Broughal Middle School Principal Rick Amato recently encountered a student wearing his jacket inside the school building.
That’s a violation of the school rules. Three years ago, Amato might have taken a hard line with the boy, demanding he take the coat off.
But that was before Amato knew what trauma — exposure to abuse, neglect, family dysfunction, drug abuse or mental health issues — does to a child’s brain. Now, Amato knows that when a child experiences trauma it causes the child’s stress hormones to rise, literally turning off the part of the brain that facilitates learning …
