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Education leaders across the U.S. are trying to figure out how to effectively teach students about the risks and warning signs of human trafficking, which includes being forced into domestic servitude, commercial labor or sex work.
According to 2019 data gathered by the Polaris Project – a nonprofit that fights human trafficking, including sex trafficking – 24% of survivors reported that they were first trafficked before they turned 18.
In 2017, California became the first state to require human trafficking education for students and teachers. Tennessee, Florida and Virginia also now require school staff to receive formal training intended to stop human trafficking.
As cases of human trafficking continue to make headlines, similar prevention and education efforts are being made in schools across the country. Parents and community members in other states may also find similar efforts coming to their communities. As a scholar who studies business ethics – and as executive director of the Center for Ethics and Human Rights at Colorado State University – I recommend school leaders keep five key goals in mind when creating anti-trafficking educational programs.
1. Create a safe haven
Childhood researchers suggest that children need a safe haven where they can go when confronted with fear and threats. They also need a secure base, a place where they feel secure to explore the world around them.
Ideally, children’s homes would serve these purposes. But schools can also provide safe havens and secure bases. Children who feel more secure are less vulnerable to predatory people, who often fake affection and provide a false sense of love as a tactic to lure kids into the world of human trafficking.
2. Pay attention to triggers
When being taught about human trafficking, it’s possible that children’s memories of past trauma might be triggered. Educators who are aware of this possibility are more likely to be better at protecting kids from being triggered, and better able to respond properly if it happens.
Many children have been exposed to trauma, such as neglect or abandonment; physical, sexual or psychological abuse; loss of a loved one; or refugee or war experiences. When these memories are triggered, children feel distressed and unsafe.
Triggers may include words, tone of voice, facial expressions, smells, feelings or postures that are embedded in a child’s mind. And some can cause unexpected reactions in seemingly regular situations. For instance, a child whose abusive parent used to eat oranges may be triggered by the smell of an orange, and this memory may became linked with the abusive experience in the child’s mind. Or a common nickname might have been used by an abuser and can be a trigger.
Often, these memories are not conscious ones, so the child may not understand why they feel distressed or overwhelmed, and yet they respond to the trigger as if they are facing a real threat.
3. Be inclusive
When teachers show compassion, warmth and kindness to their students, students are more likely to develop a strong sense of belonging in the classroom space.
Without that sense of belonging, students might come to see themselves as unworthy of attention and love, which hurts their self-esteem and makes them more vulnerable to the influence of predators.
4. Dispel misconceptions and stereotypes
Young white women are often depicted in media as representative of trafficking victims, although women and girls of color experience high rates of trafficking.
Also, women of color who are forced to engage in sexual acts or labor are often stereotyped as deviants and treated with suspicion by officials and law enforcement.
And while boys are less commonly trafficking victims, they are still at risk of being trafficked. In addition, many human trafficking reports do not provide data on nonbinary or gender-nonconforming people.
Trafficking education materials work best when they accurately discuss who the perpetrators are. Effective anti-trafficking education teaches kids that traffickers are not just strangers or people belonging to another race or ethnicity. Traffickers are often friendly, charismatic, well-dressed and seemingly wealthy, and they may appear to be kind and warm. They may also be close family members and caregivers who exploit children in their care.
5. Use appropriate touch and tone
Teachers often use touch and tone of voice to build connections with children. But many children who have experienced trauma are sensitive to touch and avoid it. Teachers who learn how to use touch in reassuring and affirming ways – such as an encouraging pat on the back, an occasional handshake, high-five or fist bump – can help build a sense of safety and security in the classroom, building trust with students and making them less likely to fall prey to traffickers.
Similarly, using consistent tones of voice that are calm, reassuring and firm can help students’ development, engagement, learning and growth.
Schools can play an important role in helping students learn about and protect themselves from human trafficking. With these five concepts in mind, school leaders will be better prepared to help keep kids safe.
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Lumina Albert, Associate Professor of Management and Director of the CSU Center for Ethics and Human Rights, Colorado State University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
“This study validates the clear fact that California’s community colleges are an investment playing a critical role in driving the state’s economy and making a difference in millions of lives daily,” said California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley.
He noted the report’s estimates that for every $1 invested in the community college system, students gain $5 in earnings, and taxpayers see a net benefit of $2 in added tax revenue stemming from students’ higher lifetime earnings and increased output by businesses.
