Children may experience a loss during their childhood through the death of a friend or a classmate.

This can be especially traumatic if the classmate dies during school. This can happen through sports, illness, bullying and tragically school shootings.

It is extremely important to help students cope with their intense feelings and assure them they are not alone when a fellow student dies.

The school should establish a children’s support group.

Caregivers, teachers, and professionals can encourage the children to express their feelings through music, art, and writing to reduce the re-traumatizing effect of repeatedly bringing up the catastrophic event.