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This article on mental health from CNN News explains the ways exercise reduces stressful brain activity. Exercising leads to a reduction in stress signals in the brain, which is good for mental health and cardiovascular health. The article includes research about a study linking physical activity, imaging of brains to track activity related to stress, and records of cardiovascular events. This article on mental health reminds teachers that it is necessary to teach children about the health benefits of exercise. Teachers can incorporate movement and physical activities in the classroom to reduce the stress levels of students.

CNN. (2024, April 15). Exercise can reduce stress and lower risk of heart disease, study says. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/15/health/exercise-stress-heart-disease-study-wellness/index.html

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Exercise reduces stressful brain activity, which can lead to less heart disease risk, study shows | CNN

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Research has long shown that exercise reduces heart disease risk, but a new study finds the connection between the two may be a decrease in the brain's stress signals.

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This article on dietary recommendations for healthy eating from Today shares important tips for maintaining a healthy heart. Cardiologists explain how the foods we eat have such a big impact on our health. Choosing heart healthy options such as nuts, fruits, leafy greens, beets, yogurt and many more can be beneficial to your health. The article describes how and why these foods are beneficial. In the PK-4th grade classrooms, teachers can inform students about making healthy choices when we eat. Teachers can help students understand which foods are healthy and why it is important to consume them.

Today. (2023, October 27). The 11 best heart-healthy foods for your diet. Today. https://www.today.com/health/diet-fitness/heart-healthy-foods-rcna122367

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Food is medicine when it comes to preventing heart disease - the leading cause of death in the U.S. - just ask cardiologists.

Diet can have a huge impact on heart health, says Dr. Sean Heffron, a cardiologist in the Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease at NYU Langone Health in New York.

"What we eat can influence our blood pressure, our blood sugar, our cholesterol levels, certainly our body weight," Heffron tells TODAY.com.

"So what we eat is very important."

The first step is eliminating processed foods, which are high in salt and fat, and eat more whole fresh foods like fruits and vegetables, says Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a cardiologist, clinical associate professor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

She follows a plant-based diet, but tells people they don't have to be vegan or vegetarian to enjoy heart health. There are lots of options to eat more plant-based foods.

"Generally, my mode of diet is following a Mediterranean-style diet," Goldberg notes. "Many studies have shown that it has cardiovascular benefit in that it helps to control cholesterol, blood sugar. It also lowers risk for heart disease. I practice what I preach."

The American Heart Association advises people to focus on a heart-healthy eating pattern rather than individual foods, but certain options stand out when it comes to heart health.

Here are heart-healthy foods to add to your menu:

Nuts

A handful of nuts each day may lower risk of heart disease, studies have found.

"Nuts are high in healthy fat, fiber, minerals, vitamins and several other bioactive compounds, such as antioxidants, which may in part explain their beneficial effects on cardiovascular health," Marta Guasch-Ferre, a researcher in the department of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, previously told TODAY.com.

Cardiologists list nuts - all types - among their favorite snacks.

But Goldberg singles out almonds and walnuts because they have the most favorable balance of fats, she says. Go for the unsalted kind to limit sodium.

Seeds

Seeds, like pumpkin seeds and flaxseed, are plant-based sources of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which are heart-healthy unsaturated fats.

They're also rich in fiber, vitamin E, zinc, potassium, magnesium, iron and calcium.

Deeply colored fruits and vegetables

Diets rich in fruits and vegetables - whether fresh, frozen, canned or dried, but "with the exception for white potatoes" - are associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, according to a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.

It recommends eating whole fruits and vegetables rather than juicing them to get the most fiber, and choosing deeply-colored produce such as purple cabbage, sweet potatoes, broccoli, pomegranate, mango and peaches, which tend to be more nutrient dense than paler options.

Dark leafy greens

They include kale, spinach, broccoli, bok choy, collard greens, arugula and mustard greens.

The darker, the better, nutritionist JJ Smith told TODAY in a segment that aired on Feb. 6, 2024.

She's a big fan of green smoothies, but also likes the vegetables in a salad.

Dark leafy greens are high in dietary nitrates, which convert into nitric oxide in the body, Smith noted.

"That relaxes the blood vessels and lowers the blood pressure," she said.

Dark leafy greens are also rich in magnesium. Low levels of the mineral have been linked to elevated markers of inflammation, which can increase the risk of heart disease, experts previously told TODAY.com.

Beets

Research has linked these deep-red vegetables to lowering inflammation and reducing blood pressure.

Beets contain nitrates and betalians, two beneficial plant compounds that have been shown to fight harmful oxidative stress in the body and possibly play a role in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, says dietitian Natalie Rizzo.

