Okla: "Oklahoma's youngest, most vulnerable children suffer more trauma than...in any other state"

May 23, 2018, Tahlequah (OK) Daily Press: Summit to focus on students experiencing trauma http://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/news/education_news/summit-to-focus-on-students-experiencing-trauma/article_e46ee145-88b7-5eb8-a189-f07e21e699db.html State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister announced that the Oklahoma State Department of Education will address one of the nation's most prevalent public health problems at an upcoming summit. "It Starts Here: Trauma-Informed Instruction" will be held at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Oct. 2, and feature experts in childhood trauma and healing. In partnership with state agencies, tribal nations and nonprofits that serve children and families, the OSDE's in-depth event will target educators who are often the first to encounter trauma in individual children. "A recent National Survey of Children's Health revealed that Oklahoma's youngest, most vulnerable children suffer more trauma than those in any other state in the nation, and additional trauma rankings among our children of all ages are alarmingly high," Hofmeister said. "We must come together to understand the complex issues surrounding Adverse Childhood Experiences in order to serve the hundreds of thousands of affected children in our classrooms and provide a path forward that is infused with resilience and hope. "Trauma is a significant issue and one that is often overlooked as it relates to students struggling with mental health and substance abuse issues. We provide trauma screening as individuals enter our system and have found that 99 percent of the people in our mental health system screen positive for trauma, as do well over half of those receiving substance abuse treatment," said White. OJA Executive Director Steven Buck said his agency has seen a rise in children experiencing trauma. …