Jefferson County schools begin ‘Handle With Care’ program

FAIRFIELD – Schools in Jefferson County have begun participating in a new program called “Handle With Care,” which alerts educators to students who are going through a tough time.

Fairfield Community School District Support Specialist Agustín Griffin Harless is the primary point of contact for the program’s Jefferson County chapter, which covers Fairfield schools, Maharishi School, Pekin and Singing Cedars. The purpose of the program is to inform teachers and administrators about students dealing with challenges in their personal life, so they will know to be extra patient with the student.

“If your family is going through a tough time, you don't need to divulge the details of the situation,” stated a flyer from the program, which directs friends and acquaintances of the student to fill out an online form, or call or email Harless. “By doing so, you enable a student’s school to provide them with an extra dose of attention, love, and care during their time at school. Our priority is to create a safe and nurturing environment where every student feels supported and cared for.”

All “Handle With Care” notifications go to Harless. If the student is in the Fairfield school district, Harless will notify that student’s teachers, counselors and principal. If the student attends one of the other schools in the county, Harless will notify the designated point of contact at that school, and they are Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputy Angie Pohren at Pekin, Emmy Augé at Maharishi School, and Jill Weber at Singing Cedars School.

“Nothing is shared beyond the student's name and a simple ‘handle with care’ notification, ensuring that the student receives the additional care they may need,” Harless said. “We appreciate your collaboration with us in supporting our students. It takes a village, and we are it.”

Harless said Handle With Care has already been adopted by most of counties bordering Jefferson County, and he got the idea to start a local chapter after speaking with Megan Logan, who got it started in Wapello County. Harless said both his personal and professional experiences have shown him the need for a program like Handle With Care.

Harless works for Four Oaks, the largest child welfare organization in the state, and is contracted to provide services to the Fairfield school district. Harless serves families that are struggling in the district by providing resources and referrals to existing community programs. Also, Four Oaks provides professional development for the district’s staff, and is a resource for teachers and administrators, such as addressing classroom behavior.

Harless and his boss met with Washington Elementary School Principal Tina Townsend during a day when they were doing classroom observations. They were talking about a student who was tearing things off the walls, and Townsend mentioned that the student’s parent was recently incarcerated.

“And we were like, ‘That certainly explains why they’re having a hard time,’” Harless said.

Harless said that led the three of them to talk about other students going through the same thing.

“Tina went through the list of kids in her head, and over 50 percent of those having a hard time in school had parents who had been incarcerated or who had interactions with law enforcement,” Harless said. “When we realized a surprising number of children have incarcerated parents in our schools, that’s when it went ‘Ding ding,’ and we talked about this program called Handle With Care.”

Harless said he understands that teachers are trying to be as understanding as they can with all students, and that the Handle With Care program simply seeks to alert them to students who need a little extra patience.

It’s not just his work with the school district that prompted Harless to take an interest in this program. He could have used a program like this when he was a teenager, because he lost his dad suddenly at the age of 14.

“I didn’t know what to do, so I just went to school the next day because I wanted normalcy,” Harless said.

Though Harless wanted it to be a normal day, others could tell he was behaving differently.

“I was sitting in my first period English teacher’s class, and apparently I had a look on my face,” Harless recounted. “My teacher said, ‘What’s wrong with you? Did your dog die?’ And I said, ‘Try my dad.’”

Harless’s teacher panicked and took him out of the classroom. She asked him, “Why are you even at school today?”

Harless said that, when he heard about the Handle With Care initiative, he thought back to that day at school.

“It wouldn’t have hurt if my teachers and counselors would have known about what happened in my family,” Harless said.

Those interested in submitting a Handle With Care notice can call or text 641-631-6370, or send an email to JCHandleWithCare@gmail.com.

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com

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