Inclusive and Trauma-Sensitive Health Education Practices
BREAKOUT DESCRIPTION:
Come learn how to teach the Utah education core health standards in a trauma-sensitive and inclusive way. The health standards address some topics that may relate to trauma experienced by some of the students in our classrooms. We'll dive into the law and protective factors which increase the health and well-being of students. We will address frequently asked questions around LGBTQIA+ students, educational equity, and mental and emotional health viewed through a trauma-sensitive lens.
RESOURCES:
Resources and slide deck are available in this Google folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UAbZqtmJBuIX3Wxi_VBqBAy2O2sZRkGe?usp=sharing
https://schools.utah.gov/curr/health
https://www.uen.org/core/health/
PRESENTER:
jodi.parker@schools.utah.gov
holly.bell@schools.utah.gov
Jodi Parker (she/her) is the Health Specialist and Title IVA Coordinator for the Utah State Board of Education (USBE). She is a goal leader for USBE’s Safe and Healthy Schools section of the strategic plan. Jodi also is a member of the Huntsman Cancer Institute Community Advisory Council, and leading Utah’s involvement in Leadership Exchange for Adolescent Health Promotion (LEAHP). Prior to working at USBE she taught and coached in the Weber School District.
She is an advocate for all education, but especially health education for the whole child. Jodi believes that there is nothing more important than teaching a student the skills and behaviors for them to lead a healthy lifestyle: physically, mentally, and socially. Equitable access to a proper health and physical education have been Jodi’s central focus while working at the USBE. In 2017 she took on the long overdue effort of revising the state’s health education core standards. After two long years, in 2019, the State Board adopted health education core standards that address the whole child K-6, middle school, and high school. In early 2019 Jodi worked with community and school stakeholders to create a recess guideline for all Utah schools. The guideline was presented to the Board with a favorable outcome in January 2020. This guideline stresses the importance of daily recess and strongly discourages taking away recess for punishment or remediation.
Jodi grew up playing a variety of sports and recreation activities. She has recently tried to pick up golf, so far golf is winning. Jodi loves spending her free time, when she has it, finding new adventures with her family, including her 2 year old toddler. No matter what the activity she is happier outdoors than anything indoors and makes a habit of eating lunch in the sunshine as much as she can manage followed by a nice walk, just not during Utah’s winter months.
Holly Bell (she/they) is the Student and Family Rights Specialist for the Utah State Board of Education. She is a passionate advocate for educational equity. She was a school counselor for 8 years and the Jordan School District secondary school counselor specialist for 2 years prior to moving into her position at the Utah State Board of Education. Now she assists schools and districts in Utah in meeting the federal and state regulations that protect the constitutional and civil rights of students and families. She also serves on the Utah Youth and Young Adult Suicide Prevention Workgroup and LGBTQ+ Suicide Prevention Workgroup. Her number one priority is to ensure each student in Utah has access to high-quality education in a safe and inclusive environment.
When she isn’t at work she likes to spend time with her family typically playing games, watching anime, Survivor, and RuPaul’s Drag Race. She enjoys playing her electric bass, running and hiking with her dogs and friends, reading inclusive children’s books, and practicing her very basic Spanish skills. She is about to embark on her journey to earn her doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Utah.