Nitrates play a role in blood pressure control, with studies finding that drinking beetroot juice is an effective way to improve blood pressure levels, she adds.

Beans

Beans and legumes are high in minerals and fiber, which has been shown to help protect against heart disease, the American Heart Association notes.

They also provide plant-based protein without the saturated fat found in some animal proteins.

Phytochemicals found in beans and legumes are "considerably beneficial" in improving cholesterol levels and reducing markers of chronic inflammation, a 2021 study found.

In addition, high amounts of dietary fiber - like those provided by beans - have an anti-obesity effect and are "profoundly effective" in preventing obesity-related chronic diseases such as heart disease, the authors noted.

Yogurt

A study involving more than 190,000 U.S. veterans found those who ate more yogurt had higher levels of HDL, the good cholesterol, and lower levels of triglycerides - a beneficial ratio.

Other dairy, such as milk and cheese, didn't provide the same health benefits, so the probiotics in yogurt seem to be the key ingredient, the authors said.

"All yogurt is good for the heart," they concluded. "The more yogurt you eat, the more benefit you get."

Whole grains

Eating more whole grains like whole-wheat flour, oatmeal and brown rice, instead of white flour, white bread and white rice, improves cardiovascular risk factors, the scientific statement from the American Heart Association noted.

Oats, for example, contain a fermentable soluble fiber that helps reduce cholesterol by "grabbing onto it and escorting it through your digestive system and out of your body," says nutritionist Joy Bauer.

Eating more whole grains also helps people stop midlife weight gain, a recent study found.

Fatty fish

Cold-water fatty fish, including salmon, mackerel, tuna, herring and sardines, contain high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, according to the National Institutes of Health. Eating 3 grams of omega-3s every day - the amount provided by 4 to 5 ounces of Atlantic salmon - could help lower blood pressure, a 2022 study found.

"Omega-3 fatty acids are going to have a profound impact on cardiovascular health," Smith said. "It's going to slow the buildup of plaque in the arteries."

The American Heart Association recommends eating two servings of fish per week, particularly from the above list, noting fish is a good source of protein that's not high in saturated fat.

Don't deep-fry fish, Smith cautioned. Bake or steam it instead.

Avocado

Fans of avocado toast, rejoice. Eating two or more servings of the fruit per week was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a 2022 study in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Keep in mind one serving equals half an avocado, so it's best to not overdo it because the calories add up quickly.

Replacing half a serving daily of margarine, butter, egg, yogurt, cheese or processed meats with the same amount of avocado was also associated with a lower risk, the same study found.

Eating avocados five or more times per week was linked with a 17% decrease in the rate of high blood pressure, separate research found in 2023.

Extra virgin olive oil

A key component of the Mediterranean diet, extra virgin olive oil is a healthy monounsaturated fat that's been called "one of the most nutrient-dense and disease-fighting foods on the planet."

It has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Eating more than half a tablespoon of olive oil per day was associated with a 19% lower risk of dying from heart disease compared to never or rarely consuming it, a 2022 study found.

Olive oil can lower LDL cholesterol and increase HDL, and it's been shown to lower blood pressure, the American Heart Association noted.

Berries

Nature's colorful gems are low in calories and high in fiber, vitamins and antioxidants - compounds that combat cell damage.

A 2021 study linking strawberries to heart health found eating 2.5 servings of strawberries per day for four weeks improved LDL cholesterol levels in adults with obesity and high cholesterol.

Eating a cup of blueberries a day reduces the risk factors for cardiovascular disease by up to 15%, a 2019 study found.

When people with obesity ate that amount of blueberries in freeze-dried form every day for six months, researchers saw improvements in their vascular function and arterial stiffness, compared to a placebo group.

Tomatoes

A tomato-rich diet is associated with a diverse range of health benefits, including reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, a 2022 review of studies noted.

Antioxidants found in tomatoes - including lycopene, beta-carotene and vitamin C - can help prevent the formation of atherosclerosis, the harmful buildup of plaque in arteries.

Tomato sauce plus olive oil produced the maximum effect, likely because the body absorbs lycopene better when it's been dissolved in olive oil and heated, the authors wrote.

Cinnamon

Dietitian Kristin Kirkpatrick recommends adding "blood pressure-friendly" options to your spice cabinet, such as cinnamon.

She points to a 2021 randomized controlled trial that found significant reductions in systolic blood pressure when 1,500 milligrams of cinnamon - about half a teaspoon - was added to the diet for 90 days.

Dark chocolate

Studies have shown an association between eating chocolate and a lower risk of heart disease, nutritionist Keri Glassman points out.

