Trauma-Informed Schools Act of 2024

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 8526 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8526 To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide criteria for use of Federal funds to support trauma-informed practices in schools, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 23, 2024 Ms. Clark of Massachusetts (for herself, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Quigley, and Ms. Salinas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide criteria for use of Federal funds to support trauma-informed practices in schools, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Trauma-Informed Schools Act of 2024''. SEC. 2. TRAUMA-INFORMED PRACTICES. (a) Definition.--Section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801) is amended-- (1) by redesignating paragraphs (51) and (52) as paragraphs (52) and (53), respectively; and (2) by inserting after paragraph (50) the following: ``(51) Trauma-informed practices.--The term `trauma- informed practices' means-- ``(A) evidence-based professional development that promotes a shared understanding among teachers, teachers assistants, school leaders, paraprofessionals, specialized instructional support personnel, and other staff that-- ``(i) adverse and potentially traumatic experiences are common among students; ``(ii) trauma can impact student learning, behavior, and relationships in school; ``(iii) adverse and potentially traumatic experiences do not inherently undermine the capabilities of students to reach high expectati