Maestros, consejeros, conductores de autobús y personal escolar del condado de Russell han recibido una formación intensiva sobre los efectos del trauma infantil en la salud mental y física de los niños desde 2018.

En la actualidad, las suspensiones escolares han disminuido en un 50 por ciento, y más niños y niñas informan que se sienten seguros y atendidos, además dicen que "pertenecen" a la escuela.

Amalia Mendoza, de la Fundación para un Kentucky Saludable, que proporcionó fondos de subsidio para el Proyecto Bounce Rural Adverse Childhood Experiences, dice que las comunidades rurales se enfrentan a diferentes desafíos para reducir los problemas de comportamiento que se derivan de las experiencias adversas de la infancia o ACEs.

"Estamos hablando de estrés tóxico, no estamos hablando de cualquier adversidad," asegura Mendoza. "Realmente existe este tipo de estrés que es continuo, y que puede producir cambios incluso en el cerebro y en el sistema inmunológico."

Según la Iniciativa para la Medición de Salud de Niños y Adolescentes, casi el 40% de las niñas y niños de EE.UU. han estado expuestos a al menos una Experiencia Infantil Adversa, como la negligencia o el abuso, la convivencia con alguien con problemas de drogas, alcohol o salud mental grave, la muerte de uno de los padres, o la exposición a violencia o discriminación en el hogar o la comunidad.

Tracy Aaron, del Departamento de Salud del Distrito de Lake Cumberland, explica que las ACEs se han relacionado con enfermedades del corazón, derrames cerebrales, diabetes, cáncer y problemas de salud mental, todas ellas condiciones que prevalecen en la región y en todo Kentucky.

"En el distrito de Lake Cumberland, si se observan los datos que respaldan los ACEs, tenemos una tasa muy alta de pobreza, tenemos embarazos de adolescentes," informa Aaron. "El consumo de sustancias es un problema."

El superintendente de las escuelas del condado de Russell, Michael Ford, dice que las escuelas no pueden arreglar los problemas familiares, pero sí pueden trabajar para eliminar las barreras que afectan al rendimiento académico y proporcionar espacios donde los estudiantes se sientan fuera de peligro, con técnicas de autocuidado efectivas para la resolución de problemas, así como relaciones saludables.

"Queremos que nuestros hijos sean resilientes, ¿verdad?", dice Ford. "Número uno, queremos prevenir todo lo que podamos ayudar a prevenir. Y a pesar de todo, los niños van a tener ACEs, pero las ACEs no tienen por qué retenerlos."

Ford añade que las estrategias que han funcionado en este distrito incluyen la formación de padres y abuelos sobre cómo fomentar la resiliencia de los niños y niñas, el aumento del apoyo a los consejeros escolares y el cambio de las políticas disciplinarias.

October is National Bullying Prevention Month and a recent study showed teens bullied in high school tend to become pessimistic about life prospects.

The study, published in the Journal of Research on Adolescence found students who experienced relational bullying were more likely to develop depressive symptoms and over time became more pessimistic about both academics and career prospects beyond high school. Relational bullying includes things like starting rumors, being deliberately ignored and exclusion from group activities.

Hannah L. Schacter, assistant professor of psychology at Wayne State University in Detroit, said a student's perception of social inadequacy can spread into other parts of life.

"You're receiving a message from your peers that you are someone who doesn't deserve positive treatment, and that may then generalize to these other life domains," Schacter explained. "Now you expect that you're not going to be able to do well academically, or perhaps you won't be able to achieve what you wanted in terms of your work or kind of life plans."

Maryland requires county boards of education to track and report on bullying. This year's report showed there were more than 7,800 incidences of bullying reported during the 2022-23 school year, an increase of 25% over the year prior.

Researchers found students who experienced overt victimization such as direct verbal or physical attacks did not report lower future expectations. Earlier research showed relational victimization had negative effects on elementary students' academic performance and standardized test scores over time. Schacter argued schools need to see the effects of bullying not just as a challenging social issue but also an educational priority.

"As there's been increased recognition of how it can negatively impact teens, more and more schools have, at the very least, adopted anti bullying policies," Schacter acknowledged. "Unfortunately, it's very time intensive, and can be quite costly to implement evidence based large scale school interventions for bullying."

Maryland's State Department of Education adopted a model policy to address bullying, harassment and intimidation in 2009 and has updated it in the years since. Last year the department began offering an online introduction to bullying prevention for educators.


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October is National Bullying Prevention Month and a new study showed teens bullied in high school tend to become pessimistic about their future.

Researchers found adolescents who experienced relational bullying were more likely to develop depressive symptoms and over time became more pessimistic about academics and career prospects beyond high school. Relational bullying includes things like starting rumors, being deliberately ignored and exclusion from group activities.

Hannah L. Schacter, assistant professor of psychology at Wayne State University in Detroit, said a student's perception of social inadequacy can spread into other parts of life.

"You're receiving a message from your peers that you are someone who doesn't deserve positive treatment, and that may then generalize to these other life domains," Schacter explained. "Now you expect that you're not going to be able to do well academically, or perhaps you won't be able to achieve what you wanted in terms of your work or kind of life plans."

The study began with more than 300 9th graders at 38 different high schools across Michigan. Students completed online surveys multiple times per year over three years.

Researchers found students who experienced overt victimization such as direct verbal or physical attacks did not report lower future expectations. Prior research established relational victimization affected elementary students' academic performance and standardized test scores over time. Schacter argued schools need to see the effects of bullying not just as a challenging social issue but also as an educational priority.

"As there's been increased recognition of how it can negatively impact teens, more and more schools have, at the very least, adopted anti-bullying policies," Schacter acknowledged. "Unfortunately, it's very time intensive, and can be quite costly to implement evidence-based large-scale school interventions for bullying."

She added it is important to have strong communication between researchers, policymakers and administrators to address bullying so it is not too burdensome for schools and is backed by what researchers have learned.

The biannual Pro-Kid Scorecard from the Children Now Action Fund was released today.

In it, 12 state Assembly members and seven state Senators earned a 100% rating.

Kelly Hardy, senior managing director of health and research at the nonprofit Children Now Action Fund, said the scoring reflects more than how lawmakers vote.

"They voted the right way on health and child welfare, child care, education," Hardy outlined. "They also supported kids in the budget, which is not always an easy thing to do when we've got budget deficits."

The lowest scores hovered around 48%, awarded to lawmakers who voted against certain bills but also voted for proposals like forced outing policies for LGBTQ+ students in schools.

Hardy noted the report is intended to inform voters as they head to the ballot box next month.

"Kids may not vote but we want to elect legislators who do their best to support kids," Hardy explained.

California ranks 35th in the nation for child well-being, according to the latest Annie E. Casey Foundation report and is just above the national average for per-pupil spending on K-12 education.