Teacher's 'Handle With Care' Strategy for Students Needing Extra Support Goes Viral

Parent/teacher communication is integral to kids' success. Now, a fourth grade teacher from Hutchinson, Kansas, has come up with a super simple way both parties can make life easier for students—and teachers are loving and sharing it all over social media.

In a note that educator Rachel Harder sent out to the parents of her students, she explains she wants to provide families who are having any difficulty at home with "additional supports at school." She emphasizes that she knows they're not always able to provide the details, and "that's okay." But sending an email with the subject line, "Handle with care" will alert her to the fact that a student might need "extra time, patience, and help during the day."

Harder told Fox News she was inspired to come up with the policy after learning that police stations across the country have been partnering with schools to let counselors or administrators know to "handle a student with care" if their family had an encounter with law enforcement in the evening or on a weekend.

"We loved this idea and figured there had to be a way to make this work within our own classroom community," she explained.

Teachers are jumping on board and sharing similar notes they've sent out to their classroom parents.

The bottom line for Harder, according to Fox: "We know that kids need time and space and love just by the way they walk in the room. But, a heads-up from parents is wonderful if we can get that."

This simple, heartwarming strategy is sure to be appreciated by families as well.