The Colorado General Assembly is considering Senate Bill 25-064, which aims to enhance support for students who have experienced traumatic events. Key provisions of the bill include:
Handle-With-Care Notices: Requires the Safe2Tell program to send a "handle-with-care" notice to a student's school when a peace officer reports the student's involvement in an adverse childhood experience.
Peace Officer Reporting: Mandates that peace officers responding to incidents involving traumatic events report the child's name and age to Safe2Tell.
School Protocols: Instructs schools to share the handle-with-care notice only with staff members who need to be informed, without requiring any specific action beyond notification.
This legislation seeks to foster a supportive educational environment by ensuring that school personnel are aware of students' exposure to trauma, enabling them to provide appropriate care and understanding.
Summary
The bill requires the safe2tell program (safe2tell) to provide a
handle-with-care notice to a school when a student has had an adverse childhood experience. A peace officer who responds to an incident that is an adverse childhood experience shall report to safe2tell the name and age of the child involved in the incident. Upon receipt of a report, safe2tell shall send a handle-with-care notice to the child's school that includes only the child's name and the phrase handle with care. A school shall only share the notice with school staff who need to know about the notice. Other than notifying school staff, a school is not required to take any action with respect to the notice.
