also focus on the social, emotional, and educational recovery of our students," said Mayor Lori Lightfoot. "Thanks to this new framework, we will be able to create the spaces and resources our students need to heal from this tortuous year and thrive. I want to thank Chicago Beyond and the Children First Fund for investing in our students and building on our ongoing work to help them rise above the challenges this pandemic has presented to their social and emotional wellbeing."
The initiative is funded through grants, donations, and money in the COVID-19 stimulus bill.