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TEAR Team Reduces Impact of Trauma
TEAR Team Reduces Impact of Trauma
By Dan Rinkus
When a child experiences trauma, it can impact their lives immediately and for decades to come. The TEAR (Trauma Education and Response) Team, based at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit’s Highlands Family Center in Tarentum, works with local law enforcement and school districts to help children address traumatic events in their lives.
“The initial response starts with the police department,” said AIU Program Director Lori Vollman, who oversees the TEAR program. “They’re the ones who go into the home on the calls. So if there’s a child in that home, that’s what starts that first initial response for the trauma team to get involved.”
A police officer will file a notice with the TEAR team and the child’s school district. That notification allows school officials to prepare for any signs of distress, while the Highlands Family Center can coordinate and provide resources for the child and their family.
“A lot of the families have food insecurity,” explained Vollman. “They may not have clothing, they may not have formula or diapers for their kids. They may have just a lot of trauma in general.”
The TEAR team also provides free trauma-informed training to community members, from teachers and school administrators to caregivers and first responders.
The AIU started the TEAR program with the Highlands School District and local law enforcement in 2021 through a grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation. It expanded into the New Kensington-Arnold School District last October through a partnership with Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli. The decision came five months after the violent death of 9-year-old student Azuree Charles, an event that caused community-wide trauma.
“When a child falls asleep in class, there’s no more sending them to detention,” said Christopher Sefcheck, Ed.D., superintendent of the New KensingtonArnold School District. He said that is just one of the red flag behaviors that teachers, caregivers and others can recognize and address. “They are symptoms of a much larger problem,” he said.
Ziccarelli reached out to the AIU and its TEAR team because she knew firsthand that they could make a positive difference.
“The research and data proves this can tremendously impact the outcome of that child’s life,” she said. “Having one positive interaction with an adult can change their whole future.”
It’s a message that continues to resonate. In the summer of 2023, the TEAR team secured funding to expand its services to the Clairton City, Steel Valley, West Mifflin Area and Woodland Hills school districts, ensuring more school-age children receive critical care.
Watch a short video about the TEAR Program
Read more from this issue: Fall 2023
