How Domestic Violence In One Home Affects Every Child In A Class

(Illustration by LA Johnson/NPR)
Part of an NPR Ed series on mental health in schools.
Every Monday morning at Harvie Elementary School, in Henrico County, Va., Brett Welch stands outside her office door as kids file in.
“The first thing I’m looking for are the faces,” says Welch, a school counselor. She’s searching for hints of fear, pain or anger.
“Maybe there was a domestic incident at the house that weekend,” says Welch. “That’s reality fo