Additional Resources

Family Materials

Parent Booklet: After a Loved One Dies – English

Guidance for parents and other caring adults on how to support grieving children, available in nine languages.

Family Materials

Parent Booklet: After a Loved One Dies – Spanish

Guidance for parents and other caring adults on how to support grieving children, available in nine languages.

Family Materials

Parent Booklet: After a Loved One Dies – Japanese

Guidance for parents and other caring adults on how to support grieving children, available in nine languages.

Family Materials

Parent Booklet: After a Loved One Dies – Italian

Guidance for parents and other caring adults on how to support grieving children, available in nine languages.

Family Materials

Parent Booklet: After a Loved One Dies – Haitian-Creole

Guidance for parents and other caring adults on how to support grieving children, available in nine languages.

Family Materials

Parent Booklet: After a Loved One Dies – Tagalog

Guidance for parents and other caring adults on how to support grieving children, available in nine languages.

Family Materials

Parent Booklet: After a Loved One Dies – Simplified Chinese

Guidance for parents and other caring adults on how to support grieving children, available in nine languages.

Family Materials

Parent Booklet: After a Loved One Dies – Chinese

Guidance for parents and other caring adults on how to support grieving children, available in nine languages.

Family Materials

Parent Booklet: After a Loved One Dies – Korean

Guidance for parents and other caring adults on how to support grieving children, available in nine languages.

Guides & Policies

Participation of Children and Adolescents in Live Crisis Drills and Exercises

Policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Includes considerations regarding live active shooter drills in schools.

Guides & Policies

Virtual Memorial

These guidelines for school administrators and other teachers review considerations for appropriate standards and practices for hosting virtual memorials online.

Guides & Policies

Talking to Kids about Tragedies (Such as Shootings and Terror Attacks) in the News

This guide offers insight and suggestions for how to handle talking to children in relation to tragic events, such as shootings and terrorist attacks, that they are likely to hear about at school and/or on the news).

Guides & Policies

Grief Support for Children with Intellectual and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities

Guidelines on the how to anticipate and address the distinctive challenges faced by grieving children with intellectual and neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Guides & Policies

Guidelines for Responding to the Death of a Student or School Staff

Guidelines to help school teams respond to the needs of students and staff after a loss has impacted the school community. From the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement.

Guides & Policies

Guidelines for Responding to a Death by Suicide

Guidelines to help school teams respond to the needs of students and staff after a suicide has impacted the school community. From the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement.

Guides & Policies

Guide: School Mental Health Crisis Leadership Lessons: Voices of Experience from Leaders in the Pacific Southwest Region

Developed by the Pacific Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center with input from the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement.

Guides & Policies

Guidelines for Grief Over the Holidays

Teachers and school staff are uniquely poised to observe grief responses over time and can take steps to anticipate challenges. The support and understanding that teachers offer grieving students over the holidays can be especially helpful. From the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement.

Guides & Policies

Guidelines for Student Commemoration

These guidelines outline considerations and recommendations related to the reading of names at graduation ceremonies, awarding posthumous diplomas, and posting of photographs or tributes in school yearbooks of members of the school community who have died. From the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement.

Guides & Policies

Guidelines: Communicating with the Family After a Student Has Died

Guidelines for schools on communicating with family members after a student has died.

Guides & Policies

Booklet: Supporting Our Students

Developed by the Coalition to Support Grieving Students, this booklet offers advice to teachers on how to support grieving students and how classmates can help.

Family Materials

Handout: Supporting Your Child

A handout to accompany the Supporting Our Students booklet and to advise parents and caregivers on supporting children who are grieving.

Family Materials

Handout: Supporting Your Child – Spanish

A handout to accompany the Supporting Our Students booklet and to advise parents and caregivers on supporting children who are grieving.

Additional Modules

Support for Military Line-of-Duty Deaths

Guidance for the support of children and family survivors of military line-of-duty deaths. Developed in collaboration with the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) office, Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC), and Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS).

Additional Modules

Support for Police Line-of-Duty Deaths

Guidance for the support of children and family survivors of police line-of-duty deaths. Developed by the Coalition to Support Grieving Students and Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) organization.

Articles & Other Publications

Supporting the Grieving Child and Family

A September 2016 clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health, and Disaster Preparedness Advisory Council.

Articles & Other Publications

Book: The Grieving Student: A Guide for Schools

Written by David Schonfeld and Marcia Quackenbush, this practical guidebook helps educators serve as a critical lifeline for grieving children of all ages.

Articles & Other Publications

Coping With the Death of a Student or Staff Member

Highlights the impact death can have on a school community and addresses emergency management planning, responding to a loss, and strategies for recovery. From the US Department of Education's ERCMExpress.

Guides & Policies

Back-to-School Considerations

Guidance on supporting students through transitions that may be tough for kids. From the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement.

External Resources

National Bereavement Resource Guide: State by State Bereavement Listing (New York Life and eluna)

A list of each state's bereavement organizations to support bereaved children and their families.

External Resources

Camp Erin

Camp Erin is the largest national bereavement program for youth grieving the death of a significant person in their lives.

Articles & Other Publications

Article: Coping With Loss

Examines the critical roles principals play in establishing a school climate where students and professionals can express emotions related to difficult events. From the NAESP's Principal Magazine.

Articles & Other Publications

Article: School Crisis Response Initiative

Describes an organizational model for school preparedness, effective responses to crises, and the role training plays in supporting children after a crisis. From the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) Bulletin.

Articles & Other Publications

Article: Talking With Children About Death

Advice on how nurses can assist children of all ages in dealing with the deaths of significant others or their own impending death. It also covers the supporter’s needs. From the Journal of Pediatric Healthcare.

Articles & Other Publications

Book: How to Prepare for and Respond to a Crisis

Steps and guidance to prepare your school and school crisis team for any crisis that touches your school.

Guides & Policies

Guidelines: Ambiguous Loss

Guidelines for recognizing and supporting ambiguous loss. From the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement.

Guides & Policies

Guidelines: Ambiguous Loss

Guidelines for recognizing and supporting ambiguous loss. From the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement.

Guides & Policies

Mother's and Father's Day May Be Different During the Pandemic

A mini-article on how to support children who have lost a parent/caregiver.

Guides & Policies

Considerations for Teachers on Halloween

This guideline highlights considerations for teachers during a season in which children and teens, some who may be grieving, encounter themes of death (see also Considerations for Teachers on Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos)

Guides & Policies

Considerations for Teachers on Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos)

This guideline highlights considerations for teachers during a season in which children and teens, some who may be grieving, encounter themes of death (see also Considerations for Teachers on Halloween)

Guides & Policies

Discussions with Fellow Educators About Grief & Losses During Major Public Health Crisis and Other Disasters

Guidance on how educators can provide support to each other related to their own grief.

Guides & Policies

Grief Among Students of Color

Guidance for educators on how to support grieving children of color.

Guides & Policies

Back to School 2023 Grieving Students and Transitions

Guides & Policies

Recognizing Grief Awareness Day in Your School

Guidelines on how educators can demonstrate an awareness of grief experiences and offer support

Guides & Policies

Valentine’s Day and Grieving Students

A guide for educators on how they can help grieving students cope during Valentine’s Day.

Guides & Policies

Father's Day May Not Be Easy for Some Students

Guides & Policies

More than 20 Years After the 9/11 Terrorist Attack

Guidance for educators on how to talk to students about the 9/11 terrorist attacks after the 20-year mark.