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Grief training for educators

How do children grieve? How do schools deal with grieving children?

Teachers in Washington state public schools are not required to be trained to deal with children who have suffered a loss. Our teachers are also not trained to instruct the schoolmates of the child that suffered a loss on how to act toward that child.

Where does this leave children who are grieving? Where does this leave the teachers? A large risk factor for juveniles becoming delinquent is the loss of a parent.

The American Federation of Teachers offers grief training presentations that should be a minimum requirement for all administrators and teachers in Washington. It is imperative that we set a precedent in Washington – for other states to follow – in training our school teachers how to approach students who have suffered a loss.

Rachael McCrady

Spokane



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