The Coalition to Support Grieving Students appreciates the important role that schools can play in supporting grieving students. This topic has rarely been part of professional training of school personnel or included as a component of continuing education offerings. This website was created to fill this gap. It provides training resources specially designed for school professionals, including brief video modules on a range of topics. Each video module is accompanied by a handout that summarizes the key points covered in the video. There are also some additional materials, as well as links to other websites, that can be found in the Additional Resources section.
If you have a child who has experienced a loss, please consider letting your school know about the resources on this site, so school staff can become better prepared to assist your child and your family. You may also wish to visit www.achildingrief.com for resources for your family. You can order a print copy or download a PDF copy (in English or Spanish) of a parent booklet—After a Loved One Dies—How Children Grieve: And how parents and other adults can support them—that is made available at no cost by the New York Life Foundation. Click here to download and/or order these free materials.
Even if you haven’t recently experienced a personal loss in your family, or if you are an interested member of the community or an elected official, we hope that you will let your school and school district know about the resources on this site. Encourage them to incorporate this information in their bereavement policies and procedures, staff training plans, and community education initiatives, so that they can be better prepared to meet the needs of grieving students and their families.