Dark chocolate is rich in flavanols, a natural compound that can lower blood pressure, reducing the risk of stroke and heart disease, adds Frances Largeman-Roth, a registered dietitian. She recommends 1 ounce of dark chocolate a day.

No wonder cardiologists list dark chocolate as one of their favorite desserts.

Coffee

Drinking two to three cups of coffee a day is associated with a lower risk of heart disease and heart rhythm problems, researchers reported in 2022.

Based on the results, that "magic number" of cups can be "very, very good for you," NBC senior medical correspondent Dr. John Torres said on TODAY.

For healthy people, drinking that amount of coffee was associated with a 10-15% lower risk of developing heart disease, heart failure, heart rhythm problems or dying prematurely.

For people who already had heart problems, drinking two to three cups a day was associated with lower odds of dying compared with abstaining.

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16 heart-healthy foods to lower cholesterol and blood pressure

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Best foods for heart health contain fiber, healthy fat, antioxidants and fight inflammation. Add these 16 foods to your diet to prevent heart disease.

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Safety & Preventing Unintentional Injury

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Safety & Preventing Unintentional Injury

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This article on food safety from PBS NewsHour examines the issues of lead-contaminated applesauce pouches. These pouches were discovered in October of 2023, as health officials were performing routine blood lead level screenings. The FDA confirmed that the cinnamon applesauce pouches were highly contaminated, which posed serious threats to children who consumed them. The lead levels can cause lowered IQ and mental and behavioral problems. This article on food safety reminds teachers that it is necessary to teach children about the dangers of contamination and its impacts on our health. Students can become aware of issues with food handling and the serious effects they may have.

PBS NewsHour. (2024, January 21). Lead-contaminated applesauce pouches expose issues with food safety oversight. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/lead-contaminated-applesauce-pouches-expose-issues-with-food-safety-oversight

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PBS NewsHour
The effects of an Oct. 2023 recall of applesauce pouches with high concentrations of lead are widening, raising questions about how food reaches store shelves, who watches over it and how far that oversight extends. Helena Bottemiller Evich, founder and editor of Food Fix, a publication that focuses on food policy, joins Ali Rogin to discuss the unfolding recall and its impact.

Aired: 01/21/24

Rating: NR

Problems Playing Video? Report a Problem |

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PBS NewsHour | Lead-tainted applesauce exposes food safety oversight issues | Season 2024 | PBS

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Lead-contaminated applesauce pouches expose issues with food safety oversight

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This article on skin cancer/sun safety from CDC Newsroom explains how to protect your skin from the sun. Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet light rays, which can damage skin cells. This article provides ways to be safe in the sun such as staying in the shade, wearing protective clothing, hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen. There are also sun safety tips for schools and employees, which can be helpful to minimize the risk of harm from the sun. In the PK-4th grade classrooms, teachers can share sun safety tips with students and encourage students to be safe in the sun. Understanding the risks of too much exposure to the sun and applying sun safety tips can benefit children's health and wellness.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Sun Safety. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/basic_info/sun-safety.htm

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Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S. Too much sun can cause skin cancer. This video explains how to protect your skin from the sun.

Spending time outside is a great way to be physically active, reduce stress, and get vitamin D. You can work and play outside without raising your skin cancer risk by protecting your skin from the sun.

Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. UV rays are an invisible kind of radiation that comes from the sun, tanning beds, and sunlamps. UV rays can damage skin cells.

Protection from UV rays is important all year, not just during the summer. UV rays can reach you on cloudy and cool days, and they reflect off of surfaces like water, cement, sand, and snow. In the continental United States, UV rays tend to be strongest from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daylight saving time (9 a.m. to 3 p.m. standard time).

The UV Index forecasts the strength of UV rays each day. If the UV index is 3 or higher in your area, protect your skin from too much exposure to the sun.

How to Protect Your Skin from the Sun

Shade

You can reduce your risk of sun damage and skin cancer by staying in the shade under an umbrella, tree, or other shelter. Your best bet to protect your skin is to use sunscreen or wear protective clothing when you're outside-even when you're in the shade.

Clothing

When possible, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants and skirts, which can provide protection from UV rays. If wearing this type of clothing isn't practical, try to wear a T-shirt or a beach cover-up. Clothes made from tightly woven fabric offer the best protection. A wet T-shirt offers much less UV protection than a dry one, and darker colors may offer more protection than lighter colors. Some clothing is certified under international standards as offering UV protection.

