A growing number of Oklahoma school districts are partnering with local law enforcement agencies to help students who are exposed to trauma through a program called Handle With Care.
When police officers encounter a child who has experienced a traumatic situation, they contact the school district with the child’s name, age or grade and three simple words: “Handle with care.”
To protect the child’s privacy, no other details are provided. Those three words let school officials know the child might need extra attention and allows teachers to be hypersensitive to their needs, make modifications if necessary and provide needed support.
Watch how Tahlequah Public Schools has implemented the program and how it’s helping students who may need intervention and extra care rather than punishment.