We know that in the immediate aftermath of a tragedy like this, the impacted community will receive an outpouring of support and offers of assistance. The Department stands with the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District and will work through a focused response team to ensure that supports are delivered efficiently, coherently, and in a way that honors the community’s needs and wishes. We are equipped to support for the long-term as the needs will persist for years to come.
The Department’s Office of Safe and Supportive Schools funds technical assistance centers (Readiness and Emergency Management for School (REMS) Center, Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety (SEL), National Center on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE), and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS Center). Each of these centers is staffed with nationally renowned experts in responding to traumatic incidents, including violence in schools. These centers will be at the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District’s disposal, including any on-site needs.
Under the Project School Emergency Response to Violence (Project SERV) program, the Department can direct grant support to local educational agencies after a traumatic event. Funds can be used to provide mental health support to students and school staff to restore the learning environment. The Department will support the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District in seeking these funds.
We recognize that a tragedy of this scale will require a long-term partnership over several years. Whether it is technical assistance provided by program staff or technical assistance center staff who have supported other school communities ravaged by gun violence, targeted grant funding, or programmatic and other flexibilities, the Department is here for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District and its students, staff, and families.
Resources from across the Biden-Harris administration:
This tragedy comes on the heels of another mass shooting in Buffalo, NY. A compilation of resources from across the Biden-Harris administration can be found here:
- (English) FACT SHEET: The Biden-Harris Administration Responds to Immediate Needs of the Community in the Buffalo and Uvalde Attacks | The White House
- (Spanish) HOJA INFORMATIVA: La Administración Biden-Harris responde a las necesidades inmediatas de la comunidad en los ataques de Buffalo y Uvalde | La Casa Blanca
Below you can find additional resources for educators and families, including resources in English and Spanish to provide trauma-informed care to affected adults and children.
U.S. Department of Education resources:
- Resources for Responding to Schools Shootings and Violence from the Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety
- SchoolSafety.gov
- Emergency Management Resources
- Resources for Trauma-Informed Care
- Supporting Child and Student Social, Emotional, Behavioral, and Mental Health Needs
- Becoming Trauma Informed: Taking the First Step to Becoming a Trauma-Informed School
- Coping with Crisis: Helping Children with Special Needs
- National Center for Safe and Supportive Learning Environments: Emotional Safety
- PBIS Cultural Responsiveness Field Guide: Resources for Trainers and Coaches
- Supporting and Responding to Students’ Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Needs: Evidence-Based Practices for Educators
Organization-based resources for trauma-informed care:
Resources in English:
- Talking to Children about the Shooting
- Helping Youth After a Community Trauma: Tips for Educators
- Talking to Children: When Scary Things Happen
- Talking to Teens about Violence
- Tips for Talking to Students about Violence
- Coping After Mass Violence (for adults)
- For Teens: Coping After Mass Violence
- Helping School-Age Children with Traumatic Grief: Tips for Caregivers
- Helping Teens with Traumatic Grief: Tips for Caregivers
- Helping Young Children with Traumatic Grief: Tips for Caregivers
- Guiding Adults in Talking to Children about Death and Attending Services
- After a Crisis: Helping Young Children Heal
- Age-Related Reactions to a Traumatic Event
- Once I Was Very Very Scared (a children’s book for young children)
- After the Injury (a website for families with injured children)
- Health Care Toolbox (a website for pediatric health providers working with injured children)
- Pause-Reset-Nourish (PRN) to Promote Wellbeing (for responders)
- Psychological First Aid (PFA)
Recursos en español:
- Recursos por La Red Nacional para el Estrés Traumático Infantil
- Guía para los padres para ayudar a los jóvenes después de un tiroteo reciente
- Cómo ayudar a los niños a lidiar con un evento traumático
- Señales de trauma en niños
- Ayuda para jóvenes después de un trauma comunitario: consejos para los educadores
- Hablando con niños cuando sucede la violencia
- Hablando con adolescentes cuando sucede la violencia
- Para los adolescentes: cómo afrontar los efectos de la violencia masiva
- Ayuda para los niños en edad escolar con duelo traumático: consejos para los cuidadores
- Ayuda para los adolescentes con duelo traumático
- Ayuda para los niños pequeños con duelo traumático: consejos para los cuidadores
- Una vez tuvo mucho mucho miedo (Un libro para los niños pequeños)
- Pausa – Restablecer – Nutrir (PRN) para promover el bienestar (para respondedores)
- Primeros Auxilios Psicológicos Guía de Operaciones Prácticas
NOTE: This list will be updated periodically with additional resources. These links represent just a few examples of the numerous reference materials currently available to the public. The inclusion of resources should not be construed or interpreted as an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any private organization or business listed herein. To recommend additional resources, email edpartners@ed.gov.