ALAMOSA — It is a Tuesday morning. A student in the Alamosa School District walks into his school, down the hall, and into his classroom, where he takes his seat. He does not want to talk to any of his friends, and when class starts, he has difficulty concentrating.
He is tired and edgy because he did not get much sleep. And when his teacher asks students for their homework, he has nothing to turn in because he did not do it.
His parents had a serious argument the night before, and the police arrived at his house. But his teacher does not know that, and he does not answer when she asks why his homework is not done.
"We know some of our students experience trauma outside of school," says Luis Murillo, assistant superintendent of the Alamosa School District (ASD). "But many times, we don't know anything has happened."
Steps are underway to close that gap and "bridge communication between two institutions — the school district and the police department," as Alamosa City Manager Heather Brooks puts it, with the implementation of a program called "Handle with Care."
According to its website, Handle with Care is "a notification sent from law enforcement to proactively alert a child's school that they have experienced or witnessed some form of trauma."
"All we're going to do is notify the school that the police department was in contact or had interaction with a student or were at the student's house," says Police Chief Ken Anderson with the Alamosa Police Department (APD). "Nothing more specific than that — just letting the school know that we were in contact."
Brooks first became aware of Handle with Care while participating in a conference on expanding the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program. The conference was focused on alternative methods of intervention, including one based on being "trauma informed".
"I really liked the simplicity of the program," she says. "It just requires adding a little bit of structure for the police department to communicate with the school district and doesn't require investing a lot of money or hiring additional staff. It's a way of building a bridge between two important institutions to help youth become more successful and reduce trauma impacts.
Despite its simplicity, Handle with Care is based on the recognition that mental health in youth has been an increasing concern and, as stated on the program's website, "under an increasingly large spotlight over the course of the pandemic. "
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, "70% of public schools reported an increase in the percentage of their students seeking mental health services at school since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and roughly three-quarters (76%) of schools reported an increase in staff voicing concerns about their students exhibiting symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and trauma."
Examples of trauma students witness in their own homes include – as defined by the Center for Disease Control - experiencing violence, abuse, or neglect; witnessing violence in the home or community; having a family member attempt or die by suicide; and growing up in a household with substance use problems, mental health problems or instability due to parental separation or household members being in jail or prison.
The Handle with Care program contends that "too many schools are forced into post-vention for instances of bullying, violence, or suicide in schools. Because of the correlation between traumatic experiences and mental illness in students, it's crucial for schools to have the ability to proactively support students who are at a greater risk of trauma response."
ASD is already acutely aware of the challenges faced by many of its students, as evidenced by the district's emphasis on hiring counselors on-site across the district. According to Murillo, ASD now has twelve counselors on staff – two in K-2, three in 3-5, three in Ortega Middle School, three at Alamosa High School, and one at Alternative Education.
As a result, following "a great meeting" with Brooks, APD Chief Anderson and ASD Assistant Superintendent Luis Murillo were completely on board with the program.
Brooks emphasizes Anderson's point about what the notification will include. "We don't want to start any gossip or anything like that. We'll just notify the school that there was interaction with the police department, so maybe the child will be distracted or didn't get their homework done or didn't get much sleep."
The plan now is to take April to get each agency ready and to implement the program in May.
Murillo says he is looking forward to getting it in place. "I think it's a great program," he says, adding, "I think we might have handled a few situations a little differently in the past if we'd had access to that information."
Brooks says she is pleased with how both agencies have responded to the idea. "It's just a way to allow a little more grace in a situation."
