Our language arts curriculum directors approached me with the following question: What is the best way to support students who have a history of trauma when their class is reading a novel that includes content that may remind students of their own trauma histories?
A couple of examples given: in one book a protagonist has DV in his/her family and one of the family members murdered--not described in the book but alluded to; one book is set during the Rwanda genocide; one book refers to sexual abuse of the protagonist, etc.
Would folks suggest that we have teachers provide a disclaimer about content at the time they are assigning or beginning the novel in which they mention (in a general sense) that some of the content may be upsetting to some students and ask students who have concerns to approach them after class. Should we allow students to opt out and provide a substitute text?
At the elementary level, classes read the books together out loud. At the secondary level, sometimes passages are read out loud so that the class can work on analyzing the text together. This means that if students opt out, they may have to leave the classroom for these discussions, which may lead to feelings of stigmatization.
Thanks. Any advice is appreciated.