Hat

For the most protection, wear a hat that has a brim all the way around that shades your face, ears, and the back of your neck. A tightly woven fabric, such as canvas, works best to protect your skin from UV rays. Avoid straw hats with holes that let sunlight through. A darker hat may offer more UV protection.

If you wear a baseball cap, you should also protect your ears and the back of your neck by wearing clothing that covers those areas, using sunscreen, or staying in the shade.

Sunglasses

Sunglasses protect your eyes from UV rays and reduce the risk of cataracts. They also protect the tender skin around your eyes from sun exposure.

Sunglasses that block both UVA and UVB rays offer the best protection. Most sunglasses sold in the United States, regardless of cost, meet this standard. Wrap-around sunglasses work best because they block UV rays from sneaking in from the side.

Sunscreen

Put on broad spectrum sunscreen that filters out both UVA and UVB rays and has an SPF of 15 or higher before you go outside. Don't forget to put a thick layer on all exposed skin. Get help for hard-to-reach places like your back. And remember, sunscreen works best when combined with other options.

Sunscreen is not recommended for babies who are 6 months old or younger. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends keeping infants out of the sun during midday and using protective clothing if they have to be in the sun.

SPF. Sunscreens are assigned a sun protection factor (SPF), which is a number that rates how well they filter out UV rays. Higher numbers indicate more protection. You should use a broad spectrum sunscreen with SPF of 15 or higher.

Reapplication. Sunscreen wears off. Put it on again if you stay out in the sun for more than 2 hours and after swimming, sweating, or toweling off.

Expiration date. Check the sunscreen's expiration date. Sunscreen without an expiration date has a shelf life of no more than 3 years. Its shelf life is shorter if it has been exposed to high temperatures.

Sun Safety Tips for Schools

Recess and other outdoor activities during the day can put students at risk if their skin isn't protected from too much exposure to the sun. Teachers and school administrators can take steps to protect students from getting skin cancer later in life.

Proven skin cancer prevention interventions and educational programs are available for child care centers and schools. The National Cancer Institute's Evidence-Based Cancer Control Programs website lists sun-safety programs for schools.

Sun Safety Tips for Employers

The Occupational Safety and Health Act requires employers to minimize risk of harm to workers. Employers may be required to provide workers' compensation to employees who get skin cancer because of sun exposure on the job.

Skin cancer can greatly reduce workers' productivity. Every year, Americans lose more than $100 million in productivity because of restricted activity or absence from work due to skin cancer.

Providing sun protection for outdoor workers helps create a healthy and safe workplace. It can also increase productivity, which saves money. Some of the tips below protect outdoor workers from heat as well as sun exposure.

CDC Health Information for International Travel: Sun Exposure

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This article on national efforts to curtail tobacco use from CNN News explains the national concern of menthol tobacco. A partnership of civil rights and medical groups are suing the US Food and Drug Administration because it has not taken action to ban menthol cigarettes, which have serious harmful effects. A ban was expected last year when the FDA stated that the issue was a "top priority", but failed to do so. Menthol cigarettes have killed many Americans and is a critical issue that remains a leading cause of death and disease. This article on tobacco use reminds teachers that it is necessary to teach children about civil rights protecting the health of Americans. Students can understand the reasoning behind lawsuits and why organizations want to take actions to ban and prevent harmful tobacco products.

CNN. (2024, April 2). Lawsuit challenges FDA's ban on menthol tobacco products. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/02/health/menthol-tobacco-fda-lawsuit/index.html

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A coalition of civil rights and medical organizations said Tuesday that they are suing the US Food and Drug Administration because it has missed its own deadline to take action to ban menthol cigarettes.

"This is profits over people, and we are just really asking on behalf of the national associations that people are put first," Dr. Yolanda Lawson, president of the National Medical Association, the nation's oldest group representing Black physicians, said at a news conference Tuesday.

The other plaintiffs are the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council and Action on Smoking and Health.

"The industry knows that every year of delay is another year where they have the opportunity to addict another batch of our people," Carol McGruder, founding member of the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council, said at the news conference.

The FDA had said the issuewas a "top priority" when it sent the final rule banning menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars to the White House for its approval in October. A ban had been expected last year, but at the end of the year, the regulatory deadline was moved to March after lobbying from various stakeholder groups.

"There's no scientific or legal reason for this, and the FDA themselves have illustrated that they believe that this is important. So the delay seems to be for a political reason," said Kelsey Romeo-Stuppy, managing attorney for Action on Smoking and Health. "It's almost unconscionable that it's taken two lawsuits from nongovernmental organizations to require a public health policy that the FDA already agrees is supported by facts and law."

