The Tempe Union High school District has entered into its third year of an agreement with a nonprofit, focused on helping kids through adverse experiences.
The agreement provides trauma training for a cohort of educators at Marcos De Niza High School.
The district has partnered with The Arizona Adverse Childhood Experiences Consortium ( AZ ACEs). the organization offers training, advocacy and support to understand the science of childhood trauma, how it impacts people, and how they can heal.
AZ ACEs Director of Programs Sandi Cimino said the training teaches staff how to help kids feel safe, so they can focus in the classroom and reduce distracting behaviors.
“When we are experiencing an activation through past or current trauma, the first thing we need to do is help individuals — both adults and children — to regulate," she said.
That means getting the body and brain back in balance through methods like taking a walk or breathing.
School staffers are learning how to make kids feel safe and effectively respond to distracting behaviors.
“You are naturally going to be activated in some or multiple ways because of that behavior because we are all human," Cimino said. "So [it’s about] teachers understanding to take a pause in the moment, take a deep breath, and then be able to respond rather than react.”
