Issue #1: Opening or closing schools after a traumatic event
• Policy options should be considered and outlined in advance. • Considerations:• How long should the school be closed?
• How can parents/guardians weigh in on decisions about school closures? • Who has the ultimate decision-making power regarding school closure? • How will the community be notified?
• Ultimate question—Will the children be better off in school, or out of school?
Issue #2: Memorials after a student or staff death
• Policies should be considered and outlined in advance. • Considerations:• Memorials can be controversial.
• Questions may arise about how/if policies should vary depending on the type of death. • Memorials in schools should not add to the suicide “contagion effect.”
• A date for removing memorial items.
• How memorials might reinforce ongoing prevention programming (i.e., scholarship funds).
Managing Memorials and Funeral Services
School memorials or memory activities serve an important function in the grief process for students and staff. A memorial promotes the healing process by providing an opportunity for students to join together and participate in a ritual. The memorial may take many forms, from a simple tree planting to a more traditional "service." In addition, a school memorial brings closure to a period of grieving and serves as a clear statement that it is time to move on with regular school activities. Memorials should be planned carefully considering the following guidelines:
Memorial Services
Keep the memorial short. Fifteen to twenty minutes for elementary students; thirty to forty minutes for secondary.
Involve students in the planning of the memorial, particularly those who were close to the deceased. Don't concede responsibility and control for developing the service to outside interests,
particularly political positions or elected leaders who are not familiar with the families and the school community. It is appropriate and valuable to have elected leaders participate in services, but their offices should not dictate speakers and/or program details.
Include music, particularly student performances. Also, play soothing music as people enter to set the mood and maintain calm.
Preview the service with students beforehand. This is not a normal assembly, so prepare students as to what will happen and how they should behave. Remove anyone from the service who is acting inappropriately.
Have several brief speakers. If students have written poems or other tributes, students themselves or staff can read samples. Readings should be practiced several times.
Critical Incidents and Emergencies
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Involve all students as much as possible. To the extent that is appropriate for their age, have each class make a poster or banner that they will bring to the memorial and hang on the wall.
Use symbols of life and hope. Balloons or candles can be used effectively to promote positive, uplifting messages that acknowledge the sadness yet are hopeful for the future. (Check fire codes before using candles indoors).
Give students guidance on words and/or actions that provide comfort and how to approach a grieving friend or parent.
Provide quiet activity for students who do not attend or dismiss them.
Have students return to their classrooms for a short time after the service. This allows them the opportunity to talk with one another and/or talk with a counselor. "Safe rooms" work well for students who are experiencing more significant signs of grief.
Plan the memorial to occur within a week of the death if possible.
Media Coverage of Memorial Services and Special Events
In order to allow students, staff, and parents privacy in their grief and the opportunity to focus on the service without fear of media intrusion, parameters for coverage should be set. Strategies that should be considered are as follows:
Arrange pool coverage - This allows select media outlets (usually one from each medium - TV, radio, and print) to cover the service from a designated location. Such locations are selected to provide maximum privacy and typically are at the back of the room and away from entrances and exits. Identify members of the media at events - Communications staff should pre-approve and credential all media staff allowed to enter the service. The credential should include a press ribbon or colored badge. Once positioned in the cordoned area, media may not leave the location until approved by the communications staff.
Set guidelines for coverage - Set clear guidelines on the taking of photographs, if allowed at all. In addition, media should not be allowed to approach any attendee for an interview.
Issue #3: How to handle key dates
• Policies should be considered and outlined in advance. • Considerations:
• Be cognizant of anniversary dates but do not dramatize them.
• Watch for reactions around holidays, anniversaries, and/or trial dates. • Prepare a constructive message for anniversaries.
• Make sure educators watch for risk behaviors.
Anniversaries and Other Dates
Anniversaries and important benchmark dates (first day back to school, first day of a new school year, graduation, first-year anniversary, and trial dates) should not be ignored but they should also not be given exaggerated attention. Be especially aware of how similar events in other locations may trigger renewed
feelings or latent reactions to the tragedy. Anniversary dates, media coverage, the filing of lawsuits, or similar events in other places can "retraumatize" a community, contributing to feelings of depression and inadequacy.
On anniversaries it is important to establish clear parameters for media coverage. Allow no pictures of grieving students; if necessary, rope off and identify one area for conducting voluntary interviews. Increase security inside and outside the building and consider asking parents to act as volunteer escorts for students and staff if there is a large media presence. The focus is on increasing comfort and security and preserving the school routine. Have a fast, responsive referral system in place for those who need counseling and make passes readily available to students. Commemorative activities which some
communities have conducted have included unveiling a memorial garden and having a moment of silence throughout the school.