Chester County Lawmaker Works To Raise Awareness Of Trauma In Education

One local lawmaker is working to raise the visibility of trauma-informed education in local schools.

Pennsylvania State Sen. Andy Dinniman (D-Chester) will hold a screening of a documentary film, “Paper Tigers,” that chronicles the true story of a school in Washington where trauma education had a significant impact.

“The bottom line is: children who are experiencing traumatic stress have much more difficulty learning,” Dinniman said. “While we are taking important steps toward a trauma-informed education system in Pennsylvania and the nation, there is much more work to be done.”

The film is directed by James Redford, the son of Robert Redford, and follows Lincoln High School in Walla Walla High School.

Joan Duvall-Flynn, the chair of the Education Committee of the Pennsylvania NAACP, will lead a panel discussion on best practices of implementing ideas from the film immediately afterwards.

The screening will be held on Wednesday, October 21 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at West Chester University’s Sykes Theatre. The event is free.