On March 27, OSBA participated in the Ohio Attorney General’s meeting Ideas for Our Future: Addressing childhood trauma to create positive outcomes. This was the fifth Attorney General-led meeting addressing the opioid epidemic in Ohio, but the first directly focusing on the epidemic’s impact on children and families. The goal was to share information about programs across Ohio that are working so all interested parties could benefit from and expand on that information.
The program began with opening remarks from Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, and included information about trauma-informed schools, trauma-informed training for teachers, the long-range impact childhood trauma experiences can have on children (especially drug endangered children), and best practices for building resilience in children and creating more positive outcomes for them. The meeting also focused on what schools, mental health professionals and public agencies can do to help drug endangered children heal and succeed.
You can find resources related to battling Ohio’s opioid epidemic on the Ohio Attorney General’s website at: http://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Individuals-and-Families/Victims/Drug-Diversion. A number of more targeted resources related to topics including naloxone use and trauma-informed care also are available in the Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s Heroin Unit Community Solutions Guide.
For more information about fighting Ohio’s opioid crisis, trauma-informed practices in a school setting, and other related topics, please join us at OSBA's MDS #2: Student Welfare. The seminar will be held at OSBA offices on April 18 from 9am-3pm, and you can register online at: https://www.ohioschoolboards.org/events.