The average community college graduate with an associate degree will see an increase in earnings of $11,100 annually, when compared to a person with a high school diploma or equivalent.
“Millions of former community college students have secured the education and workforce training needed to earn higher incomes and an improved standard of living while businesses in virtually every industry sector are becoming more profitable thanks to the skills obtained by community college alumni,” said Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges President Pamela Haynes.
Among the report’s highlights:
• The California Community Colleges, which include 73 districts and 116 colleges, is among the state’s largest employers with 91,328 full-time and part-time faculty and staff.
• Payroll alone amounted to $8.5 billion, with colleges spending an additional $4.2 billion on day-to-day expenses. This initial round of spending creates more spending across other businesses throughout the state economy through what is commonly known as the multiplier effect.
• The California Community Colleges supported nearly 1.5 million jobs – or one of every 16 jobs in the state – when combining the impact of payroll, operating expenses and construction costs with spending by students, faculty and staff.
• The sum of the social benefits of California community colleges equal a present-day value of $265.9 billion when combining savings related to health, crime and income assistance ($3.3 billion) with students’ increased future income ($179 billion), added business income ($64.4 billion) and additional income from college activities ($19.2 billion).
The 101-page study produced by Emsi Burning Glass, titled The Economic Value of the California Community College System, incorporated an array of data including 2018-19 academic and financial reports from the college system, industry and employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census Bureau.
The economic modeling considers the added income created in the California economy as a result of increased consumer spending and the added knowledge, skills and abilities of students; and a variety of published materials relating education to social behavior.
The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation, composed of 73 districts and 116 colleges serving 1.8 million students per year.
Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg said Monday that the Lake County Office of Education has determined that enough valid signatures were submitted by the registered voters of the Middletown Unified School District to require a special election to fill a board seat and to terminate the provisional appointment of Annette Lee.
Lee confirmed to Lake County News that Middletown Unified Superintendent Tim Gill called her Monday morning to tell her the petition had been successful and she was removed from the board.
Lee is the former executive dean of Woodland Community College’s Lake County Campus, a chief business official and holds a doctorate in educational administration. She graduated from district schools and her two children have attended school there as well.
She and Allison Berlogar were appointed to the board on Dec. 1 after the resignation of board members LaTrease Walker, who specifically cited her opposition to COVID-19 mandates, and Thad Owens, who did not give a reason for resigning. The terms for Walker’s and Owens’ seats expire in November, when they are due to go back on the ballot.
Lee was appointed to fill Walker’s seat and Berlogar Owens’ seat.
During the board’s Dec. 15 meeting, Lee had suggested alternative language to a proposed resolution against the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates for students and staff because she said she wanted it to be more inclusive of different points of view.
The resolution was held over until the board’s Jan. 18 meeting, during which it was approved in a 3-2 vote, with Larry Allen and Lee voting against it. Allen said at that time that the resolution would not change anything and that such mandates ultimately are not up to the district.
Lee’s proposed changes to that resolution appeared to have led to the challenge to her appointment.
She said no community members have come directly to her to raise any concerns about her appointment.
Under state Education Code, provisional appointments may be challenged with a sufficient number of signatures being submitted to the county superintendent of schools within 30 days of the date of the provisional appointment.
The petition was submitted to the Office of Education on Dec. 30. Proponents listed on the petition are Cobb resident LaTrease Walker, whose seat Lee was appointed to fill, and Hidden Valley Lake residents Austin Pullman and Charles Green.
The Lake County Registrar of Voters Office assisted the Office of Education in validating the signatures.
A requirement of 1.5% of the 6,129 voters registered in the district’s last election was necessary to trigger the special election. That means that 92 valid signatures were required for the petition to be successful.
With the petition being ruled successful, on Monday Falkenberg called a special election to be held on June 7, the same date as the statewide primary.
That means that Middletown Unified’s board will have a vacancy for nearly five months.
The original estimate for the special election to fill the seat was $50,000.
Registrar of Voters Maria Valadez said she derived that estimate based on the costs another school district incurred a few years ago in a special election. She said consolidating the special election with the primary could reduce the costs to Middletown Unified by a half or a third.
On Monday, Falkenberg submitted a packet to the Lake County Board of Supervisors that included his resolution calling the special election on June 7 and requesting the Registrar of Voters Office furnish all election services necessary for the election.
