There are helpful trauma-informed policies and practices that school settings can use to better the academic, behavior, and social outcomes for Black Female Teens.

Dr. Ken Hardy has shared that “In a trauma-informed movement, race and slavery are never mentioned. If it’s trauma-informed, it’s got to be race informed.

What does this mean? It means that school districts must be willing to review their current trauma-informed practices and trainings.

One question a school district can answer includes: Does the training include both racial trauma awareness and additional traumas such as medical trauma, sexual trauma, physical trauma, emotional trauma, and neglect?

School policies and procedures around in and out of school suspension, detention, and other practices should be reviewed. It is also important look at the data.

Who is getting expelled and what are the reasons?

Is it the same across the board?

What are other ways to ensure that students are not missing classes?

What are equitable ways to handle situations that do not include any form of bias?

School districts can continue training about their current school policies, how to have effective communication with students, and how to get feedback from students.