[women talking] - [David] Natasha Scott is in charge of student services for Cumberland County Schools.

Every time she walks into a school, she's aware of the fact that most of the students are carrying trauma.

- The research does tell us that for most people, by their 18th birthday, they will have experienced some type of trauma.

- [David] Scott says trauma can impact students in many different ways.

She's especially seen this with the trauma students experienced during the pandemic.

The school district saw an uptick in disciplinary issues when students returned following COVID-19 related school closures.

- We do recognize that trauma is more prevalent than we think.

And some of the misbehavior, some of the stress that you can see in children is a result of traumas that they've experienced.

- [David] It's one of the reasons why the school district is working towards becoming a trauma-sensitive school district.

District leaders say being trauma-sensitive is not about one single program.

It's an overall awareness of the pervasiveness of trauma and how it may impact students.

- Students need additional support.

We need to understand where they are, understand the challenges that they've gone through, and then we need to implement programs that address those unique needs.

- [David] One way the district is addressing these unique needs is by providing a calm corner in each school.

The goal is to help misbehaving students regulate their emotions.

Another includes the SPARCS program.

It's a trauma-informed small group counseling program that's facilitated by trained school counselors and school social workers.

- Thinking about the whole child, that we're not just here to teach them reading, writing, and math, but we're also here to help them just be productive, healthy citizens when they leave our school system.

- [David] And while the pandemic created a lot of challenges for students in Cumberland County and around the state, it also helped break down some of the stigmas around mental health and created a platform for students to talk about it.

- We can't prevent students' trauma.

We can't change their trauma.

But we can certainly help them to build their skills to be resilient.

- [David] For ncIMPACT, I'm David Hurst.

[people chattering]