‘Handle with Care’ program implemented at all Chester County schools

CHESTER COUNTY, Tenn. — Local law enforcement and educators team up to make a difference in a child’s happiness.

“That will increase their likelihood to achieve academic, social, and emotional success,” said Jamie Blurton, Coordinated School Health Director for Chester County School District. “Ultimately we just want them to be happier, healthier humans.”

A new partnership makes children’s health top priority.

“Tennessee Handle with Care is a statewide program that is hosted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation,” Blurton said. “This opportunity will allow us to bridge that gap between the expectations that we have in our school buildings and the unique, often challenging lives that children have outside of our building.”

Assistant Chief Tim Crowe with the Henderson Police Department says when they encounter a child on a call, they can inform the school to handle the child with care.

“This child, when they show up for school the next day and they need maybe a little special care, some attention or some extra guidance, the school system is aware of that and they can give that child what they need instead of looking at that child and wondering why are they tired, why are they distraught, why are they angry,” Crowe said.

Student Resource Officer Nathan Daniel with Chester County Sheriff’s Department serves as the middleman.

Daniel makes sure the right school receives the information, which is their name and to handle with care.

“Jane Doe, age 12. I know to kind of look at the Junior High area and to locate that child and make sure that the counselors and the teachers know that, hey, Jane Doe, handle with care,” Daniel said. “It is usually that simple.”

Blurton says this partnership will ultimately help students thrive in the classroom.

“It really just provides that unique lens that explains why [they] may be exhibiting certain behaviors, and how we as school employees can have a trauma-sensitive approach to that,” Blurton said.

“It is exactly a dot connector from law enforcement to school systems, to coordinated health to guidance counselor, to SRO,” Crowe said. “It is just bringing everybody together, putting them on the same page so everybody knows what to do, because it is all about that child.”

Blurton says the district is grateful for the support from the local law enforcement in Chester County, and hope this small change will leave a lasting impact.

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