Special Education

Announcement to the Student Body

The manner in which a critical incident is announced to the students can have a major impact on the emotional responses of the whole school community. Before making the announcement of a traumatic event, such as an accident or sudden death, which is not already widely known in the school or community, the principal should consider some important issues:

Ensuring that the families' right to privacy is respected.
Making the announcement simultaneously so that all students in the building will hear about it at the same time.
Reducing potential for creating a highly charged emotional climate by informing students in their regular classroom setting.
Carefully wording the content of the announcement and providing written copies to teachers to use in their classrooms. Sample announcements are provided on page 29 of this resource guide.
Gauging the reactions of the student body to hearing of the tragedy.

It is important to inform students as soon as possible. Delaying a formal announcement may make the situation worse, as rumor can add another dimension to the existing problem. Students may feel that a delay communicates lack of concern or sensitivity by the school staff. It is important to communicate that the staff cares about the people affected by the critical incident and to model appropriate concern.

Making the announcement

Use a straight forward sympathetic announcement of a loss with a simple statement of condolence. In the case of suicide, respect the wishes of the family. Use some discretion regarding any details of the critical incident. Be as truthful as possible when responding to the questions of students, but keep in mind that early information available about a traumatic event may not be accurate.
Use a classroom setting to announce a critical incident. Do not use the public address system or an assembly to inform students or staff of a critical incident. Some schools opt to use an assembly as a means to announce a critical incidents. Many districts and schools have warned against this method of announcing a critical incident for various reasons. It is harder to control students in a large group, it is not possible to gauge individual students reactions, and it is difficult to meet the needs of students in such a large group. Holding an assembly may seem to glorify events which should not be glorified, such as a suicide.
After the announcement in the classroom, allow sufficient time for students to begin to discuss their feelings in their classrooms. Assure students that they will be kept informed as information is available.

Sample announcements

Announcements of tragedy are like any other form of personal communication; they should be simple, straightforward, and unique. These examples can only give you a general idea. They are not intended to be "fill-in-the-blank" forms. Staff who know the student or students involved and the school community can give the personal touch that is needed at such a time.

After the actual announcement, students should be assured that they will have a chance to talk about the critical incident.

After a suspected suicide....

A tragedy has happened. Sal Williams, a Grade 8 student has died suddenly. Details of Sal's premature death will not be released to protect the privacy of family members. You will be given information about funeral arrangements as soon as possible.

This kind of tragic news is hard to accept. You may experience many feelings within the next few days. Everyone deals with loss differently. It is important to respect the way others grieve. Counsellors are available in room 215. Feel free to go and talk to the counsellors. They want to listen to your feelings and concerns.

After a known fatality....

We are taking this time to think about Anne Rogier, a Grade 4 student at Oakville School who died last night in a car accident. Anne was travelling with her family on Route 17. We do not know any details about the accident at this time except that the rest of the family is safe and no one is injured seriously.

Anne's funeral is being held at Peaceful Rest Funeral Home on Thursday afternoon. A funeral is a special time to remember a person who has died. The school will let your families know about the specific time and address of the funeral home in a written note which will be sent home tomorrow.

Let's take a moment of silence to think of Anne, to remember all the good things about her, and to say goodbye. In our silence we will send her our loving thoughts.

After a fire in a feeder school...

Last night a very frightening thing happened in our community. Elm Street Elementary School was destroyed by fire. Many of you attended Elm Street School when you were younger and some of you may have brothers and sisters who attend there now.

Luckily, no one was hurt in the fire. But schools mean more to people than just a building. We all have feelings about a school that go beyond the actual walls and roof many hours of your childhood were spent there. You will have lots of memories connected with the building and you should not be surprised if you feel sad or angry about this happening. Your brothers and sisters who attended Elm Street may be quite upset about the changes that this will mean for them, and they may experience fears because the school was a haven of safety for them.

The police and fire departments have informed us that they do not yet know how the fire started, but we will let you know any facts that are communicated to us as soon as possible.

