Chester County Schools Office of Coordinated School Health, Chester County Sheriff’s Office, and Henderson Police Department have established a partnership to implement the Tennessee Handle with Care program at all Chester County Schools.
“A recent national survey of the incidence and prevalence of children’s exposure to violence and trauma revealed that 60% of American children have been exposed to violence, crime or abuse. Forty percent were direct victims of two or more violent acts. Prolonged exposure to violence and trauma can seriously undermine children’s ability to focus, behave appropriately, and learn in school. It often leads to school failure, truancy, suspension or expulsion, dropping out, or involvement in the juvenile justice system.” Tennessee Handle with Care (https://www.tnhandlewithcare.org)
Tennessee Handle with Care is a statewide program, hosted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which promotes school-community partnerships aimed at ensuring that children who are exposed to trauma in their home or community receive appropriate interventions to help them achieve academically at their highest levels despite whatever traumatic circumstances they may have endured. If a law enforcement officer encounters a child during a call, a “Handle with Care Advisory” and the child’s name will be forwarded to the school before the school bell rings the next day, no other details will be shared with the school system. The adults who are involved in that child’s average day at school will implement individual, class and whole school trauma-sensitive responses, as necessary.
“The Handle with Care program will allow us opportunities to bridge the gap between expectations in the school building and the unique, often challenging, lives that each child has outside of our buildings. In doing so, each child who may be handled with care may also be more likely to achieve social, emotional, and academic success, ultimately becoming a happier, healthier human,” said Jamie Blurton, Chester County Schools Coordinated School Health Director.
