Healing Centered
School Communities
Healing Centered
School Communities
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Healing Centered School Communities
½ûÂþÌìÌà provides comprehensive support to students facing mental health or social-emotional challenges. As a school district that embraces trauma-informed practices, ½ûÂþÌìÌà understands that many students have endured adverse experiences that can significantly impact their overall well-being and academic success.
Both trauma and healing are collective experiences. Our commitment to collective wellness is the foundation for our focus as a healing centered school community.
Healing is central to Teaching and Learning. The goal of a healing centered community school is radically simple: High quality teaching and learning that supports individual students well being. This is reached through integrated social emotional learning, accessible support and these three essential tenets:
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Trauma-Engaged: Not only understanding and being aware of trauma, but proactively promoting collective healing as a whole school system while responsively meeting the individual wellness needs of each student.
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Culturally-affirming: Centering equity in healing through recognizing systems of oppression and the harms they cause while intentionally challenging assumptions and beliefs to reimagine those systems toward collective freedom, through recognizing a broad understanding of trauma (including historic and generational trauma) and affirming all cultures in the healing process.
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Embracing shared responsibility: Collective responsibility for the physical, emotional, and psychological safety of all students.
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½ûÂþÌìÌà supports all students’ access to high quality teaching and learning through safe and affirming environments for all students supported by embedded , restorative justice and strategic partnerships with organizations such as The Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health. ½ûÂþÌìÌà recognizes the importance of addressing trauma and remains committed to providing the necessary resources and strategies to help students succeed in all aspects of their educational journey.
Additional Information
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Harassment, Intimidation & Bullying
Bullying in schools is a serious issue and deserves vigilant attention from school personnel and the community at large. ½ûÂþÌìÌà is committed to the health and well-being of our school communities. Every ½ûÂþÌìÌà School strives to be free from harassment, intimidation and bullying.
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Crisis Response & Recovery
The Department of Student Success & Health crisis recovery team serves as a resource in supporting Portland Public School communities after events of impact. We understand that the foundation of an effective recovery plan is recognizing the potential impacts of trauma and acknowledging the ways in which each school community and their respective cultures, races and identities have historically experienced successful healing and resiliency. Our team provides direct consultation and assistance to ½ûÂþÌìÌà school administrators and Principal Supervisors to assess the unique support needs of each situation and deliver an effective level of crisis recovery response.
In cases where the incident is rooted in hate-based behavior, our team works with the Department for Civil Rights, Restorative Justice, and Racial Equity Restorative Justice (RESJ) team. This partnership ensures a coordinated and comprehensive approach that integrates crisis recovery strategies with restorative justice principles, enabling us to effectively address the harm caused, promote healing, and foster understanding and dialogue within the affected school community.
More Information: Student Success & Health Webpage -
Behavioral Safety Assessment
½ûÂþÌìÌà takes any potential threat to or by its students very seriously and works diligently to ensure the safety and well-being of our students by adopting best practices in the field. Through the implementation of the Behavioral Safety Assessment System, the district is committed to identifying and mitigating potential risks while promoting a positive and inclusive educational experience for all students.
The Behavioral Safety Assessment System provides a step-by-step process for school personnel to identify situations that may pose a risk of violence, assess the seriousness of the risk, and quickly respond with appropriate safety and supervision strategies. Instead of relying on exclusionary discipline, the Behavioral Safety Assessment System focuses on creative problem-solving and student-centered strategies. By considering the unique needs of each student, ½ûÂþÌìÌà strives to address the underlying causes of behavioral issues and foster long-term positive outcomes. This approach creates a supportive and inclusive learning environment where students feel valued and can thrive.