01/21/2019- There’s an increased effort underway in the Marinette School District to identify and protect vulnerable and at-risk students. Handle with Care is an initiative launched in West Virginia that has taken hold locally and involves establishing a line of communication between law enforcement and school staff members to relay information about students who may have been involved in or witnessed potentially traumatic situations. Marinette Police Chief John Mabry says his department had already been participating in this type of communication in a more informal manner, but the Handle with Care program designates a specific point of contact within the school district that will ensure the information gets to all appropriate staff.
Matt Hanson is the Marinette Middle School Associate Principal. He says Handle with Care helps the district take a proactive approach to dealing with students whose behavior and performance may be impacted by what they’re exposed to outside of school.
Information about impacted students also comes from the Probation and Parole office and social services or other local agencies. The Handle with Care program has also recently been put into practice in Janesville, Wisconsin.