# data[].attributes.body
This article on gun violence from The Philadelphia Inquirer speaks on how the rapid increase in gun violence is impacting the inner communities of Philadelphia. In the article, a grieving mother is mourning the death of her son and she explains how the death of her son isn’t anything new or unusual in Philadelphia. Gun violence continues to plague Philadelphia as it reaches record levels for the past three years. When you become an educator you take on more than one role. These are topics that sadly need to be talked about in the classroom because some students may have to experience this everyday outside the classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Philly’s gun violence remained at record levels for the third straight year

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Philadelphia had recorded 512 homicides this year through Tuesday, police said, and nearly 1,800 people were shot and survived.

# data[].attributes.body
This article on gender identity from CNN talks about how Florida's Board of Education agreed to ban classroom instruction about sexual orientation. The law argues that students should not be exposed to gender identity at a young age. The only way students can talk about these topics is if it is in a health or reproductive course. It states teachers who violate these terms can be suspended or terminated. This invokes a new challenge for early-grade teachers trying to meet the needs of all children. I believe there should be ways to talk about topics like these to kids so everyone can have a better understanding of peers that may be going through gender identity.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Florida bans teaching of gender identity and sexual orientation through 12th grade | CNN Politics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Florida's state education board voted Wednesday to ban teaching students about sexual orientation and gender identity through high school, expanding the scope of a contentious state law that last year thrust Gov. Ron DeSantis to the forefront of the cultural clash over classrooms.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Healthy eating behaviors in childhood may reduce the risk of adult obesity and heart disease

# data[].attributes.body
This article on healthy eating behaviors from science daily informs us about motivating young children to be smart about their food choices. The article talks about children who are surrounded by an environment centered around healthy food choices that have been connected to better childhood nutrition. Parents and positive role models can help play a notable role in generating an environment that gives assistance to children's progress to healthier eating. Teachers can educate students on healthy eating in PK-4th grade by planting a school garden that produces vegetables and fruits to eat.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
How children are fed may be just as important as what they are fed, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association, "Caregiver Influences on Eating Behaviors in Young Children," published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

The statement is the first from the Association focused on providing evidence-based strategies for parents and caregivers to create a healthy food environment for young children that supports the development of positive eating behaviors and the maintenance of a healthy weight in childhood, thereby reducing the risks of overweight, obesity and cardiovascular disease later in life.

Although many children are born with an innate ability to stop eating when they are full, they are also influenced by the overall emotional atmosphere, including caregiver wishes and demands during mealtimes. If children feel under pressure to eat in response to caregiver wants, it may be harder for them to listen to their individual internal cues that tell them when they are full.

Allowing children to choose what and especially how much to eat within an environment composed of healthy options encourages children to develop and eventually take ownership of their decisions about food and may help them develop eating patterns linked to a healthy weight for a lifetime, according to the statement authors.

"Parents and caregivers should consider building a positive food environment centered on healthy eating habits, rather than focusing on rigid rules about what and how a child should eat," said Alexis C. Wood, Ph.D., the writing group chair for the scientific statement and assistant professor at the U.S. Department of Agriculture/Agriculture Research Services Children's Nutrition Research Center and the department of pediatrics (nutrition section) at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

The statement suggests that parents and caregivers should be positive role models by creating an environment that demonstrates and supports healthy food choices, rather than an environment focused on controlling children's choices or highlighting body weight. Parents and caregivers should encourage children to eat healthy foods by:

providing consistent timing for meals;

allowing children to select what foods they want to eat from a selection of healthy choices;

serving healthy or new foods alongside foods children already enjoy;

regularly eating new, healthy foods while eating with the child and demonstrating enjoyment of the food;

paying attention to a child's verbal or non-verbal hunger and fullness cues; and

avoiding pressuring children to eat more than they wish to eat.

Wood noted that some parents and caregivers may find it challenging to allow children to make their own food decisions, especially if the children become reluctant to try new foods and/or become picky eaters. These behaviors are common and considered normal in early childhood, ages 1 to 5 years, as children are learning about the tastes and textures of solid foods. Imposing rigid, authoritarian rules around eating and using tactics such as rewards or punishments may feel like successful tactics in the short term. However, research does not support this approach; rather, it may have long-term, negative consequences. An authoritarian eating environment does not allow a child to develop positive decision-making skills and can reduce their sense of control, which are important developmental processes for children.

