Education Is A Life Goal: Death In The School

Death in the school system, although a really depressing topic, is one that needs to be touched on. A majority of education programs require a multitude of psychology courses to deal with the way emotions in an adolescent work. However, I don't feel there is enough planning on how to handle death in the school-place. Whether it be death of a teacher or student it is something that many schools have to and sometimes panic dealing with. A friend of mine passed away in high school and the school seemed to panic. There was chaos everywhere and it seemed a plan was not put in place. This is what made me interested in the topic for this particular blog.

Should schools plan for what to do in the event of death of a student/teacher?

The National School Safety and Security Services report that there have been 279 school related deaths from 2000 to 2009. They are broken down like this...

School-Associated Violent Death Summary Data

School Year	Total Deaths
2009-2010 (8/1/09 to present)	6
2008-2009	13
2007-2008	16
2006-2007	32
2005-2006	27
2004-2005	39
2003-2004	49
2002-2003	16
2001-2002	17
2000-2001	31
1999-2000	33
*Total:*	279

The top 2 reasons for these deaths are school shootings and suicide. The NASP set up a great plan for schools, but many don't have plans at all. It is set up in separate sections including:

Notfication: Get the facts while being involved with the school. No matter students or adults.

Get Help: Use all those around you to assist you in any way possible to contain the situation

Establish a Call List: A list of who to contact in which order including school psychologists and administration. Followed by notifying the teachers with a hand delivered memo stating the facts of the incident to make sure all are well informed.

Isolate those close to the student/teacher: Have those close to the victim brought to the office to be told in person rather than via announcement.

Announcement: Announce the tragedy via the intercom system but choose words and tone carefully.

Contact the Parents: Have the parents know the facts and let them know how to approach the child. Give them ideas of how to handle the situation to take some of the weight off of their shoulders. Avoid unnecessary facts.

Roles should be distributed. It is the job of the principal to be available to assist all involved in handling the situation. It is his job to make sure that appropriate measures are taken and to contact the family of the deceased. Guidance counselors should be there for support for students and teachers should give ACCURATE information, but not release any unneeded details.

These seem to be GREAT ideas, but the issue I have most is the suggestions given by the American Association of Suicidology (AAS). They seem to have some really bad choices within their ideas and I don't agree with a few of their statements.

According to the AAS only 22 percent of school psychologists believe they were prepared enough through graduate training to deal with a student with suicide tendencies.

They also state

Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for youth ages 10-24
One in 11 high school students made a suicide attempt in the past 12 months
86% of school psychologists surveyed reported that they had counseled a student who had threatened or attempted suicide
62% of school psychologists surveyed reported that they have had a student make a nonfatal suicide attempt at school

Although these facts are informative, their recommendations for how to deal with suicide in schools upset me. These are their tips

Don't dismiss school or encourage funeral attendance during school hours
Don't dedicate a memorial to the deceased
Don't have a large school assembly
Do give the facts to the students
Do emphasize prevention and everyone's role
Do provide individual and group counseling
Do emphasize that no one is to blame for the suicide
Do emphasize that help is available and that there are alternatives to suicide
Do contact the family of the deceased

I disagree that students shouldn't be encouraged to attend the funeral. I think in order for a student to honestly come to terms with tragedy, they should be encouraged to do what they feel necessary to recover and understand and support their classmates. I also disagree that a memorial shouldn't be dedicated. If a student made an impact to the school and students; that student should be remembered within the school for students to feel comfort in. Just because a student commits suicide means their any less then a student who dies a different way.