What is it about?
Kathryn Welby’s case study of schools in regions of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine that have been touched by the opioid crisis yields eye-opening insights into the devastating impact the opioid epidemic has on schools. Students in these communities are experiencing serious trauma because of opioid addiction in their families, and this trauma affects their ability to participate and learn at school. Educators in the schools reveal that they are overwhelmed and feel helpless to do anything for their students, and they have received little support and training on how to cope with the crisis.
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Why is it important?
Knowledge of the effect the epidemic has on students, schools, and educators is critical because, unfortunately, the number of children impacted by the opioid epidemic continues to climb across the country.
Perspectives
Doing this research was eye opening and devastating. We, as a country, need to proactively prepare for the increase of children entering schools impacted by the opioid epidemic. As national trends confirm, the increase number of children born addicted to opiods and the increase of family opioid abuse is going to hit our school systems fast and furious in the next few years. We need to be proactive in our preparation.
Dr. Kathryn A. Welby
Merrimack College
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Coping with the opioid crisis: Teachers need support, right now, Phi Delta Kappan, October 2019, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/0031721719885922.
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