Kids see themselves as immortal, so when a fellow student dies, it is extremely difficult for the other children to comprehend and emotionally manage. When this sort of tragedy does occur, some schools will find that extra therapy support may be needed for the students. The teachers are dealing with the loss, too, so it is unfair to expect them to support a room full of children while they try to manage their own grief.
Depending on the age of the students, different kinds of therapy may be needed. Group therapy is always O.K. since financial resources may be limited for the school. Elementary age students won’t even have a full grasp of the concept of death. The very young kids may not even understand that death is permanent. A child therapist will be able to help guide the small ones into this mystery. High school kids will have a full understanding of death, so their grief may be more intense. It may be their first encounter with death, so they will not know how to cope. Teachers may have a hard time getting students through lesson plans without some outside assistance. Again, group therapy that allows the kids to vent, discuss and support together will help situation.
Education is about more than learning. Often times, it is the place where certain life experiences happen, so in that way, the teaching goes beyond academics and into the special education realm of coping with life. For the first time, students may see their teachers as human as the educators cry along with their kids. Teachers may need to seek therapy too. It could be a good resource for learning their ability to cope with and support others in an education setting.