In addition, the authoritarian approach has been linked to children being more likely to eat when they are not hungry and eating less healthy foods that are likely higher in calories, which increase the risk of overweight and obesity and/or conditions of disordered eating.

On the other hand, an indulgent approach, where a child is allowed to eat whatever they want whenever they want, does not provide enough boundaries for children to develop healthy eating habits. Research has also linked this "laissez-faire" approach to a greater risk of children becoming overweight or having obesity.

Research does suggest that some strategies can increase children's dietary variety during the early years if they are "picky" or "fussy" about foods. Repeatedly offering children a wide variety of healthy foods increases the likelihood they will accept them, particularly when served with foods they prefer. In addition, caregivers or parents who enthusiastically eat a food may also help a child accept this food. Modeling eating healthy foods -- by caregivers, siblings and peers -- is a good strategy for helping children to be open to a wider variety of food options.

"Children's eating behaviors are influenced by a lot of people in their lives, so ideally, we want the whole family to demonstrate healthy eating habits," said Wood.

It is important to note that not all strategies work for all children, and parents and caregivers should not feel undue stress or blame for children's eating behaviors. "It is very clear that each child is an individual and differs in their tendency to make healthy decisions about food as they grow. This is why it is important to focus on creating an environment that encourages decision-making skills and provides exposure to a variety of healthy, nutritious foods throughout childhood, and not place undue attention on the child's individual decisions," concluded Wood.

Caregivers can be a powerful force in helping children develop healthy eating habits, and yet their role is limited by other factors. The statement authors encourage policies that address barriers to implementing the statement's recommendations within the wider socioeconomic context, including social determinants of health such as socio-economic status, food insecurity and others. While efforts that encourage caregivers to provide a responsive, structured feeding environment could be an important component of reducing obesity and cardiometabolic risk across the lifespan, they note that they will be most effective as part of a multi-level, multi-component prevention strategy.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
diet and weight loss; children's health; staying healthy; child psychology; dieting and weight control; nutrition research; food; bacteria; food and agriculture

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Healthy eating behaviors in childhood may reduce the risk of adult obesity and heart disease

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Encouraging children to make their own decisions about food, within a structured environment focused on healthy food choices, has been linked to better childhood nutrition and healthier lifelong eating behaviors. Parents and caregivers can play a significant role in creating an environment that helps children develop healthier eating behaviors early in life, which can reduce the risk for overweight, obesity and cardiovascular disease as adults.

# data[].attributes.body
This article on self-harm from Healthy Children talks about the signs to look out for in children who self-harm. It goes over what parents and caregivers can do in serious situations like these. It also gives tips on how to react to children who may be self-harming. This article is a great way to gain insight for families who are dealing with this. This article can be helpful to teachers because they can use the same insight for students who self-harm or can have prior information to talk to parents about their children if they are concerned.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
​​​By: Alia McKean, DO, MPH & Maria H. Rahmandar, MD, FAAP

If the child you love is hurting so badly they're harming themselves, you probably feel the pain, too.

Parents and caregivers may feel confused, angry and helpless when they see signs that their child or teen is engaging in self-harm. They realize their child needs immediate help, but many have no idea where to begin.

When families bring up concerns about self-injury to their pediatrician, it provides the opportunity to talk openly about their child's situation and work out solutions together.

Here are insights that address commonly held fears and misconceptions, along with ways you can support your child.

What is self-harm?

Self-harm-also known as self-injury, self-mutilation or self-abuse-happens when people hurt themselves on purpose without intending to kill t​hemselves. Medical experts often refer to cutting and other forms of self-harm as non-suicidal self-injury, or NSSI.

Parents, share this video on the AAP YouTube channel with your teen: "What can I do if my friend is cutting themself?​"

If my ​child is self-harming, does it mean they are thinking about suicide?

Just because a child or adolescent starts engaging in self-harm, it does not automatically mean that they are having thoughts of suicide or hoping to die. However, newer studies show that when NSSI goes on for long periods, kids and teens face higher risks for suicidal thinking and actions. So parents and caregivers should take immediate steps when they believe their children are self-harming.

Are there myths about self-harm I should know about?

