Handle With Care to help students in local county
JACKSON, Tenn. — A new partnership is making a child’s health top priority.
Tennessee Handle With Care is a statewide program that is hosted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
The program was first piloted at a elementary school in West Virginia back in 2013, and is now continuing to be put in use in West Tennessee.
This program allows law enforcement to find out where a student goes to school “when a child has been identified at the scene of a traumatic event.”
Law enforcement then sends a the school or daycare agency an email or fax saying to “Handle with care.”
In addition to providing notice, officers also build positive relationships with students by interacting on a regular basis.
They visit classrooms, stop by for lunch, and simply chat with students to help promote positive relationships and perceptions of officers.
A press conference was held Wednesday in Gibson County with representatives from each school district within the county and law enforcement.
“Handle with Care basically means watching out for the students. We will not approach any students and ask any questions, and the report from the police will simply say, ‘Handle with care.’ Only those three words and the student’s name,” said Amy Richardson, with the Gibson County Special School District.
SEE ALSO: ‘Handle with Care’ program implemented at all Chester County schools
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