1| STATE OF OKLAHOMA | | | 2| 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025) | | | 3|HOUSE BILL 2916 By: Pittman | | | 4| | | | 5| | | | 6| AS INTRODUCED | | | 7| An Act relating to schools; describing the problem of | | unaddressed trauma in children; providing program | 8| purpose; providing for implementation and operation | | of a Handle With Care Oklahoma program; providing for | 9| program coordination between certain public agencies | | and community coalitions; enabling law enforcement to | 10| notify program; listing applicable traumatic events | | for notification; requiring administration of a | 11| hotline, email, or other method to provide | | notification; prescribing information to be included | 12| in notification; prohibiting inclusion of certain | | information; directing notification to designated | 13| representatives; including specified statement in | | notification; authorizing development of local | 14| multi-disciplinary teams; providing for team | | membership; requiring Oklahoma State Department of | 15| Education to provide model protocol and training; | | specifying information to be included in training; | 16| authorizing rule promulgation; providing exception | | for notification that could compromise an ongoing | 17| investigation; requiring program to apply for funding | | sources; directing program to submit annual report to | 18| certain elected officials; providing for | | noncodification; providing for codification; and | 19| providing an effective date. | | | 20| | | | 21| | | | 22|BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: | | | 23| SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law not to be | | | 24|codified in the Oklahoma Statutes reads as follows: | | | Req. No. 11308 Page 1 ___________________________________________________________________________
1| A. The Problem. | | | 2| Research shows that unaddressed trauma can undermine children's | | | 3|ability to learn, form relationships, and function appropriately in | | | 4|the classroom. In the past, calling the Oklahoma Department of | | | 5|Human Services statewide centralized hotline to make a mandated | | | 6|child welfare report was one of the only tools in the first | | | 7|responder's toolbox, but most children and teens do not meet the | | | 8|criteria for a child welfare report. Consequently, many children | | | 9|and teens are never identified, nor do they receive needed services, | | | 10|and they linger in traumatic situations without adequate support. | | | 11|These students have an increased risk for negative outcomes such as | | | 12|poor academic performance, truancy, dropping out of school, and | | | 13|delinquency. | | | 14| B. The Handle With Care Oklahoma Program Purpose. | | | 15| Handle With Care (HWC) Oklahoma is a program designed to enhance | | | 16|existing cross-agency communication and partnership between local | | | 17|law enforcement, community mental health services and supports, and | | | 18|schools regarding children's exposure to traumatic events. The | | | 19|"Handle With Care" approach enables first responders to start | | | 20|building trust and positive connections with children and teens they | | | 21|encounter at a traumatic scene and through an HWC notification, | | | 22|local schools and mental health providers can provide | | | 23|trauma-sensitive support immediately as needed. HWC Oklahoma is | | | 24|aimed at ensuring that children who are exposed to crime, violence, | | | Req. No. 11308 Page 2 ___________________________________________________________________________
1|and abuse receive appropriate interventions so they can succeed in | | | 2|school to the best of their ability. Children must feel safe in | | | 3|order to learn. | | | 4| SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified | | | 5|in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1210.164 of Title 70, unless | | | 6|there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: | | | 7| A. Subject to the availability of funding pursuant to | | | 8|subsection K of this section, the Oklahoma State Department of | | | 9|Education shall implement and operate a Handle With Care (HWC) | | | 10|Oklahoma program. HWC Oklahoma program efforts shall enhance | | | 11|existing partnerships and collaborations with key partners such as, | | | 12|but not limited to, state and local first responder agencies, school | | | 13|districts, community coalitions, the State Department of Education, | | | 14|the Department of Human Services, and the State Department of | | | 15|Health. The HWC Oklahoma program shall enhance planning, training, | | | 16|implementation, and sustainability in all counties in the state. | | | 17|The program shall provide opportunities for local HWC programs to | | | 18|receive support from the state as needed. | | | 19| B. The HWC Oklahoma program shall enable a law enforcement | | | 20|officer or employee of a law enforcement agency to notify the | | | 21|program when a child, who may attend a public school or childcare | | | 22|agency in the state, is exposed to a traumatic event, is at the | | | 23|scene with a first responder, or another event occurs that may | | | 24| | | | Req. No. 11308 Page 3 ___________________________________________________________________________
1|affect his or her ability to succeed at school including, but not | | | 2|limited to: | | | 3| 1. Domestic violence in the presence of the child; | | | 4| 2. Death of a member of the family or household of the child; | | | 5| 3. Arrest of a parent or guardian of the child affecting the | | | 6|welfare of the child; | | | 7| 4. Search warrant is served in the residence of the child; | | | 8| 5. Drug or alcohol overdose of a child's family member; | | | 9| 6. Violence or mass shootings in the neighborhood where the | | | 10|child resides; | | | 11| 7. Forced displacement from the residence; | | | 12| 8. House fire; | | | 13| 9. Child maltreatment; or | | | 14| 10. Child is present at a first responder encounter. | | | 15| C. No later than November 1, 2027, the HWC Oklahoma program | | | 16|shall coordinate with local communities and key partners to | | | 17|administer a telephone hotline, email, or other appropriate method | | | 18|to allow a law enforcement officer or first responder agency to | | | 19|provide the notification described in subsection B of this section. | | | 20| D. Information submitted to the HWC Oklahoma program in the | | | 21|notification shall comply with the Oklahoma State Bureau of | | | 22|Investigation's dissemination laws and Oklahoma Victim's Bill of | | | 23|Rights. It shall only include, to the extent that it is available: | | | 24| 1. The first, middle, and last name of the child; | | | Req. No. 11308 Page 4 ___________________________________________________________________________
