I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7320 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide 
criteria for use of Federal funds to support trauma-informed practices 
in schools, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 17, 2018 
Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 to provide criteria for use of Federal funds 
to support trauma-informed practices in schools, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Trauma-Informed 
Schools Act of 2018’’. 
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SEC. 2. TRAUMA-INFORMED PRACTICES. 
(a) DEFINITION.—Section 8101 of the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801) 
is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (51) and (52) 
as paragraphs (52) and (53), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (50) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(51) 
TRAUMA-INFORMED
PRACTICES.—The 
term ‘trauma-informed practices’ means— 
‘‘(A) evidence-based activities that promote 
a shared understanding among teachers, school 
leaders, paraprofessionals, specialized instruc-
tional support personnel, and other staff that 
traumatic life experiences in the lives of chil-
dren— 
‘‘(i) are common, yet are often not 
disclosed or reported; 
‘‘(ii) cause neurological, psychological, 
and social effects that affect learning, be-
havior, and relationships; 
‘‘(iii) create risk of further trauma; 
‘‘(iv) do not inherently undermine the 
capabilities of students to reach high ex-
pectations in academics and life; and 
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‘‘(v) can and should be mitigated in 
schools by evidence-based schoolwide ap-
proaches; 
‘‘(B) adoption of disciplinary procedures 
and practices that— 
‘‘(i) accompany disciplinary actions 
with holistic assessments and interventions 
to address the underlying causes of student 
behavior, including trauma; 
‘‘(ii) avoid harsh and punitive, exclu-
sionary disciplinary practices; 
‘‘(iii) utilize evidence-based restorative 
practices that build a culture of trust; and 
‘‘(iv) do not discriminate on the basis 
of race, color, national origin, sex (includ-
ing sexual orientation or gender identity), 
disability, English proficiency status, mi-
grant status, or age consistent with the 
Age Discrimination Act of 1975 (42 
U.S.C. 6101 et seq.), title VI of the Civil 
Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et 
seq.), title IX of the Education Amend-
ments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.), 
section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 
1973 (29 U.S.C. 794), the Americans with 
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Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 
et seq.), and the Individuals with Disabil-
ities Education Act (42 U.S.C. 1400 et 
seq.); 
‘‘(C) activities that promote a culture of 
acceptance that connects a student to the 
school community and provides multiple oppor-
tunities to practice newly developing skills; 
‘‘(D) activities that promote teamwork, 
shared staff responsibility, and ongoing, effec-
tive communication among teachers, school 
leaders, paraprofessionals, specialized instruc-
tional support personnel, and other staff re-
garding the needs of each individual student en-
rolled in such school; and 
‘‘(E) activities which provide teachers, 
school leaders, paraprofessionals, specialized in-
structional support personnel, and other staff 
with evidence-based professional development on 
skills including— 
‘‘(i) identifying students who exhibit 
symptoms commonly associated with trau-
ma; 
‘‘(ii) recognizing and preventing adult 
implicit bias; 
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(e) TRAINING.—Section 2101 of such Act (20 U.S.C. 
6611) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (c)(4)(B)— 
(A) by redesignating clauses (xv) through 
(xxi) as clauses (xvi) through (xxii), respec-
tively; and 
(B) by inserting after clause (xiv) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(xv) Providing training for all teach-
ers, school leaders, paraprofessionals, and 
specialized instructional support personnel 
on trauma-informed practices.’’; and 
(2) in subsection (d)(2)— 
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (K) 
through (M) as subparagraphs (L) through (N) 
respectively; and 
(B) by inserting after subparagraph (J) 
the following: 
‘‘(K) A description of how the State edu-
cational agency will use funds under this part 
to increase the prevalence of trauma-informed 
practices.’’. 
(f) LOCAL USE OF FUNDS.—Section 2103(b)(3)(I) of 
such Act (20 U.S.C. 6613(b)(3)(I)) is amended— 
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(1) by redesignating clauses (i) through (iv) as 
clauses (ii) through (v); and 
(2) by inserting before clause (ii), as redesig-
nated, the following: 
‘‘(i) trauma-informed practices;’’. 
(g) STATE ACTIVITIES.—Section 4104(b)(3)(B)(ii) of 
such Act (20 U.S.C. 7114(b)(3)(B)(ii)) is amended— 
(1) in subclause (I), by striking at the end 
‘‘or’’; 
(2) in subclause (II), by inserting ‘‘or’’ at the 
end; and 
(3) by inserting at the end the following: 
‘‘(III) increase the prevalence of 
trauma-informed practices;’’. 
(h) STATE APPLICATION.—Section 4203(a)(6) of 
such Act (20 U.S.C. 7173(a)(6)) is amended by striking 
‘‘development;’’ and inserting ‘‘development, which may 
include professional development on trauma-informed 
practices;’’. 
(i) 
DESCRIPTION
OF
PLAN.—Section 
4303(f)(1)(A)(viii) 
of 
such 
Act 
(20 
U.S.C. 
7221b(f)(1)(A)(viii)) is amended— 
(1) in subclause (I), by striking at the end 
‘‘and’’; 
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(2) in subclause (II), by inserting ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; and 
(3) by inserting at the end the following: 
‘‘(III) adopting trauma-informed 
practices.’’. 
(j) 
APPLICATION
REQUIREMENTS.—Section 
4305(b)(3)(B)(ii) 
of 
such 
Act 
(20 
U.S.C. 
7221d(b)(3)(B)(ii)) is amended— 
(1) in subclause (II), by striking ‘‘and’’; 
(2) in subclause (III), by inserting ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; and 
(3) by inserting at the end the following: 
‘‘(IV) the discipline practices that 
will be used, including a description of 
whether such practices are consistent 
with trauma-informed practices;’’. 
Æ 
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