Dear Parents and Caregivers,
As many of you know, we tragically lost a fourth-grade student. While words are inadequate to express our grief and sorrow, we offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends.
There are many questions and concerns in our community regarding this tragedy. While we do not have additional official details to share at this time, we know there are many rumors and unconfirmed information circulating. One of those rumors is the possibility of suicide. Because this is such a serious topic, it is important for us to share as many resources as possible to support our students, staff, and families. The topic of suicide raises even more difficult and complex questions. We are here to support you and our students. We will continue to provide additional support on campus as we process this loss.
Tomorrow morning in the 3rd- and 4th-grade classrooms, we will have a supported conversation with mental health professionals to address the rumor of suicide.
There will not be directed conversations in the TK-2nd grade classrooms. If your student is in TK-2nd and you would like a mental health provider at school to address the rumor of suicide, please contact our staff.
At Brook Haven, we will not have direct conversations in 5th- through 8th-grade classrooms tomorrow. If you would like a mental health provider at school to address the rumor of suicide, please contact our staff. School-wide, we are planning to expand on the suicide prevention lessons that were presented in the fall to the 7th and 8th graders. In the coming weeks, we will share lessons that will focus on the importance of reaching out for assistance when needed, as well as reporting when hearing concerning information about a friend or classmate.
We will be offering a parent/caregiver support and information session from 3:00-3:45 p.m. tomorrow (Friday, Feb. 21) in Room 11 at Park Side. At the session, we will have mental health providers present to share tips about how to talk about death and suicide with young children, support their grief process, and how our community can begin healing. For those of you unable to make it, we will be happy to connect individually and share information.
Additionally, here are resources that may be helpful for families to review:
Supporting Children After the Loss of a Classmate to Suicide (English/Spanish)
Helping Children Deal with Grief (English/Spanish)
Developmental Responses to Grief
Local Crisis and Resource Numbers
We are deeply committed to continue doing everything in our power to ensure the support and care of all of our students. We know that there are no words that will help to heal the pain of this tragic loss, but we are strident in our commitment to take action to help us heal and strengthen our community.
This support session is just the beginning of our conversation and community healing efforts. We will be facilitating additional conversations and workshops in the coming weeks and months on a variety of critical mental health and well-being topics.
With deep sympathy,
Sara Gramm, Molly Bulwa, Rachel Lasek, & Eric Dick
Sebastopol Union School District Administration