ST. LOUIS - Experts say the violence in St. Louis, including the recent killings of 12 children, is traumatizing the city’s youngest residents.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that about 300 people turned out Thursday for a meeting at Vashon High School that was called after a recent rash of killings that included the deaths of an 8-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy.

Washington University surgeon Dr. Laurie Punch urged the school board to help children understand what they’ve been exposed to because violence affects their emotional as well as physical health.

Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner says many city children are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Teachers are stressed, too. Roosevelt High teacher Charles Murphy, a union steward, says teachers are seeking transfers just four weeks into the school year.

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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com