By Sharonica Hardin-Bartley and Terry Harris Sep 10, 2019
The night of Saturday, Aug. 24, was a horrific one for all of the schools and children in the St. Louis region. Gun violence or the threat of it tainted two major high school events in St. Louis County and city.
School administrators all went cold when they heard the news — just as many parents did, and just as many students did. Just as we did. As school leaders, we live in the shadow of potential violence against our students every day. The fear and uncertainty they live with every day is the No. 1 indicator that our students are not well.
It’s not just gun violence shadowing our children. Every day, in urban, suburban and rural classrooms, teachers and staff see other clear signs that the children are not well: poverty, racism, food insecurity, family violence, suicidal ideation, depression, divorce, family illness, substance abuse. The research is clear that trauma and toxic stress live within the minds and bodies of our children — and as much as our children try to show up in class, the effects of trauma and toxic stress can have devastating consequences to learning.
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