School Shooting Resources for Parents

Please read Dr. Taylor's message to parents after the senseless school shooting in Nashville below. After that letter, you can also find a list of resources gathered by NCTSN. 

Dear South Orange Maplewood School Community,

It is with deep sadness that I write this letter after another school shooting yesterday. This time in Nashville, Tennessee at Covenant School. There are no words to express the sorrow we all feel as another school shooting has taken place. Like many of you, I am filled with emotions of sorrow, anger, mournful, and so many more.  Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, students, educators, and community in Nashville as they mourn the loss of 3 children and 3 faculty members.   

We know this is a difficult time for students, families, and educators alike as they navigate the difficult conversations after a mass shooting.  As a parent, there are conflicting feelings regarding how much to talk about the situation, whether to discuss it at all, or do I even let my child watch the news because it may be too harmful.  

We acknowledge and respect that many families may or may not have chosen to discuss this at home, but please know that school staff are prepared to have developmentally appropriate conversations if needed. In addition to your child’s teacher, school social workers (Student Assistance Counselors at the high school level) are available at every school if your child needs support processing this information.  Please feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher or case manager, should you want to request any support from the school social worker.  Additionally, a child is able to ask to see this staff member during the school day.  


Also, please be aware that each month we will continue to practice our school safety drills.  Additionally, we have security guards in each building to identify any visitors in our school.  Below we are providing a list of resources for families and community members as you navigate this conversation with your children at home.  Please know we are here should you need any additional support.  


Resources: 

Sincerely, Dr. Ronald Taylor


Resources in Response to the Covenant School Shooting 

The recent shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, has evoked a range of emotions and concerns of safety across the United States. In response to this event, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network has developed resources to help children, families, and communities navigate what they are seeing and hearing, acknowledge their feelings, and find ways to cope together. These resources include:

Psychological First Aid

The NCTSN also has resources for responders on Psychological First Aid (PFA; En Español). PFA is an early intervention to support children, adolescents, adults, and families impacted by these types of events. PFA Mobile and the PFA Wallet Card (En Español) provide a quick reminder of the core actions. The PFA online training course is also available on the NCTSN Learning Center.

Additional PFA resources for schools include:

From the National Mass Violence and Victimization Resource Center & Partners

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