All flavors in cigarettes except menthol were banned in 2009. The FDA has been considering a ban on menthol for more than a decade. In what public healthgroups considered a "momentous step" in April 2022, the FDA announced a proposed product standard because it had "the potential to significantly reduce disease and death" and reduce "youth experimentation and addiction" as well as increase the number of smokers who quit.

Romeo-Stuppy said that menthol cigarettes have killed about 40,000 Americans since the organizations first filed suit over the issue in 2020. That complaint sought to have the court compel the FDA to make a determination about whether it should add menthol to the list of prohibited tobacco flavors. In 2013, the Public Health Law Center also filed a citizen petition calling on the FDA to prohibit the sale of menthol cigarettes. When the FDA made a formal determination and committed to adding menthol to a list of banned flavors, the groups dismissed the initial suit.

The FDA said it does not comment on pending or ongoing litigation but "remains committed to issuing the tobacco product standards for menthol in cigarettes and characterizing flavors in cigars as expeditiously as possible; these rules have been submitted to [the Office of Management and Budget] for review, which is the final step in the rulemaking process. As we've made clear, these product standards remain at the top of our priorities. Regulations such as product standards go through an extensive rulemaking process, which includes interagency review. At this stage in rulemaking, the FDA is limited from further discussions about the rules before they are published."

A ban would save lives and money, according to the organizations behind the suit. Over a 20-year period,it could lower health care costs among all adult smokers by about $1.62 billion, a recent study found. It would also save up to 654,000 lives in the US within 40 years, including the lives of 255,000 members of the Black community, according to a 2022 study.

The benefits would be especially significant for Black and LGBTQ+ communities. For years, tobacco companies have aggressively targeted these communities with menthol marketing, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The focused outreach has been highly effective, and menthol cigarettes have played a role in widened health disparities.

A 2020 study showed that while 43% of all adult smokers smoked menthols, more than 83% of Black smokers did. Only about 30% of White smokers chose menthols.

Black people die at significantly higherrates than White people of smoking-related illnesses including stroke, heart disease and lung cancer: They make up 12% of the population in the US, but people who are Black account for 41% of smoking-related premature deaths and 50% of the life-years lost associated with menthol tobacco product use between 1980 and 2018, one study found.

Within five years, the elimination of menthol cigarettes could close the gap in lung cancer deaths, the study found.

More than half of kids who smoke use menthol cigarettes, according to the CDC. Research has also found that children who smoked menthols were more likely to become regular smokers than occasional smokers.

A recent study showed that a quarter of smokers quit altogether within a year or two of a menthol ban in other countries and in some US municipalities.

"We already know that tobacco is a critical public health issue that remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease, but apparently, we need to keep beating the drum about how Black Americans in particular bear the greatest burden and it doesn't even have to be that way," Dr. Valerie Yerger of the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council said at Tuesday's news conference. "The FDA, President Biden and his White House administration are also aware of the evidence. It is long past time for them to get inoculated against whatever the heck is keeping them from getting these deadly products out of the US marketplace."

Some groups have pointed to the irony of the Biden administration making a proclamation about April's National Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Month, and it would be difficult to meet the goal of the Cancer Moonshot - ending cancer as we know it - without amenthol ban, according to the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, which is not part of the lawsuit.

"The administration continues to miss the opportunity to leave a significant, lasting public health legacy, save lives and reach their Cancer Moonshot goals by not finalizing these rules," Dr. Karen E. Knudsen, CEO of the American Cancer Society and the Cancer Action Network, said in a news release Monday.

The American Lung Association is also not part of the lawsuit but expressed its support.

"The FDA's findings show that menthol cigarettes are not appropriate for the protection of public health. It is frustrating that the continued delay of the menthol rules compelled our partners to go back to court," association President and CEO Harold Wimmer said in a news release Tuesday.

The FDA will probably have about two months to respond to the lawsuit in court, according to the groups'attorney, Christopher Leung.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.

"We're asking President Biden and the administration to protect us," McGruder said Tuesday. "We know that this final rule is not the end. It is the beginning of a long process to begin to repair the damage that has been done to our community."

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Civil rights, medical groups sue FDA over 'almost unconscionable' delay in ban on menthol tobacco products | CNN

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A coalition of civil rights and medical organizations said Tuesday that they are suing the US Food and Drug Administration because it has missed its own deadline to take action to ban menthol cigarettes.

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This article on the stages of grief from CBS News highlights two parents who lost their son and turned their grief into community empowerment. Their son was a Sacramento high school football coach and was killed outside of a nightclub. They spoke about the loss of their son being "life-changing", as they went through the various stages of grief. Since his death, his parents have been pushing to adopt safety measures through the Najee's Law Initiative. This article on grief reminds teachers that it is necessary to teach children about the various stages of grief. Students can become aware of what people may go through during a time of loss and how it can be used as strength and empowerment for positive changes.

