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Support SB 483 Banning Dangerous Restraint Technique on Students
It is time to ban prone restraint in schools in California. SB 483 would prohibit the use of “prone restraint,” which physically or mechanically restrains students in a face-down position. We need your help to keep this legislation moving. The first stop is the Senate Education Committee. Please consider sending a letter to members of…
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A Time for Understanding and Support: Emotional Regulation and the Holidays
I don’t remember when it began to annoy me. Perhaps it was seeing one too many videos of a child opening a present only to be disappointed by its contents while the adults in the room laughed. Or maybe it was going to the comment section of those videos and seeing a slew of comments…
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A Letter to the Jordan School District in Utah
According to Jordan School District policy, restraint and seclusion are emergency safety interventions that should only be used when a student’s behavior poses an imminent danger of serious physical harm to self or others. The phrase “imminent danger of serious physical harm” is critical as it is the criteria under which your policy states that…
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Is Taylor Swift Trauma Informed?
Recently, Taylor Swift shared in an interview, “I respond to extreme pain with defiance.” This quote resonated with me in a way that felt profoundly personal—like it was meant for me. I’ve found that my response to generational family trauma, heartbreak, friendship betrayals, and, most recently, workplace abuse has mirrored Swift’s sentiment: complete and utter…
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Seclusion Prevented My Son from Reaching His Potential
Every child deserves to be treated with dignity and deserves to be safe regardless of their race, socio-economic status, or cognitive/physical abilities. All children need love and kindness to thrive in the world. Abraham Maslow created the following hierarchy of needs in his 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation.” In order to move up…
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Kids of the World Should Be in Charge of Their Learning
Have you ever wondered who changes schools? Who makes it different? Well, I have realized who does, and they shouldn’t be. We should be; the kids of the world should be in charge of their learning! I believe kids should have the right to their own learning because kids like different topics in school, kids…
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A Trauma-informed Lens on Behavior
Students who have experienced trauma may not always display behaviors that immediately evoke empathy. Managing and expressing emotions can be challenging for these children due to the impact of trauma on their brains. The trauma alters their brain’s instinctual response to “fight, flight, or freeze,” making emotional regulation difficult.
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The Lost Years of “Treatment”
My experience in the troubled teen industry began when I was 12 years old and was unnecessarily sent to rehab. There, I was regularly interrogated and pressured into admitting to drug use and forced to identify as an “addict.” Despite knowing that I didn’t belong there initially, with everyone around me telling me otherwise and…
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In Alice’s Own Words
“I’m a female human child,” Alice proclaims as I strap her into her car seat after her first day of school. Seven and a half years into my parenting journey, I still don’t always fully comprehend the impact of Alice’s words when I hear them. She is minimally or unreliably speaking and often uses an…
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Students with Disabilities Have as Much Right to be in Public Schools as Non-disabled Students
The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees every individual is allowed equal protection and due process of Federal and state rights. Yep, even children. Public school is either local or state-controlled. Public school is a public service program. It is the same as public sidewalks, meaning all citizens are allowed equal access to and…
