Supporting Grieving Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Grieving children are part of your school community. This was true even before the COVID-19 pandemic. By age 16, five percent of students will experience the death of a parent. By the time they finish high school, 90 percent will experience the death of a family member or close friend. Communities deeply affected by COVID-19 are working with students who have recently lost family members to the pandemic.

This guide from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles/The National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement has five steps educators and school administrators can take to create a supportive, grief-sensitive environment for students.

The National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement has additional COVID-19 grief resources including sample scripts, guidelines on virtual memorials and more.