Teacher's Role
Teachers play a vital role in helping students deal with their feelings regarding the death of a
fellow student, a parent, or any significant person in the student's life.
Teachers should review information in the Appendix of this manual as soon as they are
notified of a death. It is important for teachers to determine if they can teach their class
this particular day or will need help to "cover" their class(es) so they have individual time
to console distraught students, visit parents with the building principal, etc. Sometimes
teachers are also extremely distraught over the death. In these instances, the teacher should
request assistance to cover their classes. It is okay for teachers to grieve and seek help
with their assigned duties.
Step One: Attend all-staff mandatory meetings and review any available written
information. (See Appendix.)Step Two: Allow the expressions of grief. Acknowledge and encourage students to
express their feelings of loss, anger, sadness, etc.
Note: People have different reactions to grief. One way for the teacher to
encourage the students' expression of grief is to acknowledge your own
feelings immediately following the announcement of the student's death.
If you are uncomfortable discussing grief or handling this situation in your
classroom today, please ask for assistance from the Crisis Management
Team Leader.Step Three: Death by^ Natural Causes, Accident, etc.^
If the death was a sudden one following an accident or one following a
long-term illness, it might be important to have the students discuss their
fears and to talk a bit about funerals. This may be a time when students
ask questions. Questions need to be answered honestly but tactfully and
simply. The major focus should be on assisting students in expressing
their feelings and reactions. (Students will respond differently based upon
their past experience with death, coping skills, and age. Please see
Appendix.)