Gahanna schools and police to support students with Handle With Care program
GAHANNA, Ohio (WCMH) -- Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools and Gahanna Police team up with a new initiative to help children who have experienced a traumatic event involving law enforcement.
A new initiative between Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools and Gahanna Police will help provide subtle and confidential support to kids who have experienced a stressful or traumatic event involving law enforcement.
It’s called Handle With Care.
If a student is dealing with something outside of school, that can sometimes lead to behavioral or emotional challenges in school. The Handle With Care initiative provides educators with more tools to help children during a difficult time.
Schools may be notified if a student experiences a car crash, domestic violence, the arrest of a loved one, or any other kind of police-involved incident.
“It’s going to let us send a confidential notice to a lead at the school that that student may go to, letting them know that that student has experienced something,” said Crystal Jones, a Gahanna school resource officer. “It’s no details, it just says handle with care.”
Officer Jones first heard about Handle With Care at a juvenile conference last year, and she knew it would be great for the police department and the school district.
She said a traumatic or stressful event can make a child act differently at school.
“Maybe they're falling asleep in class, maybe they're tardy, maybe they haven't finished their homework assignment for that day. Maybe they're acting out towards other students,” said Jones.
Teachers and school leaders will not have any specifics on the incident; they’ll just know a student should be “handled with care.”
Gahanna-Jefferson Schools superintendent, Dr. Tracey Deagle, said training for Handle With Care finished up the week before the school year began.
“We have our counselors trained as well as our building administrators to ensure that we are protecting our youth,” said Dr. Deagle. “We're not calling them out. We're not sharing anything confidential. We’re just supporting.”
Dr. Deagle said the student won’t be treated differently or pulled aside. Handle With Care just allows staff to be informed so they can give a child some leniency with deadlines or disruptive behavior.
It’s subtle but supportive.
“It's letting them be, but knowing that if they come down to the office fearful or in tears, that we understand a little bit more of the why,” said Dr. Deagle.
Gahanna is the second Franklin County community to implement the statewide initiative, but Officer Jones said other areas across Ohio are in the process of developing Handle With Care programs. It’s something people may see at their local school district in the near future.
Learn more about Handle With Care here.