Monday afternoon a 4-year old student at Aberdeen Pubic School collapsed and died during recess. The cause of death is still yet to be released, but the Thames Valley District School Board is focused on helping students cope with the loss.
Credit-tvdsb.ca
“We’ve provided activities that help students honor the person they’ve lost, with cards and drawings and expressions of sympathy. We talk to them about how they can remember that person and how they can share those stories. But it’s also okay to let students know that it’s okay to be sad. We’re going to have times where grief hits us in different ways and it’s also okay for them to see adults sad and dealing with a loss as
well.”
– Sheila Powell, TVDSB-Superintendent of Student Achievement
Powell also adds that family is important during difficult times like these.
“We definitely need family support at home. Having those conversations, keeping with their own family beliefs and how they want that communicated with their children as well.”
Considering how young the student was, many others may be experiencing their first loss and going through the grieving process for the first time.
TERT is TVDSB’s Traumatic Events Response Team, who has also been involved providing services and supports for students after incidents such as as loss of a student. The team has checked in with students and staff upon request of the principal. The board and team’s next step is to continue to monitor students, classmates and faculty.
The team will also provide support workers, counselors and psychologists if and when they become necessary. The cause of death is still yet to be released.