Here's a partial list of misconceptions that pediatricians hear:

Cutting is the only form of self-injury to worry about.

Self-harm is usually due to suicidal thoughts.

Kids or teens who self-injure are just seeking attention or being dramatic.

Girls are the only ones who self-harm.

If I ask my child about self-harm, they might be tempted to try it.

Kids and teens grow out of self-injuring behaviors so what is the point in treatment?

Cutting: signs to look out for

The most common form of NSSI is skin cutting, so you might see cuts or scars on your child's hands, wrists, stomach, legs or other areas of their body. Kids may inflict deep gashes or make dozens of smaller cuts in one spot. It is important to remember, though, that kids often hide their injuries by wearing lots of jewelry or long sleeves (even in hot weather), so the scars and cuts may not be visible or readily apparent.

Other subtle signs to look out for might include symptoms of depression (such as having overwhelming feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, sleep disturbances, and low energy levels). This is because kids who have depression are at higher risk of engaging in NSSI.

Other forms of self-harm

Other forms of self-injury include head-banging, burns, hair-pulling, or excessive scratching of the skin to the point of drawing blood. Some kids punch themselves, insert objects into body openings, drink harmful substances such as bleach or detergent, or attempt to break their bones on purpose. In some cases, kids or teens may only engage in self-harm one time, but those who continue engaging in NSSI often hurt themselves in more than one way.

What causes kids to hurt themselves like this?

There is no single clear cause. However, young people who self-harm often feel overwhelming emotional pain. Others say they feel lonely, worthless or empty inside and will do anything to feel better, if only for a moment. Still others report feeling overstimulated, misunderstood or fearful of close relationships. Some feel overwhelmed by school and family responsibilities, or want to punish themselves for something bad they believe they've done.

Self-harm can also be a way for kids to take control of their bodies when they feel a lack of control over other things-or when other aspects of their lives seem unmanageable.

How can something so painful actually relieve pain?

We know that when human bodies are injured, certain chemicals are released by the brain to help us cope with the trauma. This rapid burst of endorphins and other natural painkillers may offer a momentary escape from the struggles a child can't seem to handle any other way.

Are there any pattens of self-harm related to gender?

Female youth who self-harm are more likely to cut, while male youth are likelier to hit themselves. However, kids of all genders engage in NSSI, including males and children who identify as non-binary or transgender.

Do kids who self-injure face higher risks for suicide?

Most self-harm comes from a momentary need to escape, not a wish to die. However, newer research suggests that adolescents who have trouble quitting NSSI face much higher rates of experiencing suicidal thoughts and dying by suicide than their peers who do not engage in self-harm. Native American and Native Alaskan youth are at particularly high risk.

How can I tell the difference between NSSI and suicidal behavior?

When in doubt, get help. Reach out to your child's pediatrician, therapist or the nearest emergency room. Medical and mental health professionals can get more information and provide guidance on next steps to keep your child safe and healthy.

What ages are at highest risk for engaging in self-harm?

Self-harm behaviors are most common among teenagers. Fortunately, most youth who do repeatedly self-harm stop after their teenage years.

Is NSSI a sign of other mental health problems?

Kids and teens who experience depression, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eating disorders, substance use disorders, personality disorders and other mental health conditions are at higher risk of engaging in self-harm. Looking for and treating both the mental health condition and the self-injury is important.

How can I help my child?

Have the conversation. Don't be afraid to ask kids if they're engaging in NSSI or know others who are. Take a non-judgmental position, listening more than you speak. It's OK to admit that the subject is tough for you, but express your love and concern: "This is hard for me to even think about because I care about you and want you to be healthy and safe, always."

Be prepared for strong reactions. Because people who practice NSSI often deny it (and try to hide the evidence), your child might be upset or refuse to talk. In a calmer moment, tell your child that you're worried they might be self-harming and plan to talk with their doctor about it. Encourage them to be there for this conversation, but even if they won't go with you, make the appointment.

Trust your pediatrician. Doctors who focus on child health often know about NSSI, from treating kids and families who've been in a similar position. You should not be shamed or blamed for your child's struggles. Allow private, one-on-one time for you child with their pediatrician so they can discuss concerns together. Your pediatrician can work with you and your child to create a care plan geared to your child's needs, which might include talk therapy, stress reduction techniques, medication or other steps that have been shown to help others.

