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PARKERSBURG – Fairplains Elementary School will be one of five West Virginia schools to pilot a new program designed to identify and help students suffering from trauma.
Principal Liz Conrad presented information Tuesday to Wood County Board of Education on the T.I.E.S. program at Fairplains Elementary. T.I.E.S., which stands for Trauma Informed Elementary Schools, provides training for teachers and administrators to recognize signs of trauma among children and to help parents to find appropriate help and services.
Conrad said trauma, such as a family death, violence, drug or alcohol issues, or a traumatic event such as a fire or being forced to leave a home, can cause behavior issues in students. Educators often must first find the source of the issue before working to correct the behavior, Conrad said.
“If this program did not fit our needs (at Fairplains), we would not have been interested,” Conrad said. “We felt we wanted to pursue this program. I truly believe we have the support of the school community.”
Conrad presented a memorandum of understanding with the Benedum Foundation, which is funding the grant for the development of the pilot program in northern West Virginia. The Benedum Foundation likely will use observations and information from the pilot program to look at expanding T.I.E.S. throughout the state, she said.
Conrad said the initial program will focus on grades pre-kindergarten through first. Fairplains will be one of five pilot schools in northern West Virginia participating in the program.
Conrad said the school will be working with Crittenton Services out of Wheeling, but will continue collaboration with local agencies for providing services to students and parents.
“This will not seem unusual to our school,” she said. “I can attest that a program such as this is very much needed.”
Board member Jim Asbury joined the meeting via phone and said he was unsure whether such a program was appropriate for the school.
“My concern is, are we getting away from what our mission is? Obviously it’s to support the children, but from an education standpoint, is this a path we should be looking at?” he said. “I worry about liability. I worry about being involved in development outside of education and taking time away from other students.”
Conrad said behavior issues due to trauma already exist and are dealt with daily by educators and administrators. In most instances, however, students must be sent out of the school for help and there is little teacher involvement in how parents try to address the situation.
Conrad said the T.I.E.S. program will give educators tools to more actively help families and ultimately to keep children in the classroom and learning.
“I think it’s perfectly part of our charge,” she said. “I have been doing this for the past 10 years without a partner. I would like to have a partner.”
Board member Tim Yeater said he believes the program takes away blame and instead points everyone in a healthy direction.
“I think this is a fresh-air approach to how we’re dealing with young people in the classroom,” he said.
The board Tuesday voted 4-1 to approve the agreement, with Asbury voting against.