1| 2. The grade and school or childcare agency where the child is | | | 2|enrolled; and | | | 3| 3. The date of birth and age of the child. | | | 4| The HWC notification shall not include any details about the | | | 5|traumatic event unless there is an imminent threat to the safety of | | | 6|the child or school safety. | | | 7| E. Upon receiving notification as provided in subsection D of | | | 8|this section, HWC Oklahoma shall determine if the child attends a | | | 9|public school or childcare agency in this state. If the child | | | 10|attends a public school or childcare agency in the state, HWC | | | 11|Oklahoma shall contact the local HWC multi-disciplinary team (MDT) | | | 12|created in subsection F of this section, which shall notify | | | 13|designated representatives where the child attends. The notice | | | 14|shall include that "the child referenced has been exposed to a | | | 15|traumatic event in the last twenty-four (24) hours and could exhibit | | | 16|academic, emotional, and behavioral problems because of exposure to | | | 17|a traumatic event. Please handle the child with care." | | | 18| F. In coordination with HWC Oklahoma and the Oklahoma State | | | 19|Department of Education, each school district board of education, | | | 20|city, town, or municipal governing body, county commission, or other | | | 21|political subdivision may develop a local HWC multi-disciplinary | | | 22|team (MDT) for the political subdivision. The HWC MDT may meet as | | | 23|frequently as needed and determined by the team lead. The team lead | | | 24|for the HWC MDT shall be selected by members of the team and shall | | | Req. No. 11308 Page 5 ___________________________________________________________________________
1|have received trauma-informed training from the State Department of | | | 2|Health, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, or | | | 3|other recognized trauma-informed training provider. The HWC MDT | | | 4|members shall include, but not be limited to: | | | 5| 1. Employees of the local school districts; | | | 6| 2. Community advocates or clergy; | | | 7| 3. Youth services professionals; and | | | 8| 4. Members of local law enforcement. | | | 9| G. 1. The Oklahoma State Department of Education, in | | | 10|coordination with community coalitions and partner state and local | | | 11|first responder agencies, shall provide model protocol and training | | | 12|for the HWC Oklahoma program to first responder agencies and their | | | 13|employees who may respond to a traumatic event involving a child. | | | 14| 2. The Oklahoma State Department of Education, in coordination | | | 15|with community coalitions, shall include model protocol and training | | | 16|for the HWC Oklahoma program in existing efforts which promote | | | 17|universal trauma-informed practices in school settings. | | | 18| H. The training required in subsection G of this section shall | | | 19|include, at a minimum: | | | 20| 1. The criteria for sending an HWC notice; | | | 21| 2. The procedure for notifying the HWC program when a child who | | | 22|may attend a public school or childcare agency is exposed to an | | | 23|event listed in subsection B of this section that may affect his or | | | 24| | | | Req. No. 11308 Page 6 ___________________________________________________________________________
1|her ability to succeed at school and the information to include in | | | 2|the notification; | | | 3| 3. Proper response to a notification received from the program, | | | 4|including, without limitation, the manner in which to respond to a | | | 5|notification through early interventions; and | | | 6| 4. Collaboration with teachers and other members of the staff | | | 7|of a school, students, family members of students, | | | 8|multi-disciplinary teams, other persons, and behavioral, social, and | | | 9|health providers, as appropriate, to reduce the negative impact of | | | 10|the traumatic event on the affected student, appropriate | | | 11|interventions that may be available to assist the student, and the | | | 12|overall well-being of the student. Community coalitions shall be | | | 13|engaged to increase coordination of community services. | | | 14| I. The Oklahoma State Department of Education may promulgate | | | 15|rules to implement the provisions of this section with feedback from | | | 16|local first responder agencies, schools, and community coalitions. | | | 17| J. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require a law | | | 18|enforcement officer or employee of a law enforcement agency to | | | 19|provide notification pursuant to this section if the disclosure of | | | 20|information may compromise an ongoing investigation. | | | 21| K. In addition to any funds appropriated by the Legislature, | | | 22|the HWC Oklahoma program shall apply for federal, state, local, and | | | 23|private funds to support the HWC Oklahoma program. | | | 24| | | | Req. No. 11308 Page 7 ___________________________________________________________________________
1| L. The Oklahoma State Department of Education shall submit an | | | 2|annual report of the HWC Oklahoma program's progress and outcomes, | | | 3|including, but not limited to, the number of sent notices, and | | | 4|impact on students and communities to the Speaker of the Oklahoma | | | 5|House of Representatives, President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma | | | 6|State Senate, and the Governor. | | | 7| SECTION 3. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025. | | | 8| | | | 9| 60-1-11308 CMA 12/28/24 | | | 10| | | | 11| | | | 12| | | | 13| | | | 14| | | | 15| | | | 16| | | | 17| | | | 18| | | | 19| | | | 20| | | | 21| | | | 22| | | | 23| | | | 24| | | | Req. No. 11308 Page 8