There are no sufficient words to describe the devastation of yesterday’s shooting at The Covenant School. Our hearts are with The Covenant School’s parents, students, and staff, and particularly with the families of Evelyn, Hallie, William, Ms. Peak, Dr. Koonce, and Mr. Hill. We offer our support, our love, and our deepest condolences for this unimaginable loss.
It can be difficult to walk our children through this heartache. Dr. Battle shared the following suggestions:
Helping Students After a School Shooting, American School Counseling Association (ASCA), 2022
- Try and keep routines as normal as possible. Kids gain security from the predictability of routine, including attending school.
- Limit exposure to television and the news.
- Be honest with kids and share with them as much information as they are developmentally able to handle.
- Listen to kids’ fears and concerns.
- Reassure kids that the world is a good place to be, but that there are people who do bad things.
- Parents and adults need to first deal with and assess their own responses to crisis and stress.
- Rebuild and reaffirm attachments and relationships.