Make your home environment safer. If your child is self-harming, you can help by removing hazards such as sharp knives, razors, poisons, weapons and more from your space. Though it can be difficult to remove all items all the time, it is especially important if your child lets you know they are having thoughts or urges to self-harm, or during difficult, stressful periods that could trigger these thoughts or urges. It is also important to keep firearms inaccessible and all medications locked away, especially if your child is having suicidal thoughts.

Talk with your pediatrician or mental health provider about establishing a "safety plan." This will include practical ways to reorganize your home and get emergency care in any crisis.

Change the way you think about social media. While digital channels may not be a direct cause of NSSI, excessive screen time can lead to poor sleep and exaggerated feelings of envy, isolation, fear and self-rejection. These issues may feed the powerful emotions that prompt some kids to self-injure, so it's worth the time to establish a healthy family media plan.

Your own digital habits matter, too. One study showed that adolescents living with depression reported that their parents spent up to 8 hours a day on social media. This doesn't mean that parents are to blame for making their children sick, but this pattern can block opportunities for conversation and emotional closeness, which generally reduce a child's risks for depression and anxiety.

Prioritize family mental health & relationships. If your family faces consistently high levels of stress, take time to consider how you can turn this around. Young people need to know they can ask for downtime without guilt, and that self-care is a priority above mountains of schoolwork and extracurricular activities.

Some children and their family members are at higher risk of mental health challenges due to trauma, violence, unstable family dynamics and poverty that are part of their everyday lives. A supportive parent-child relationship can serve as a powerful buffer. Talk with your pediatrician about other ways that may help reduce stress and build resiliency for kids exposed to adversity.

Share what you know. Your child's well-being depends on the support of family, teachers, coaches and many others, so don't keep their struggles a secret and share what your child allows or what you think is important. If you're wondering how to disclose your child's NSSI in a way that respects their privacy as much as possible, ask your pediatrician for guidance. You can help educate others by sharing this infographic or the article you're reading right now. The Mighty, an online network of peers living with chronic health issues, offers a helpful primer, too.

Remember

Self-harm doesn't mean your child or teen wants to die-and it does NOT make you a bad parent. As with any health issue, you can help your child recover by expressing hope, embracing treatment, and making sure they feel your loving, unconditional support.

More information

About Dr. McKean

Alia McKean, DO, MPH, is a resident physician at UCSF Fresno Pediatrics, where she serves as AAP Section on Pediatric Trainees Co-Delegate and is a member of the UCSF Fresno LIVE Committee. She received her Master of Public Health at the University of California, Davis. She is currently partnering with the Fresno County Public Library to improve access to literacy resources in her community, and is also working to develop a mental health literacy curriculum. Her professional interests include community pediatrics and adolescent mental health.

About Dr. Rahmandar

Maria Rahmandar, MD, FAAP is a board-certified pediatrician and adolescent medicine physician. She serves as the Medical Director for the Substance Use & Prevention Program at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and is an Assistant Professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Within the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Rahmandar sits on the Section on Adolescent Health Executive Committee, is a liaison to the Committee on Adolescence where she is a co-author on a revised Clinical Report on suicide, co-facilitates a learning collaborative on depression and anxiety, serves as an E-Cigarette Faculty Expert and is a subject matter expert for the AAP National Center of Excellence: Creating a Healthy Digital Ecosystem for Children and Youth. Her clinical, research and advocacy interests include adolescent substance use, mental health and birth control.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
self-harm; self-mutilation; self-abuse; depression; teen; adolescent; mental health; therapy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If the child you love is hurting so badly they're harming themselves, you probably feel the pain, too. Just because a child or adolescent starts engaging in self-harm, it does not automatically mean that they are having thoughts of suicide or hoping to die.

# data[].attributes.body
This article on active shooters from WRAL News walks you through the experience of a law enforcement veteran that goes to school talking about active shooting drills. The expert talks about how a lot of the old safety measures are outdated. He teaches teachers and students how to prepare for dangerous situations like these.  Active shooter situations can change quickly and unfold rapidly. As active shootings are sadly starting to become more common in schools, Teachers need to educate themself and their students on the proper drills and procedures that would take place if there ever was an active shooter in the school.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The security consultant who trained teachers at the site of the school shooting in Nashville said teachers saved lives by quickly getting children to safe places.

