Link for Equity, a community-engaged waitlist randomized controlled trial of a culturally responsive trauma-informed care program for BIPOC students: Design features and characteristics of baseline sample

Background: Link for Equity is a multi-tiered, school-based program of trauma-informed care and cultural hu-mility designed to reduce the impact of Adverse Child Experiences among Black Indigenous and other children of color (BIPOC). This report describes the program, its trial design, and the study participants' baseline characteristics. Methods: We designed a nested waitlist-controlled trial to evaluate Link for Equity's effectiveness in reducing school violence among BIPOC students. Three pairs of school districts, matched on suspension rates and enrollment of Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, and American Indian/Alaska Native children, were randomized into either an intervention or delayed intervention (waitlist control) group. A community-engaged approach guided the development of protocols. Within intervention sites, BIPOC students who screened positive for ACEs or posttraumatic stress were also randomized into an immediate and waitlist control group to receive additional one-on-one support from trained school staff. Results: The trial was implemented from 2019 to 2021, which overlapped with the pandemic and civil unrest in Minnesota. At baseline, 444 staff and 188 students enrolled in the study. Over a quarter of American Indian/ Alaska Native students, 18% of multiple race, 12% of Black/African American, 14% of Hispanic/Latinx students reported 4+ ACEs. Between 44 and 53% of all the BIPOC students in the study were symptomatic for PTSD. Of the enrolled students, 78.7% qualified for one-on-one Link support. Conclusion: We implemented a multilevel waitlist-controlled trial of Link for Equity using community-engaged methods. Despite school closures during the pandemic, the study persisted with its methods now being employed in an expanded cohort of middle schools.