Michael Gregory | Clinical Professor of Law at Harvard Law School (HLS)

The Role of Law and Courts in Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools
The heart of the trauma-sensitive schools movement is the important work educators do in classrooms and school buildings to create learning environments where all students can feel safe and supported.

October 29, 2021 | 5:00 – 6:00 pm EST

Zoom link: LIfTS October 2021 Keynote Registration

As part of Lesley University’s ongoing commitment to the development of safe and supportive schools, and equity in education, the Lesley Institute for Trauma Sensitivity (LIfTS) conducts two residencies annually, featuring a guest speaker on a topic of trauma and learning, free and open to the public.

The heart of the trauma-sensitive schools movement is the important work educators do in classrooms and school buildings to create learning environments where all students can feel safe and supported. However, decisions made by judges and lawmakers help set the conditions in which this work takes place. Though they can feel quite distant from the daily fray of teaching and learning, actions by courts and legislatures can have a profound impact on how educators do their work. Attorney Michael Gregory from the Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative (TLPI) will provide an introduction to recent legal developments related to trauma-sensitive schools and discuss their potential impacts. In particular, he will provide an overview of two recent federal court cases in which advocates have attempted to secure legal rights to trauma-sensitive education for large groups of students. Are such court cases helpful to the work of teachers and administrators? How do they benefit students and families? How can courts and lawyers be helpful and how can they sometimes be hurtful? The goal is to provide attendees with an opportunity to see how their school-based work is connected to the larger legal context, and to consider effective approaches for educators and lawyers working together to bring about systemic reforms that can help create trauma-sensitive schools for all students.

Questions? Email us at spedcenter@lesley.edu