WVPA Sharing

Davis-Stuart School, Gene Spadaro Juvenile Center certified as first trauma-informed resilient schools in West Virginia

Release from the West Virginia Department of Education:

CHARLESTON, W.VA. – The Davis-Stuart School and the Gene Spadaro Juvenile Center are the first schools in West Virginia to become Trauma-Informed Resilient (TIR) Schools.

TIR certification assists education professionals in creating schools and classrooms that build resilience in children. By fostering connections and prioritizing social and emotion skill development, educators are able to better support students who have been exposed to trauma.

In an effort to provide effective trauma-informed strategies, all school personnel including administrators, educators and support staff, completed 30 hours of training and passed a final exam to earn the certification.

“This training has never been more important than it is today as we work toward recovery after the effects of the pandemic,” said State Superintendent Schools W. Clayton Burch. “It speaks volumes that even in the midst of everything they were facing this year, these school employees took the initiative beginning in August to complete this certification that will undoubtedly benefit the students we serve for years to come.”

Jacob Green, Superintendent for the West Virginia Schools of Diversion and Transition (WVSDT), said this training focuses on resilience, explores the core values and beliefs of educators and places an emphasis on understanding how trauma impacts children and their school experience.

“Our WVSDT school employees understand their increasingly important role in understanding how trauma affects children and the lasting impact it has on their lives,” Green said. “These educators and staff members are better prepared because they have more insight regarding why trauma-informed support is needed and how to create the best classroom and school supports for traumatized students. I’d like to commend Dr. Lyn Guy, principal of both Davis-Stuart and Gene Spadaro, for her leadership throughout this process.”

For more information, contact Christy Day at the West Virginia Department of Education Office of Communications at 304-558-2699 or [email protected].

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