Chapter 5: Other considerations after student death

Introduction

basketball

“There were so many other details I had never considered. Jeremy had been on the basketball team and I know the other boys were taking it hard. I wasn’t sure whether to recruit a replacement or finish out the season with only eleven players on the team. It seemed disrespectful to replace Jeremy and probably wouldn’t have been fair to the team at this point”. – Coach

Regardless of how the student has died, there are other factors to take into consideration for your students, the family of the student who died, yourself and the staff.  How should your students approach and convey their condolences to the family and others? How can they pay their respects to the student who has died and their family? Most students (and your fellow staff members) will be wondering about how to approach the situation.

In this chapter you will explore some of these additional considerations and suggestions after the student’s death.