‘Handle With Care’ seeks to protect students in distress at Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools

CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Students who have recently gone through traumatic events will soon have new protections and support under a program called “Handle With Care” at Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools.

The program is part of an interlocal agreement between CMCSS and local first responder agencies. The program allows first responders to notify CMCSS when a child has experienced a traumatic event.

Meeting students where they are

Under the program, when a child experiences a traumatic incident, first responders will be able to gather basic information and email the child’s school using a program created by CMCSS’ technology department.

This email will simply say, “Handle (student) with care today.” This notice allows educators to be informed in how they interact with the student, whether that means a trip to the school counselor or just some extra time to finish that day’s work.

“Once a student receives a notice, it really depends on that individual student. You may have two children who experience the same event but have two very different reactions,” Ashley Dale, lead elementary school counselor for CMCSS, told Clarksville Now.

“We know that whenever a notice is put in, to be very mindful that something occurred, and what is their behavior telling me in class, and being ready to provide that support and meet that child where they are,” Dale said.

A group effort to bring it home

Dale said she first heard about Handle With Care at the 2019 Trauma-Informed School Conference.

“It was one of the sessions that I sat for and thought ‘Wow, this would be a really great opportunity for our community to work together and ensure students are connected to the support that they need,” Dale said.

She began working with Police Chief David Crockarell to start the program here. Crockarell has been a proponent of Handle With Care, presenting it to the City Council and saying, “I can get pretty fired up about this.”

“Our young people are at times witness to terrible things. … We as law enforcement and first responders are not in the classroom; that is not something we can have a direct impact on. But we know that we see children at 2 or 4 in the morning on a Sunday and there’s an emergency, and we know those traumatic events are stressors,” Crockarell said.

Both the Montgomery County Commission and the City Council have approved the interlocal agreement; however, Dale said the County Commission will need to vote again to approve some changes made by the City Council at their September meeting.

Questions of parental involvement

Clarksville’s City Council voted 8-2 to approve the Handle With Care pilot program on Sept. 2.

Voting no were Wanda Smith and Trisha Butler. Both objected to the lack of an “opt-out” option for parents.

“I just think that we shouldn’t allow the government to just take over and not allow the parents to have a say-so in their child’s life,” Smith said.

Dale said the school system would have little ability to manage an opt-out.

“The opting out would be on the first responder’s side because we wouldn’t have anything to opt out of,” Dale said. “We are not distributing information. We are just receiving it and then providing trauma response support to our students.”

Crockarell told council members an opt-out could create room for kids to fall through the cracks, particularly when the trauma is being caused by the parent.

“Countless times during the week, the parent is the violator. If that is a situation that is ongoing, do you think they are going to opt in? They’re not,” Crockarell said on Aug. 26.

Butler called Crockarell’s statement dangerous and vilifying of parents desiring privacy.

“Why are we trying to minimize parental rights? … If you just want to tell a teacher to handle my child with care, why is it necessary without my consent?” Butler later said in a Facebook post.

What’s next

Dale said that should Handle With Care perform well, she hopes to include other local institutions, including medical professionals and funeral homes.

The County Commission is expected to vote on the amended version at their formal meeting on Oct. 11. Should the measure pass, parents will be notified.