CBS News. (2023, June 21). Parents of slain Sacramento high school football coach aim to turn grief into community empowerment. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/parents-of-slain-sacramento-high-school-football-coach-aim-to-turn-grief-into-community-empowerment/?intcid=CNM-00-10abd1h

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/ CBS Sacramento

Parents of slain Sacramento high school football coach want to empower community

SACRAMENTO - It's been nearly a year since a beloved Sacramento high school football coach was gunned down outside a downtown nightclub. His parents spoke candidly about their mission to turn their grief into community empowerment.

"I break down a lot and my husband, he's a rock, but he breaks down too," Deborah Grimes said,

Through the heartache and pain, Deborah and her husband, Gregory Grimes, lean on each other for strength.

"It is life-changing," Deborah said. "We've gone through the various stages of grief."

Nearly a year ago on the Fourth of July, their 31-year-old son Greg "Najee" Grimes was fatally shot as he and four others were leaving a nightclub in downtown Sacramento. As of today, no arrests have been made.

The 6-foot-1, 280-pound former Boise State defensive lineman coached football and worked with special needs kids at Inderkum High School, his alma mater. More importantly, he was a beloved son and doting father to 5-year-old Ace.

Since his death, his parents have been pressing the city to adopt safety measures through the Najee's Law Initiative, named after their son. If adopted, it would:

require downtown establishments to have exterior cameras and lighting

make metal detectors mandatory at bars and nightclubs

hold establishments accountable when violent incidents break out

Meanwhile, they're now focused on their upcoming event called the Greg Najee Grimes Life Savers Party. They've been advertising the event through social media and even on billboards.

The party aims to elevate the conversation around gun violence prevention and learning skills, like CPR, and how to treat blood loss. A special team will be on hand to teach this important course.

"Taught by the nurses at UC Davis trauma center, and that's the same trauma unit that worked on our son," Deborah said.

The party event is being put together by the Grimes family and many organizations like the Sacramento City of Festivals. It's happening this Saturday in Natomas.

More from CBS News

Marlee Ginter

First published on June 21, 2023 / 10:03 PM PDT

© 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Parents of slain Sacramento high school football coach aim to turn grief into community empowerment

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It's been nearly a year since a beloved Sacramento high school football coach was gunned down outside a downtown nightclub. His parents spoke candidly about their mission to turn their grief into community empowerment.

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This article on gun safety/policy from CBS News describes how two women come together to provide a solution for gun violence using safety classes. They taught accident prevention and gun safety to children and their parents during an event called "See Us at the Range". During this event, families learn how to properly handle and store a firearm by using safety gear and practice gear. The women want to provide resources and open conversations to educate the community. Teachers can help students understand how learning and training for safety situations can be done. Students can understand they can learn skills to be safe in unsafe situations.

CBS News. (2024, April 11). 2 women create gun safety program to teach children and parents in Philadelphia's Spring Garden. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/2-women-onori-ajong-benzii-diaz-gun-safety-children-parents-philadelphias-spring-garden/?intcid=CNM-00-10abd1h

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/ CBS Philadelphia

Two women team up to offer gun safety classes for kids and parents in Philly's Spring Garden

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Two women are coming together to provide a solution to gun violence through education.

Onori Ajong and Benzii Diaz are joining forces to provide accident prevention and gun safety classes to children and their parents this weekend. The event is called See Us At The Range.

Families will learn the proper way to handle and store a firearm by using safety gear and practice guns. They'll also teach them about firearm laws.

For children ages 5 to 18, the class is free. For adults, registration is $100, which will support efforts to provide gun safety training.

"We're going to teach them what to do if they're at a family member's house, if they're walking to the store, they're at school and they see an unsecured weapon," Ajong said. "They're going to be trained on what to do so they don't hurt themselves or another person."

Ajong started the firearm instruction company Girls Day At The Range seven years ago after she said she had to defend herself during an attempted home invasion.

"They were coming through my window and 911 was on the phone and they couldn't save me at that time," Ajong said. "I had to save myself. I had to be my own first responder and the hero in my own story."

Diaz also used her own experience as a survivor of domestic minor sex trafficking to start her nonprofit, See Us.

"I'm doing more than just sharing my story," Diaz said. "I'm empowering the community by showing them what survivorship looks like after surviving. You start to live, you start to give back, you start to see and hear the power of your own voice."

They both hope to provide practical resources and open conversations to specifically educate communities of color.

