OTTAWA — It seems that quite a number of Ottawa Middle School students are experiencing trauma that adversely affects them at school. Trauma makes students experience poor mental and physical health, Matt Schurman, a social worker who works with middle school students, told Ottawa school board members during their meeting Monday night. Such students are always visiting the school nurse or out of class because they feel ill because of on-going traumatic experiences, he said. Such experiences include disruptive home life, poverty, divorces, abuse or neglect, mentally ill family members or frequent moves, he said. “These are the things we deal with at the middle school all the time,” Schurman said. Schurman said he and others are trying to take a more positive approach to troubled students because regular disciplinary measures don’t improve things.
Tuesday, Jan. 9, 3 p.m.
