A program created to help Philadelphia school students impacted by traumatic experiences received a district-wide boost last month.
The initiative, dubbed Handle With Care, was tested last year at 15 schools in the city’s 22nd Police District, one of Philadelphia’s most violent crime areas, according to an Action News 6abc report.
Alerts allow members of the Philadelphia Police Department to inform schools when a child may have been exposed to a crime scene, domestic violence incident, or other traumatic event.
School staff are notified that a student may need support, but the incident details are not revealed, according to 6abc.
School leaders who participated in the pilot program said the approach reduces bias by keeping incident specifics private while enabling a timely, proactive response.
“At times we can be more reactive, but with Handle With Care, it’s more proactive,” said Dr. Shauneille Taylor, principal of Edward Gideon School. The school was one of several schools that took part in the pilot program.
District officials reported that the School District of Philadelphia received 272 Handle With Care referrals from the Philadelphia Police Department last year, according to 6abc.
Of that number, 73 referrals involved students at the 15 pilot schools.
To prepare for citywide rollout, approximately 3,000 police officers and 15,000 school staff were trained to implement Handle With Care effectively.
As the program expands across the district, counselors and teachers will follow up on students and monitor possible signs of distress, including missed assignments, acting out in class, or sudden behavior changes.
Approximately 67,000 children in Philadelphia experience a mental, emotional, or behavioral health disorder. Still, less than half receive proper treatment, according to a November 2025 study from Children First Philadelphia. Almost half of the city’s children and teens reported feeling depressed or sad most days, according to the report.
“We know what happens outside of school can affect a student’s ability to learn, focus, and engage in the classroom,” School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Tony Watlington said in a statement shared with the PhillyVoice. “Expanding this successful initiative to schools across Philadelphia will help us respond to students’ needs, minimize barriers to learning, and ensure every student has the support they need to reach their full potential.”
According to a Chalkbeat Philadelphia report, Handle With Care first launched with $1 million in federal funds. A $200,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency will sustain the effort by funding a dedicated coordinator to oversee district-wide Handle With Care activities.