I. Bereavement of a Community Member

School Day

It is recommended that major alterations in the school day be avoided (inappropriate to cancel school or dismiss students early). Teachers should continue to conduct regularly scheduled classes but will need to alter the content of lessons (postpone tests, allow discussion of crisis) to be sensitive to student needs. Teachers should be provided with suggestions of how to deal with this issue during the emergency faculty/staff meeting. Students unable to continue with their regularly scheduled school day should be permitted to seek counseling through the Support Rooms. Plans should be made that will allow interested students and faculty/staff to attend funeral or memorial services. In the event of the death of a teacher, it is preferable that the class(es) of the deceased be covered, at least initially, by a teacher known to the students and able to respond to their grief, rather than a substitute unknown to the students.

Support Rooms

The Counseling Services Coordinator should set up Support Rooms adequately staffed by qualified counseling personnel to respond to student needs.

Memorials

In cases of the death of a student, or staff member, a formal response by the school or sub-group (class of the deceased student) that allows the students and staff  to be appropriately informed should be planned at an appropriate time. Memorials may include such activities as planting a tree or establishing a memorial scholarship a few months after the death. The timing of memorials should be carefully considered by the Crisis Team as it should not be too early in the mourning process. Immediate issues may include, for example, how to formally convey the class condolences to family members or simply what to do with the student’s desk.

Suicide

It is important to discourage portraying a suicide as a heroic or glamorous means of coping with adverse circumstances.

Guidelines for faculty/staff meetings convened in response to death of FIS community member:

• Distribute written statement of facts; dispel any rumors or misinformation

• Inform faculty of what actions have been taken up to now, i.e. confirmation of facts, contact with family, notification of key personnel, Crisis Team meeting, funeral arrangements, etc.

• Announce Crisis Team members and roles and contact persons for information and requests for information from media, parents, etc.

• Allow faculty/staff to react, ask questions and express feelings. People should be encouraged to discuss feelings; point out that understanding their own feelings will make it easier for them to deal with student feelings.

• Point out availability of support services for themselves as well as students; review who will be available, when and where (support rooms).

• Review plan to inform students and guidelines for faculty discussion; stress availability of Crisis Team / counseling personnel to assist and support faculty who are uncomfortable leading class discussion.

• Discuss need to monitor possible and known 'at risk' and 'high risk' students more carefully.

• Review plan for school day; announce after-school faculty meetings during crisis period.

• In subsequent faculty meeting:

  • support faculty/staff and encourage discussion of feelings

  • identify any problems that have arisen and problem solve

  • identify 'at risk' and 'high risk' students; develop a plan for monitoring and supporting them

  • brainstorm and assign tasks such as: removal of deceased's belongings, removal of deceased's name from lists, etc.