We sit with the heaviness of the Saugus High School shooting that took place in Santa Clarita, California, yesterday. Our hearts go out to the families and communities impacted by this terrible tragedy.
Education leaders and staff have the difficult responsibility of providing leadership and support to the school community. Some of our region is impacted directly. Some school communities in our region may be activated and reminded of shared past experiences. Some school communities-in our region and beyond- may be navigating how to support students, faculty, and community members to manage all that comes up with events like this. To that end, we’ve compiled resources to help in both the immediate and long-term recovery process for those who are impacted directly, secondarily, and vicariously: this is a connected experience.
To our region:
please note that as your regional center that offers no-cost TA for school crisis readiness, response and recovery for the Pacific Southwest, we partner with
the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement
.
Please contact our School Mental Health lead, Leora Wolf-Prusan, if you are interested in accessing coaching, resources, or training:
[email protected]
.
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This resource, developed by a workgroup across the MHTTC Network, is designed to help schools better support students and families in the aftermath of violence and trauma. The brief provides strategies and resources to assist schools with readiness, response, and recovery to promote resilience in the event of a tragedy. It discusses terminology and concepts related to suicide and grief. Finally, it highlights the importance of providing culturally responsive services, using the example of cultural considerations for schools to help Hispanic/Latino students struggling with grief and trauma.
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Crisis and loss are common in the lives of students, whether due to a death or crisis involving a student's individual family or one that affects the entire school community. This recorded webinar helps school professionals learn basic skills in how to talk with and support individual students or the entire class/school as they struggle to understand and cope with a crisis or loss in their lives. Dr. David Schonfeld (National Center for School Crisis & Bereavement) draws on over 30 years' experience in school crisis response and pediatric bereavement to illustrate key points.
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For additional resources, please refer to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network’s (NCTSN)
School Shooting Resources
page.
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Resources for Schools in Acute Response
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This online toolkit from AASA offers best practices that districts can implement before, during, and after a crisis. It compiles key resources, training options, and choice points for school leaders and staff.
These tips from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) is designed to help school principals, district superintendents, and other leaders with supporting schools in the aftermath of violence.
Provides guidance on responding to disaster, violence, or terrorism events using the Psychological First Aid intervention. This version gives school administrators, educators, and staff practical assistance to meet immediate needs and concerns, reduce distress, and foster adaptive coping in the wake of a disaster. The manual includes in-depth information about each of the eight core actions and accompanying handouts for administrators, school staff, educators, students, and parents and caregivers.
This one-page tip sheet from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) describes reactions that students may have to community violence and how educators can respond.
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Resources for School Leadership, Mental Health Staff, and Families: How to Talk About School Shootings
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This SAMHSA tip sheet offers age-based guidance for how children and youth respond to trauma and how adults can support them.
The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) developed this simple tip sheet for talking about high-profile violence with children.
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To help students who are continually hearing about senseless gun violence in or near schools and are scared about their safety, the National Education Association (NEA) offers advice from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) for talking to students about violence and other tragedies.
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Dr. Deborah Gilboa, a parenting expert, provides age-based advice for how parents can discuss tragedies with children, from preschoolers to teenagers.
This brief article from the American Psychological Association (APA) offers guidance for how to support children hearing about school violence and how to recognize warning signs of trauma.
This article from Mashable provides tips for how families should discuss school shootings with children, as well as suggested ways for parents to advocate for better gun violence approaches in the community and in schools.
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Contact the Pacific Southwest MHTTC
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