St. Charles School Board approves program with police department to help kids exposed to trauma

By a vote of 4-3, the St. Charles District 303 School Board on April 10 approved a memorandum of understanding between the district and the police department for a program that would help children exposed to trauma.

Voting “yes” were board President Heidi Fairgrieve and board members Becky McCabe, Jillian Barker and Kate Bell. Voting “no” were board Vice President Joseph Lackner and board members Ed McNally and Matthew Kuschert.

Eric Majewski, deputy chief of operations for the St. Charles police department, said the Handle with Care program is an initiative aimed at addressing children’s exposure to violence and trauma. West Aurora, Batavia, Kaneland and Central school districts are among districts in the area using the program.

“Childhood exposure to violence and trauma, without the right supports, is often associated with increased risk of poor outcomes in emotional, behavioral and physical health over the life span,” Majewski said. “Children exposed to violence and trauma are also at a higher risk of poor school-related outcomes, including the ability to focus, behave appropriately and learn. They are more likely to enter the criminal justice system later in life, which can contribute to generational cycles of violence and system involvement. This project directly addresses the goal of mitigating these negative impacts of exposure to trauma when it does occur by providing support and on-site trauma focused interventions by school staff and/or mental health providers, if necessary, to children identified by local law enforcement and school personnel.”

Majewski said the Handle with Care program is a notification to the school system by law enforcement when a child is exposed to trauma in the home or in the community. It enables the child’s school to handle the child with care upon his or her arrival at school after the incident. The notification will be via email.

“The notification will contain no specific information about the incident in order to maintain the privacy of the student and their family,” Majewski said. “Upon receipt of a Handle with Care notification identifying a child who has been exposed to trauma, the designated point persons within each school will then disseminate the notification to appropriate teachers, social workers, guidance counselors and any other relevant staff.”

The district will provide students who are exhibiting behaviors that are not consistent with their normal manner a safe person and space where they can receive additional supports, such as postponing a test, accepting a missed assignment or allowing the student to rest if he or she is having a hard time focusing or staying awake, but otherwise not addressing the child about the incident.

“The appropriate D-303 staff can determine the need for ongoing counseling or other interventions if the student is not currently involved with mental health services,” he said.

If necessary, Majewski said the district may contact parents or guardians to obtain appropriate consents for ongoing mental health services for the student.

“There’s a real lack of clarity on what the administration is asking teachers to do when a message is received,” Lackner said in explaining why he voted against approving the memorandum of understanding. “The police are going to share almost no information about the incidents in which these children have been involved, and I feel like that has the opportunity to really stigmatize some children or families without real explanation and I think that could be damaging.”

Lackner also thought it was wrong for the police department to talk to the school district about students without the parent’s consent.

Barker said the Handle with Care program isn’t new.

“This is something that has been going on for quite some time and successfully managed by other districts,” she said.