Suggested class discussion format

chool is a place where learning takes place, where it is safe to ask questions and obtain factual information. Adults frequently attempt to insulate children from the realities of death or other tragic event. But children have the capacity to cope with stronger feelings of loss than many of us realize. If children sense that parents and teachers are hiding something, their suspicions can lead to fears and fantasies that are more problematic for them than the truth. A teacher's expression of sorrow in class conveys to students that strong emotions are natural and that mourning does not have to be hidden away. In addition, when students are allowed to grieve in a supervised setting they can have the comfort and reassurance they need which will serve them well when they must deal with subsequent trauma related situations. When people are able side9.gif (9028 bytes) to share their feelings and experiences when confronted with tragedy, they feel less helpless and alone.

Advice for teachers

The following general principals can be helpful when working with students of all ages:

It is important to acknowledge the reality of the critical incident and your willingness to talk about it.
Be simple and straightforward. Discuss death or other tragedy in terms the student can easily understand.
Give the facts regarding the critical incident in a concrete, clear and accurate manner. If the information to be communicated is contained in a written record, it can only be shared within the limits of FOIPPA, see page 42. There is no one rule to describe when such information can be shared. Each situation will need to be analysed by the School Team. This topic is explored in the sample School Team meeting agenda on page 50.
Express your own feelings in an open, calm way which encourages students to express their grief or fear. Some students choose not to talk; the discussion of the event strikes them as a source of more pain or fear and some have a hard time verbalizing their feelings. These students should not be pressured to talk.
Be sensitive to possible cultural differences in methods of grieving.
Project confidence and calmness. Be encouraging and reassuring.
Listen, acknowledge the loss or fear and have a non-judgemental attitude.
Be patient. Many times because of their need for reassurance, young children will repeat the same questions. Older children may repeatedly tell about the relationship and reconstruct the loss. Repetitions of this sort are part of the normal grieving process.
Be prepared for any student(s) who may feel the need to discuss unpleasant features of the relationship. Anger directed toward the deceased person is one of many normal responses to loss. Students
who may have had recent conflict with the deceased may be particularly affected.
Assess the meaning of the loss for each child. Pay close attention to those children who have experienced other recent deaths or losses, or, to those who have emotional problems.
Expect regressive behaviours such as fear of being left alone. Expect physical complaints such as stomachaches and headaches.
Be aware that both children and adults find it natural to show their empathy during grieving through physical contact such as hugging or touching on the arm.
Avoid imposing your own theology or/and personal beliefs.
Assess which students are in need of additional support and refer then to the designated counselling centre for individual assessment and counselling. Have someone accompany them there.

The class discussion

There is no right way to talk about death or other tragedy. The following statements are only examples to guide your class discussion of the critical incident. This sample script can be changed to better fit the situation or the students' needs. Classroom discussions will vary in length depending upon whether the critical incident occurred at school where students may have witnessed some aspect of the event, the age of the students, and their emotional involvement with the injured or deceased. Some discussions may be as brief as a few minutes, while others will continue for an entire class period.

Beginning script

"Something very sad has happened. Laurie Evans, a Grade 7 student, has died in a car accident. This kind of sad news is hard to accept. You will probably have many feelings in the next while. You could be sad, angry, confused, depressed, afraid, or have no feelings at all for some time. When I've felt like this, it has helped me to talk to someone. Sharing my feelings made it easier, although not less painful, to deal with the tragedy. If you'd like to talk about the situation, I'd be glad to take time to do that. I'll try to answer any questions as well as I can.
Encourage children to share their own memories related to the critical incident. "What are some of the things you want to remember about Westlake School?"

Responding

Acknowledge that a wide variety of feelings are normal. There is no one right way to react to a tragedy. Feelings will vary from student to student and will change over time. Some possible responses include:

"Some of you feel angry that Laurie died. What can you do with your angry feelings?"

"It's okay that some of you are very scared or angry as a result of hearing about this fire at the elementary school and some only a little sad or scared."

"Because Laurie died, you may be reminded of others that you cared for who have died."

"It's okay to forget Laurie sometimes when you work and play."

"It's okay to cry - it's all right."

Acknowledge that you don't possess all the answers. Often there is more comfort from an honest, "I don't know why," than from an attempt at explanations that don't sound credible.
Acknowledge the various cultural or religious beliefs that may be expressed.

Concluding

Focus on the strengths and supports the students have to get the help they need:

the support that comes from sharing feelings of grief or fear with others,

the student's support network, such as family, significant adults, teachers, counsellors. Have each student think of someone he/she can go to for support, and

the student's individual strengths which provide self-support.

