Laura Beth Hayes, principal of North Park Elementary, told the Hardin County Board of Education on Dec. 20 that a yearlong project to expand trauma-informed practice in classrooms improved teachers' ability to manage disruptive behaviors and helped students self-regulate.

Hayes said the project began with a local cohort of teachers who completed surveys and participated in three targeted trainings and classroom interventions. "Most of them felt very supported by their administration," Hayes said, and she reported that 85% of participants said they felt supported by building leaders while roughly 95% said their initial training was not adequate and about 90% reported lacking practical resources.

The core intervention combined hands-on training with a boxed collection of sensory and regulation tools Hayes called "calm-down kits." Teachers used the kits in class for six-week trials and returned data and reflections. Hayes said 60% of staff reported an improved classroom environment and 65% reported better student focus after the intervention.

"If we can teach kiddos ... to learn to manage their own feelings and emotions and regulate themselves, they're not gonna be seeking ways for other people to regulate them," Hayes said, describing the instructional goal behind the kits.

Hayes said she selected a cohort of 24 teachers at the start of the year and 20 completed the full set of interventions. The trainings included district special-education staff, the school psychologist and peers who modeled regulation techniques. Teachers then returned to their schools in a train-the-trainer model; Hayes said the district funded additional kits so staff members could share materials with colleagues.

She described the study as grounded in "improvement science," an iterative approach of making small changes and measuring results. Hayes said the interventions produced measurable change in teachers' ability to prevent disruptions from derailing lessons and to shift a dysregulated student toward calmer behavior.

Hayes also showed a short video clip of a former student explaining what he wished teachers had known. The student said, "My advice for teachers is to get to know your student better and ask them what is wrong with the negative set." Hayes used the clip to illustrate the classroom-level effects of better training and resources.

Hayes said the project led to broader work over the summer and into the current school year: she trained about 50 additional Hardin County educators, has consulted with regional groups and will teach a Western Kentucky University class next semester. She said Western is exploring a grant to create a trauma-informed-care course for preservice teachers.

Hayes concluded by urging continued emphasis on adaptive change — shifting adult mindsets and classroom practices so trauma-informed approaches persist beyond training sessions. "We just gotta keep working," she said.

The presentation was made during the board's recognition and department-update portion of the meeting; Hayes did not request or receive any formal board action during the session.