But closer to home, one expert told WRAL News he felt the state had outdated training exercises.

Nineteen-year-law enforcement veteran Seth DiSanto now counsels schools and corporations on security for North Carolina-based Lockdown International.

"We all agree that violence within our school systems is a problem that exists," DiSanto said. "So we need to come up with a solution."

DiSanto estimates that about 80 percent of his time with the company is spent researching active shootings, learning from past tragedies and looking into how schools prepare.

"Active shooters don't snap, they plan," he said. "Your plan should not be a checklist."

DiSanto believes the active shooter training guidelines from the North Carolina Center for Safer Schools are outdated.

"I taught run, hide, fight for seven years," he said.

That's the suggested protocol in a video shown to train others.

"The steps are run, hide or fight," DiSanto said.

"If evacuation is not possible, then you and your students should find a place to hide where an active shooter is less likely to find you," DiSanto said.

DiSanto said hiding falls right into the prepared shooter's hands.

"They know that the response from people is going to automatically be to hide and 99 percent of the time it's going to be in a school setting underneath the desk," he said.

He points to previous school shootings. At Columbine in 1999, 12 of the 13 victims were hiding. At Virginia Tech in 2007, 28 of the 29 victims were hiding. And at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012, every student and staff member who died, was hiding.

"Why put yourself in a situation where the active shooter plans and knows that you're going to be?" said DiSanto.

Instead, his group promotes avoid, barricade, counter and survive. He says when you can't avoid, barricading immediately is vital.

Lockdown International created the barricade box, which is a quick, easy way to secure classrooms for $50.

"If they arrive at door that's barricaded, statistically speaking they're going to move on to the target of easiest opportunity," said DiSanto.

He argues current protocol to barricade rooms, as shown in a training video, isn't realistic.

"Let's not rely on the idea of piling up furniture in front of the door as our safeguard," DiSanto said.

In the video, a barricade box installs next to a door and its cut-proof and fire-proof Kevlar cord keeps intruders out. As demonstrated, within seconds, it's wrapped around the door handle and secured.

"It's easily deployed by a child of any age," said DiSanto.

Once the room is secure, teachers can plan the next step.

"You can't just say we're barricaded and we're doing nothing else," said DiSanto.

That could include trying to escape through windows or getting behind furniture as protection if there's no way out. Whether it's some sort of barricade to slow down active shooters or new, high-tech weapon detection systems to keep guns out of schools on a daily basis, DiSanto supports the many tools available.

"Are they a step in the right direction? Absolutely," DiSanto said.

DiSanto's big message to schools is simple.

"Every single company like ours has the same goal, simply to save lives," said DiSanto. "Get trained."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
'Get trained': NC expert puts school active shooter drills under the microscope

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The security consultant who trained teachers at the site of the school shooting in Nashville said teachers saved lives by quickly getting children to safe places. But closer to home, one expert told WRAL News he felt the state had outdated training exercises.

# data[].attributes.body
This article from Science Daily on mental health analyzes a new study that suggests the rise in mental health disorders in children and teens. This article specifies that these mental health disorders are due to a decrease in opportunities for them to play, roam and engage in activities in the classroom.
With curriculums demanding more work and less play, children are starting to receive negative effects on their health. Some of the disorders talked about were contributing to record levels of anxiety, depression, and suicide among young people. As teachers in a Prk-4th classroom, we can find ways to involve play-based learning in our activities and lessons so children can still experience those positive opportunities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Anxiety and depression among school-aged children and teens in the United States are at an all-time high. Sadly, in 2021, child and adolescent mental health was declared a national emergency. Although a variety of causes are thought to contribute to this decline in mental health, a new study by three prominent researchers specializing in child development points to independent "child's play."

Findings, published in the Journal of Pediatrics, suggest that the rise in mental health disorders is attributed to a decline over decades in opportunities for children and teens to play, roam and engage in activities independent of direct oversight and control by adults. Although well intended, adults' drive to guide and protect children and teens has deprived them of the independence they need for mental health, contributing to record levels of anxiety, depression, and suicide among young people.