Talk about the natural healing process. "Over time the pain of missing Laurie won't hurt so much. That's the way it should be. It doesn't mean that you loved Laurie any less."
"Class is almost over, and it seems there's more to talk about. Perhaps we can set aside some time tomorrow."
Give information about the designated counselling centre. "Designated counselling areas where you can go to talk about your feelings are available. The designated counselling centre will be located in the nurse's office for the next three days. You can use the designated counselling centre whenever you like. The people in the centre want to help you. They will listen to your feelings and concerns. They want to try to help you."
It is helpful to channel the feelings of the class into appropriate expressions of concern. It may provide comfort for students to feel they have participated in some overt act to express their feelings and reach out to grieving families affected by the critical incident. Teachers will need to use their own judgement to guide the appropriateness of student activities, and they may need to be cleared with the school principal or counsellor. Some possible actions include the following:

Statements to avoid

Avoid euphemisms for death such as "passed away," "gone," or "sleep" which may confuse or frighten the child.

Avoid the general statement, "If you need anything, tell me...." It is better to say "Would it help if I...?" Students may find it difficult to verbalize their own needs and will require assistance to find a way to describe the support they want.
Avoid saying "I know just how you feel." It is more empathetic to say "You must be having a lot of feelings right now..."
Avoid blaming or judging.

The class discussion in the event of a suicide

Most students over eight years of age are old enough to understand the suicidal act. Children and teens often have romantic fantasies about death which must not be encouraged. Helping adults should be truthful, but not dwell on the details of how the student took his or her own life.

This type of sudden loss may bring with it a heavy overlay of guilt, shame, self-doubt and self-blame as well as feelings of anger, betrayal and rejection. Teachers should be prepared to encounter and validate these expressions. Bereavement and mourning can be more intense and extreme in the case of a suicide. School counsellors, who have been trained in suicide prevention, should have a key role in providing support to staff and students.

If the family has agreed that the death was a suicide, it is appropriate to use that term. If not, the class discussions will need to be conducted as for a sudden death.

Possible script following a suicide

"A very sad thing happened today. Terry Stone, a Grade 9 student has committed suicide. Details of the death will not be released to protect the privacy of his family. This kind of news is hard to accept. You will probably experience many feelings within the next while. You may feel sad, angry, confused, numb, depressed or even guilty. This was Terry's choice and it is important to remember that he is responsible for making the decision to kill himself."
"You are not responsible."
"This kind of death does not need to happen. Studies suggest that at the moment of suicide, individuals think death is the only way out. Although it may not seem possible, feelings and circumstances can change. Many people when they feel unhappy or unloved think about hurting themselves. But there are many better options. There are people who can help." Students can be reminded about the counselling centres currently operating in the school, as well as the ongoing support that is available through the school counsellor or community mental health services.
"Some people who commit suicide believe that people will care more about them after they are dead, than when they were alive. This is not the case."
At the end of the discussion, help students understand the importance of talking to someone when they feel despondent. Elicit suggestions from the class as to whom they would talk to, and ask each individual student to privately think of those people to whom they would turn.
Students should be reminded to anticipate rumours and misinformation and that they should not automatically believe anything they hear.
For younger children and pre-adolescents, it is important to confirm the fact that any death, including suicide, is final and irreversible.

Communication with individual students

Certain students may require individual attention. Students who are considered high risk need to be identified and offered help at the time of the incident. It may also be necessary to provide these individuals with on an ongoing basis. Check in with students who would be considered to be high-risk on a regular basis, particularly at high-risk times. High risk times include anniversaries of a previous death; birthdays, holidays, expected graduation date, etc. of the deceased student and the high risk student's own birthday.

The following descriptors are helpful in identifying a high risk individual:

Participated in any way with a suicide or accident.
Knew of suicide attempt or potential attempt and did not try to stop it.
Feels guilty about things they said or did to the deceased prior to the death.
Had recently punished or threatened to punish the deceased for some misdeed; did not take a suicide threat seriously, or had been too busy to talk to a victim who asked for help.
Were relatives, best friends, self-appointed therapists or those mentioned in a suicidal note.
Identifies with the victim's situation, has a history of suicidal threats or attempts, or is desperate and now considers suicide a viable alternative.

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