Chapter 3: Planning for when a student’s family member has died

Introduction

kid on a swing

“We knew that her mom had been ill for a long time but when she did die, I was very worried about how Dina would be socially at school. We had all seen her withdraw into herself over the last few months and we knew this was going to be very hard on her”. – Vice Principal

In the event that one of your students has someone from their family die, you will want to be prepared to communicate with the family, to inform other students and their families and to plan ongoing support for the student, staff and administration.

This chapter will outline several best practices for you to consider when a student experiences the death of a family member.