"We know this is happening, but we're breaking the stigma and it's OK," Diaz said. "That's what needs to come together is the action along with the conversation."

About 20 kids and their parents are expected to attend.

The event is from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunday at The Gun Range in Spring Garden.

More from CBS News

Marcella Baietto

First published on April 11, 2024 / 4:56 PM EDT

© 2024 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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2 women join forces with gun safety classes for children and parents in Philadelphia's Spring Garden this weekend

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Two women are coming together to help families learn proper ways to handle and store a firearm using safety gear and practice guns through education.

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This article on the types of trauma children and families may experience and what teachers need to know to support all families and children from NEA News explains how educators use their own trauma to support students in a crisis. In the classroom, educators can offer empathy and perseverance when helping students who are experiencing traumatic events. This article mentions how educators can use their own experiences to build relationships and trust with students, and to notice changes to look for in students that may signal trauma. In the PK-4th grade classrooms, teachers can understand how to help students facing troubles. Educators can get to know their students, let students know your stories to create understanding, and understand students in crisis can not focus.

National Education Association. (2023, May 4). Educators use own trauma to support students in crisis. NEA Today. Retrieved from https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/educators-use-own-trauma-support-students-crisis

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It takes tenacity and grit to be an educator, characteristics Leah Terry, a reading and Language Arts teacher in Las Vegas, Nevada, had to develop early in life. As a child she was sexually abused, once at gunpoint. She endured her parents' bitter divorce when she was just four years old, and, while her mother worked two or three jobs to make ends meet, Terry says she basically raised herself.

She got kicked out of school in eighth grade for smoking pot, left home at 16, and bounced around group homes, one of which she ran away from. She lived with her boyfriend for a while, then her boss at the pizza parlor where she worked. For a time, she even went to live with her abusive father.

Eventually, a social studies teacher noticed her struggles and her potential, and he sponsored her to go on an Outward Bound trip in the Florida Keys. It was there that she began to see that the story she was living and that she learned from her parents didn't have to be her reality. It was that social studies teacher, and later, a high school counselor, who helped get her back on track and graduate, which she did with honors and no family members there to see her achievement. Now, she wants to be that educator for other students at risk.

"All of these experiences have helped me be the educator I am," Terry says. She has empathy and a sort of sixth sense about students who struggle. But most of all, she can help students because they trust her.

"I build relationships. That's where it's at."

In Las Vegas, where Terry is now an assistant principal, the economy depends on tourism. When COVID hit, most parents lost their jobs, and many students' home lives went into disarray, Terry says.

"T he kids are not OK," she says. "The pain and trauma from the pandemic we all experienced at some level got absorbed by children. They're still processing it."

Sometimes it's processed at school in inappropriate ways. Terry says there are second graders who are violent and using the "F" word, or fifth graders who are asking vulgar, sexual questions.

"It's shocking, sad, and overwhelming to see how kids are acting," she says.

Getting to Know Students Helps Educators Notice Changes

In those cases, it's easy to pinpoint a child in crisis. But other students in crisis can be missed unless you know them, which is why Terry says building relationships is key.

Watch out for differences or changes, she advises. For example, one girl was suddenly clumsy and started falling down. She had sepsis from a decaying tooth and might not have made it if her educators had not noticed and gotten her immediate medical care.

Also, look out for kids who are quiet, keep their hoods on, or keep clothes on when it is warm outside.

"It may not always be trauma, but those are certainly reasons to investigate," she says. "Keep that curiousness. Dig a little bit."

Tread Lightly With Angry, Anxious or Quiet Students

Terry recommends being light and conversational with students and not getting too deep too quickly.

"Even if you suspect something is going on, you can't just start asking about their home life because their alarm bells will go off," she says. "They may be on alert, feeling like they are in trouble, or that maybe that they will get someone else in trouble."

The best approach is to invite them to talk. For example, say, "tell me about how your weekend went" instead of asking more specific questions.

"Ultimately kids know right from wrong and have a feeling when something is happening that's wrong," she says. "When you have that relationship and build that trust, they are more likely to tell you."

Ciciler Russ, the coordinator of Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) at Giunta Middle School in Hillsborough County, Florida, experienced substantial trauma as a child. There was violence in her neighborhood, domestic violence at home that once led to homelessness, and racial and gender discrimination at school, all of which, she says, fueled her journey as an educator.

Let Students Know Your Stories to Create Understanding

"I am a compassionate, vigilant, and restorative educator," Russ says. "I have learned how to take both the bitter and sweetness of my trauma and package it in such a way to teach 'the whole child' by providing a judgement free learning environment for every class for every student."

