Westmoreland DA hopes to expand trauma intervention program in schools

A pilot program launched last year in response to the murder of an 9-year-old New Kensington boy has helped as many as 45 school-age children deal with ongoing trauma, according to the Westmoreland County district attorney.

Nicole Ziccarelli wants to expand the program, which provides aid and comfort to children in need.

“We are committed to being a trauma-assumed district attorney’s office. I think it’s important to not only prosecute crimes, but try to prevent them as well,” Ziccarelli said Wednesday.

The Handle With Care Program identifies children in need — via police involvement at the home, or through teachers and school officials — and links them with services such as food, clothing, health care and mental health treatment.

The program has been in place since 2021 at the neighboring Highlands School District and last fall was expanded to include similar services in the New Kensington-Arnold School District.

New Kensington-Arnold Superintendent Chris Sefcheck said the program has benefited children in the district.

“Kids need to come prepared to feel safe, and things that happen at home are always barriers to that,” Sefcheck said

For example, he said, a student falling asleep in class typically resulted in disciplinary action, but now meaningful assistance is an alternative.

“There has to be a reason those things are happening,” Sefcheck said. “They are symptoms of a much broader problem kids face coming to school now. How it worked for us is it is helping identify through different channels … and giving the school a head’s up.”

The program is funded through a $250,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation to operate in Allegheny County.

Ziccarelli said she reached out to the Highlands Family Treatment Center, which coordinates the program across the river in the Tarentum area, to include New Kensington following the murder last year of 9-year-old Azuree Charles, who prosecutors said was killed by his father.

She said substantial impact and lingering trauma in the community since Azuree’s death led her to push for the program in New Kensington and Arnold.

Those police departments referred 22 students to the program during its first month of operation in October, said Lori Vollman of the Highlands Family Center.

Organizations assisted after a recent house fire in New Kensington impacted a student.

“We collaborated with the school and we were able to get them the tangible items they needed in order to continue living,” said Rayne Plance, an official with the Highlands Family Center.

The program’s success has Ziccarelli pushing to have similar models throughout Westmoreland County.

“In the future, we hope to work with the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit, and we are in conversations with them and have been working with them to expand it countywide,” Ziccarelli said.