PD program connects students with resources following traumatic events

Published on September 13, 2022

Law enforcement officials respond to traumatic scenes every day where children are present.

The Fort Worth Police Department’s new Handle with Care program allows officers to be more proactive in identifying students who are involved with potentially traumatic events. These events can lead to academic, behavioral or attendance issues.

The Handle with Care program connects the student and family with appropriate interventions.

FWPD has partnered with Education Service Center Region 11 and the Fort Worth Independent School District to launch the Handle with Care program for the 2022-23 school year.

Traumatic events could range from being involved in or witnessing a fatal accident, witnessing or being victim to a violent crime or witnessing the arrest of a loved one. Trauma in children can manifest in ways that can interfere with their ability to learn and can lead to behavior resulting in negative interactions with school personnel and law enforcement.

The Handle with Care program promotes law enforcement, school and community partnerships aimed at ensuring that children who are exposed to trauma receive appropriate interventions to help them achieve academically despite whatever traumatic circumstances they may have endured.

Here’s how the program works: Officers who encounter a child during a traumatic police scene will send the child’s name and age to Education Service Center Region 11, which is the intermediary educational agency for the area. Region 11 will send an email to an administrator at the child’s school with the simple phrase, “Handle [student’s name] with care.”

No other information or details will be provided by FWPD. The email simply gives the school a heads-up that the child has been exposed to trauma and that any unusual behavior should be met with support and appropriate interventions by the child’s school.

When ESC Region 11 receives notifications for children enrolled in schools outside of FWISD, they will still make notifications to the schools so that the children can receive support.

FWPD is excited about this partnership and will work toward expanding the program into other ISDs and private schools in the future.

Photo: A new FWPD program gives schools a heads-up when a child has been exposed to trauma.

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