"Parents today are regularly subject to messages about the dangers that might befall unsupervised children and the value of high achievement in school. But they hear little of the countervailing messages that if children are to grow up well-adjusted, they need ever-increasing opportunities for independent activity, including self-directed play and meaningful contributions to family and community life, which are signs that they are trusted, responsible, and capable. They need to feel they can deal effectively with the real world, not just the world of school," said David F. Bjorklund, Ph.D., co-author and a professor in the Department of Psychology in Florida Atlantic University's Charles E. Schmidt College of Science.

The study also showed that children's freedom to engage in activities that involve some degree of risk and personal responsibility away from adults also has declined over the decades. Risky play, such as climbing high into a tree, helps protect children from developing phobias and reduces future anxiety by boosting self-confidence to deal with emergencies.

Among the many constraints that impact independent activity in children today identified in the study include increased time they spend in school and on schoolwork at home. Between 1950 and 2010, the average length of the school year in the U.S. increased by five weeks. Homework, which was once rare or nonexistent in elementary school, is now common even in kindergarten. Moreover, by 2014, the average time spent in recess (including any recess associated with the lunch period) for elementary schools was just 26.9 minutes a day, and some schools had no recess at all.

"A major category of independent activity, especially for young children, is play," said Bjorklund. "Research, as well as everyday observation, indicates that play is a direct source of children's happiness."

The researchers suggest the increase in school time and pressure to achieve over decades may have impacted mental health not just by detracting from time and opportunity for independent activities but also because fear of academic failure, or fear of insufficient achievement, is a direct source of distress.

"Unlike other crises, such as the COVID epidemic, this decline in independent activity, and hence, mental wellbeing in children has crept up on us gradually, over decades, so many have barely noticed it," said Bjorklund. "Moreover, unlike other health crises, this one is not the result of a highly contagious virus, but rather the result of good intentions carried too far -- intentions to protect children and provide what many believed to be better (interpreted as more) schooling, both in and out of actual schools."

For the study, Bjorklund and co-authors Peter Gray, Ph.D., lead author and a research professor in the Department of Psychology at Boston College; and David F. Lancy, Ph.D., professor emeritus in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Utah State University, summarize the large decline over decades in children's opportunities for independent activity; a large decline over the same decades in young people's mental health; effects of independent activity on children's happiness; and effects of independent activity in building long-term psychological resilience.

The article concludes by noting that concern for children's safety and the value of adult guidance needs to be tempered by recognition that, as children grow, they need ever increasing opportunities to manage their own activities independently. The article suggests ways by which this can be accomplished in today's world and ways that pediatricians, family doctors, and public policy makers can help promote such change.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
child psychology; child development; k-12 education; educational psychology; educational policy; poverty and learning; public health; stem education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
'All work, no independent play' cause of children's declining mental health

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A new study suggests the rise in mental health disorders in children and teens is attributed to a decline over decades in opportunities for them to play, roam and engage in activities independent of direct oversight and control by adults.

# data[].attributes.body
This article on trauma from CNN talks about the underlying trauma that may be building up due to gun violence. It is evident that everyone has seen multiple headlines about mass shootings in schools. But this article goes over the grief of others that may have lost loved ones or who have experienced the violence firsthand. We see this from the perspective of a post-traumatic therapist. It is important that teachers learn how to help students who are dealing with these experiences because it overlaps in the classroom. Dealing with trauma is not always easy so making a safe space where students are able to cope and talk about their feelings is helpful.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
As gun violence reaches record levels in the US, an underlying trauma may be building up | CNN

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As more communities reel from deadly mass shootings - including Dadeville, Alabama, where four people were killed and 28 injured at a Sweet 16 birthday party over the weekend - there's evidence that the trauma of gun violence in the United States is taking a collective toll on the nation's mental health.

# data[].attributes.body
The article on physical activity from The New York Times talks about the "digital divide" in which poor children could fall behind students in higher-income families without equal access to technology.  Poor children and adolescents are participating in fewer sports and fitness activities than more affluent children. Schools that are not being properly funded are starting to cut more programs for students. It is essential for teachers to be aware of articles like these because some of the students in the class may not have opportunities to get the activities that are necessary for early adolescents. Teachers may have to find ways to implement physical activity in the classroom if the school does not provide it.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Income Gap Is Becoming a Physical-Activity Divide

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Nationwide, poor children and adolescents are participating far less in sports and fitness activities than their more affluent peers.