Building a Trauma-Informed Public School - Summer 2021 - A Case Study from the Jacksonville Public Education Fund

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Damian

Building a Trauma-Informed Public School - Summer 2021 presents a case study on how Duval County Public Schools addresses student mental health through a trauma-informed, evidence-based approach. The document outlines the district’s historical initiatives, including Full-Service Schools and Full-Service Schools Plus, and explains the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) across Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3. It details social-emotional learning programs such as Calm Classroom and highlights survey findings on improvements in students’ emotional regulation, focus, engagement, and readiness to learn, alongside local trauma prevalence.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Background

Duval County Public Schools mental health initiatives

MTSS and school-based supports

What Is Trauma?

Trauma and cognitive learning impacts

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)

Trauma in Duval County

Poverty, homelessness, and student trauma exposure

BUILDING A TRAUMAINFORMED PUBLIC SCHOOL SUMMER 2021 A CASE STUDY FROM THE JACKSONVILLE PUBLIC EDUCATION FUND BACKGROUND Social emotional learning has become a top priority for public education. In response to growing understanding of the importance of mental health, educators have implemented significant measures to help children in crisis and explicitly teach skills to manage emotions in the classroom. Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) began its first mental health initiative in 1991, with Full-Service Schools, a partnership with United Way of Northeast Florida and Kids Hope Alliance that provides free mental health counseling to students in public schools.1 In 2014, the Jacksonville Community Council released areport,“Unlocking the Pieces,” that estimated one in five children in Duval County has a mental health disorder.2 In response, then-Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti decided to pilot a model called Full-Service Schools Plus, with therapists embedded in schools instead of visiting only for counseling appointments. The pilot was successful, with a spike in the number of students agreeing to therapy. Funding to expand the pilot district-wide became available after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018. Today, Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) uses an evidence-based, Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) .3 The system encourages schools to: • proactively address mental health needs with all • • Within students (Tier 1), identify students at risk of mental health issues to provide small group support (Tier 2), and provide one-on-one counseling to students with mental health needs (Tier 3) .4 this tiered approach, DCPS offers several initiatives to support students-Wellness Wednesdays, Second Step social-emotional curriculum, Calm Classroom, and Youth Mental Health First Aid. In fall 2020, the Luster Learning Institute conducted a survey of DCPS teachers about Calm Classroom, which helps students develop self-awareness, focus, and emotional resilience.5 The survey had a 79 percent response rate among the 2,600 teachers surveyed: • • • 95 percent of respondents said students seemed calmer after practicing, 87 percent said students were more engaged and learning-ready, and 80 percent said students were better able to regulate their emotions. One teacher wrote, in the midst of a pandemic,“This is the ONE GOOD THING that has happened this year.” The positive reception of Calm Classroom affirms the demand for social emotional learning tools in public school staff. Callie Lackey, Executive Director of Hope Street, Inc., and Daren Jones, of the Karyn Purvis Institute for Child Development, visit Jacksonville Heights Elementary School in May 2021. WHAT IS TRAUMA? Research has shown that trauma can disrupt cognitive processes that are essential for learning. Instead of allowing students to engage in higher-order, academic thinking, traumatic experiences trap them in their“reptile brain” – the part of the brain that governs basic survival functions like fight or flight. Traumatic events among children, also known as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), are sadly common across the United States, and they can have a negative impact on health, education, and earning potential.6 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adverse childhood experiences can include: •• •• violence, abuse, or neglect, witnessing violence in the home or community, having a family member attempt or die by suicide, substance use or mental health problems in the home, and • instability due to parental separation or household members being in jail or prison. The COVID-19 pandemic has layered on even more trauma. Many students are living in homes where family members lost jobs, became ill or died, or faced eviction. According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, the pandemic represents a“crisis on top of a crisis,” exacerbating disparities by race an

FAQs

Why are social-emotional learning and mental health supports prioritized in public education?

Social emotional learning has become a top priority as educators respond to the growing understanding of mental health needs in children, including skills for managing emotions in the classroom.

How does Duval County Public Schools structure its mental health support system?

Duval County Public Schools uses an evidence-based Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS), providing universal supports to all students in Tier 1, small-group support for students at risk in Tier 2, and one-on-one counseling for students with mental health needs in Tier 3.

What evidence does the document provide about Calm Classroom outcomes?

A fall 2020 survey of DCPS teachers reported a 79% response rate and found that 95% of respondents said students seemed calmer, 87% said students were more engaged and learning-ready, and 80% said students were better able to regulate emotions after practicing.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Damian