5000 Students

5500 Student Welfare

5560 Student Health

5562 Student Tragedy Procedures

It is recommended that at the beginning of each school year some faculty inservice time be provided for education on procedures to follow in case of a student tragedy. In addition, part of that time should include a presentation on helping skills or what to do in the classroom following a tragic incident. A school district professional would provide such an inservice.

Each building will do their own orientation on this subject. It will be the responsibility of each building principal to ensure that time is allotted for this important subject to be presented and discussed.

A school district appointed crisis team will be established in the fall prior to the beginning of school. This team will be appointed by the superintendent. The team will be made available and respond to the needs of the schools(s). Services will include counseling for friends, relatives and peers of the victim. Each school will be notified as to the names of those participating on the crisis team.

Following a tragedy as identified by the principal, the district crisis team and the principal will meet to determine appropriate procedures to be taken. The following procedures as a minimum should be considered.

1. Mandatory faculty meeting called the first working day following the tragedy in order that the staff may be accurately informed of the facts of the tragic incident. Certain criteria will be expressed by the school principal in terms of the preferred approach/procedures in helping students deal with the tragedy throughout the day(s). Each situation will be handled individually with specific guidelines set by the building principal(s). These guidelines will most likely be similar to those presented in the fall inservice.

2. Identification of victim’s immediate circle of friends an family. This will be done in the faculty meeting. Once the immediate group of friends is identified, the counselors will facilitate a group counseling session to help these students to better deal with the situation.

3. One contact person (probably the principal) will be appointed at the appropriate building to provide a press release if requested (written in advance).

4. Administrators will be prepared to trouble shoot. (Example: Know where to obtain more professional counselors should there be a need.)

5. Administrators will see that the above procedures are being followed in the most organized, efficient manner.

Adopted: 5/18/88

Moffat County School District RE-1 Regulation 5562