Falkenberg’s resolution estimates that conducting the special election on the date of the primary could save Middletown Unified up to $25,000.
“I will use the full authority of my office to reduce the cost of the special election for the Middletown Unified School District. Any savings can then be used in the classroom to serve our students,” Falkenberg said in a written statement issued by his office.
Valadez said that Falkenberg’s request to her office must be approved by the Board of Supervisors. It’s expected the board will take up that request in the next few weeks.
She said the filing period for candidates for Middletown Unified’s seat would be the same as for other offices coming up for election in June.
Declaration of candidacy forms would need to be filed with Valadez’s office between Feb. 14 and March 11, according to the resolution.
If there are no qualified candidates, filling the seat would again be up to the Middletown Unified board, the resolution explains.
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The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 25, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8, online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and on the county’s Facebook page. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.
To participate in real-time, join the Zoom meeting by clicking this link.
The meeting ID is 969 1025 0667, pass code 665289. The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,96910250667#,,,,*665289#.
All interested members of the public that do not have internet access or a Mediacom cable subscription are encouraged to call 669-900-6833, and enter the Zoom meeting ID and pass code information above.
To submit a written comment on any agenda item visit https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and click on the eComment feature linked to the meeting date. If a comment is submitted after the meeting begins, it may not be read during the meeting but will become a part of the record.
In an untimed item, the board will consider a resolution authorizing the board chair to approve and direct the tax collector to sell, at public auction via the internet, approximately 942 tax-defaulted properties.
It’s a much larger sale than in years past, with minimum bids on all of the properties totaling $7,870,400, according to the resolution from Treasurer-Tax Collector Barbara Ringen.
Also on Tuesday, at 9:06 a.m., the board will get a COVID-19 update from Public Health.
At 9:40 a.m., the board will receive a follow-up presentation by Sonoma Clean Power Chief Executive Officer Geof Syphers on a geothermal opportunity zone, or GeoZone, and consider a resolution establishing county membership in the Sonoma Lake Mendocino Opportunity Zone.
In another untimed item, the board will consider a policy to waive the fingerprint rolling fee normally charged for applicants for Livescan fingerprint checks when the purpose of the Livescan is to satisfy the requirements to participate in youth service organizations serving the youth of Lake County.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Adopt resolution appointing Katherine Vanderwall as agricultural commissioner and sealer of weights and measures for a four-year term effective Feb. 12, 2022.
5.2: Approve revisions to the smartphone stipend policy.
5.3: a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to the Lake County Code Section 38.2, as agreement is tied to current 3-Year Mental Health Services Act Plan; and b) Consideration of the Agreement between the county of Lake and Resource Development Associates for the Community Planning Program Process and former Innovations project for Fiscal Years 2021-23 for a contract maximum of $112,350 and authorize the board chair to sign the agreement.
5.4: a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to the Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and b) consideration of agreement between New Life Health Authority dba New Life LLC for substance use disorder outpatient drug free services, intensive outpatient treatment services, and narcotic treatment program services for fiscal year 2021-22, not to exceed $400,000 and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.5: Approve agreement between county of Lake and Adventist Health St. Helena and Vallejo for acute inpatient psychiatric hospital services and professional services associated with acute inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations for fiscal years 2021-22 and 2022-23 for a maximum compensation of $300,000 and authorize the chair to sign.
5.6: Approve Amendment No. 1 to the agreement between county of Lake and Lake County Office of Education for the Mental Health Student Services Act Grant Program-based specialty mental health services for fiscal year 2021-26 at no additional cost, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.7: (a) Adopt Resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors authorizing acceptance of the county of Lake noncompetitive allocation award under the No Place Like Home Program; and (b) adopt resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors authorizing acceptance of the county of Lake competitive allocation award under the No Place Like Home Program.
5.8: Approve Board of Supervisors meeting minutes for Dec. 21, 2021.
5.9: Approve lease for commercial property located at 858 Lakeport Blvd., Lakeport, from Feb. 1, 2022, through Feb. 28, 2023, at $2,100 per month and authorize the chair to sign.
5.10: Approve memorandum of understanding between the county of Lake and the Kelseyville Unified School District for the period of Feb. 1, 2022, through June 30, 2022, to provide a school resource officer to Kelseyville Unified in the amount of $43,000 for the first prorated fiscal year and an automatic renewal for one additional fiscal year in the amount of $86,000 and authorize the chair to sign.