Like Terry, her approach to teaching is to build relationships first. She is completely transparent as an educator, letting her students know that she, too, was once a child and a student who struggled.

"I have found that when students find an educator who understands, they feel safe, which brings about a readiness and willingness to begin or continue their healing process," Russ says.

When she was young, "trauma" wasn't spoken of, let alone addressed.

"We've worked hard to raise awareness about trauma," she says. "We now know that we cannot heal from things that we ignore and bury."

Barbie Collette, a Vermont special educator and literacy interventionist, is keenly aware that healing cannot begin if trauma is ignored. Without detailing the events, she says her own trauma experiences have been very present throughout her life, and she works hard on processing it, which informs her work as an educator.

Students in Crisis Cannot Focus

"Trauma is incredibly distracting, and if you haven't experienced that kind of distraction, you might look at a student and think they have focus issues, or maybe ADHD," Collette says.

Once she had a transfer student whose father was murdered and the people who murdered him were threatening him and his mother. He also had learning disabilities, and was placed on Collette's caseload.

"Once the trial began, he was just unable to be present in any way," she says. "I knew that when you are in that place, you are paralyzed and disassociated in all interactions. I knew where he was coming from, and I tried things with him that worked for me to open up to the idea that I needed help."

Collette knew, for example, that physical activity can be a powerful way to let your guard down for a little while, long enough for some messages to get in that there are people who understand, who want to help, and that healing is possible.

Their school is in a rural area, and she encouraged him to take long walks in the woods, as she had done.

"Eventually he got the message that he could open up to someone who had the skills to help him," Collette says.

She says there a lot of students are walking around with trauma and have been for a long time. In her area of rural Vermont, there is a lot of poverty, hopelessness and, along with it, addiction, family abuse and sexual abuse.

She noticed an uptick in 2016, with the changing tenor in our national conversation.

"Things you might hear your grandfather say that you'd never repeat began to be said at school, things that were deeply racist, sexist, or homophobic," she says.

And then came COVID.

"Some kids went to some really terrifying places for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, while some went to incredibly supportive places, but they came back to school together with all kinds of different experiences," she explains.

Educators Faced with Student Trauma Nationwide

Some days, Collette says, it feels as though there is something broken beyond repair, and educators everywhere struggle mightily.

Students have become violent, she says, and sometimes throw objects at her. That pain and rage is then witnessed by the other students, who often internalize it because they don't know what else to do with their distress.

The problem is pervasive, she says. In rural, suburban and urban areas, the majority of schools are not yet on the upswing on dealing with trauma, but those that have adequate staffing and strong leadership with systems in place for supports.

"Schools need more special educators, more counselors," Collette says.

Collette says when a student is in a mental health crisis, it's important to choose at least one staff member who is going to build a strong relationship with them. It's challenging work to be in a relationship with someone in that place, she admits, but a special educator, counselor, school nurse, or coach, can make an enormous impact.

She tries to find ways for students to express feelings before they get out of control. Her favorite strategy is to have students draw a horizontal line and then make a graph of the entire day, marking hours with the highs and lows.

"The act of rewinding and making a visual of their day can be powerful, and after seeing their patterns, they eventually tell me about a high or low," she says. "The graph allows them a way to process what they're feeling without words. Over time, I'll have more leeway to say, 'I'm curious what's happening here with this low. Looks like that sucked. Want to tell me about it?'"

Sometimes it is enough to notice, she says. By asking students to make the graph, you are validating their feelings without them having to tell you exactly what they are.

Like fellow educators Terry and Russ, Collette says knowing your students is essential. If you see that a student has withdrawn, that's a sign to look for. A change in appearance is another flag, or the hoodie that won't come down.

But she says sometimes it is better to let the hoodie stay up.

"I know what it's like to want to hide," she says. "There are students who need that hood all the way up; they're turtled in that sweatshirt for safety and need you to stop talking about how hot it is. It may seem irrational, but that student could be hanging on for dear life."

Noticing all of your students and trying to relate can help tremendously, but Collette knows that the mental health problem is a chasm too deep and too wide for current staff to handle without support, mentoring, and proper training. That requires more funding.

"If people don't wake up, and don't see what's happening, we're going to lose all the good educators who want to maintain their own mental health and refuse to carry the weight without help," she warns. "When we lose all the good ones, critics will say, 'see public schools don't work,' and we're going to lose public education. That's the end game."

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Educators Use Own Trauma To Support Students in Crisis | NEA

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Traumatic childhoods have fueled these educators' journeys. In the classroom, they offer empathy and tenacity to help their most troubled students.