Meyers, J., & Pitt, N. W. (1976). A consultation approach to help a school cope with the bereavement process. Professional Psychology, 7(4), 559-564.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.7.4.559
Argues that school personnel may intervene appropriately and effectively to help children cope with exposure to death and the experience of bereavement. During school vacation one of the 6th-grade boys in a parochial school died in a tragic accident. One month later a 2nd boy was fatally injured in a car accident. Several new behaviors were then observed among the children--disruptive classroom behaviors, bomb scares initiated by a few students, superstitious rumors that a 3rd child would die, and fantasies engaged in by 1st and 2nd graders who reported seeing parts of the dead children's bodies. A psychological consultant and the school principal agreed on a teacher workshop whose segments dealt with (a) student feelings, (b) the process of mourning, (c) teacher feelings, and (d) recommendations. It was recommended that the teachers encourage--but not pressure--the students to express their feelings. One indication of the success of the program was the teachers' open reaction when they were asked to express their personal feelings about the deaths. Their reactions included guilt, anger, and sadness. Another source of evidence was the reduction of teacher complaints about discipline problems. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)