5.11: Approve agreement between the county of Lake and the Lake County Office of Education for probation family services, for the period of Feb. 1, 2022, through June 30, 2022, for an amount not to exceed $75,000 and authorize the chair to sign.
5.12: Approve late travel claim for Deputy Matt McCabe in the amount of $1,026 for K-9 training held in Ontario, California, and authorize the auditor to pay.
5.13: a) Approve Gun Violence Reduction Program grant award in the amount of $277,373; and (b) authorize the sheriff and chairman to sign the memorandum of understanding with the California Department of Justice.
5.14: a) Approve Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases detection and mitigation of COVID-19 in confinement facilities funding through the American Rescue Plan Act and b) authorize the chairman of the Board of Supervisors to sign the acknowledgment letter.
5.15: Approve first amendment to the contract with Prentice Long for public authority labor negotiations in the amount of $30,000 per year, from Feb. 1, 2021, to Jan. 31, 2024, and authorize the chair to sign.
TIMED ITEMS
6.2, 9:06 a.m.: Consideration of update on COVID-19.
6.3, 9:40 a.m.: (a) Consideration of a follow-up presentation by Sonoma Clean Power Chief Executive Officer Geof Syphers on a geothermal opportunity zone, or GeoZone; (b) consideration of a resolution establishing county membership in the Sonoma Lake Mendocino Opportunity Zone.
6.4, 9:45 a.m.: Public hearing (continued from Jan. 11), consideration of resolution regarding vacating a roadway known as Dillard Avenue.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Consideration of resolution requesting state cannabis cultivation tax reform.
7.3: Consideration of suspension of CPI tax rate increase for cannabis taxes.
7.4: Consideration of changes to the Board of Supervisors annual calendar for 2022.
7.5: Consideration of the following advisory board appointments: Lake County Vector Control, Lake County/City Areawide Planning Council and Lake County Child Care Planning.
7.6: Consideration of a policy to waive the fingerprint rolling fee normally charged for applicants for Livescan fingerprint checks when the purpose of the Livescan is to satisfy the requirements to participate in youth service organizations serving the youth of Lake County.
7.7: (a) Consideration of the purchase of communications equipment to be installed at various repeater sites in the amount of $283,000; and (b) authorize the sheriff or his designee to issue a purchase order to Dailey Wells Communications.
7.8: Consideration of resolution authorizing the chairman of the board to approve and direct the tax collector to sell, at public auction via internet, tax defaulted property which is subject to the power to sell in accordance with Chapter 7 of part 6 of Division 1, of the California Revenue and Taxation Code and approving sales below minimum price in specified cases.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Conference with Legal Counsel: Existing Litigation pursuant to Government Code section 54956.9(d) (1): Center for Biological Diversity, et al. v. County of Lake.
8.2: Conference with legal counsel: Decision whether to initiate litigation pursuant to Government Code section 54956.9(d) (4) — One potential case.
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The commission will meet beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 25, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
The agenda can be found here.
Submit comments and questions in writing for commission consideration by sending them to Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Melissa Swanson at
Community members also can participate via Zoom.
To give the planning commission adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit written comments before 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 25.
The meeting will be broadcast live on the YouTube channels for the city of Clearlake or Lake County PEG TV.
The commission on Tuesday will hold two public hearings.
The first is to consider a conditional use permit and categorical exemption to allow alcoholic beverage sales — on-site consumption — in an existing established restaurant, Delicias Alvarez, located at 14094 Lakeshore Drive.
The second public hearing is for a conditional use permit and categorical exemption for the development of an automobile sales operation at 14585 Olympic Drive, Suite A.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online for information on visiting or adopting.
The following cats at the shelter have been cleared for adoption.
Female domestic shorthair
This 3-year-old female domestic shorthair cat has a calico coat and green eyes.
She is in cat room kennel No. 44, ID No. LCAC-A-2457.
‘Chowder’
“Chowder” is a 4-year-old female domestic shorthair cat with a calico coat.
She is in cat room kennel No. 15, ID No. LCAC-A-982.
Male domestic shorthair
This young male domestic shorthair has a unique striped gray tabby coat.
He is in cat room kennel No. 53d, ID No. LCAC-A-2383.
Email Elizabeth Larson at