To Help Your Child Deal with a Violent School Site Crisis

Our attitude sets the atmosphere to deal with the crisis. Be calm and reassuring. You and/or your child may:
    • Be fearful to return to school
    • Feel school is unsafe
    • Have a different or less trustful view of students
    • Experience symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (i.e. Nightmares, confusion, flashback, unprovoked anger, outbursts, sleeplessness, irritability)
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In order to help your child:
    • Emphasize that in spite of this occurrence schools are generally very safe places
    • Awareness levels are high in San Diego; therefore, the level of safety is increased
    • Prevention efforts have also been increased

At home provide a safe, supportive environment for our children.
    • Allow and encourage your children to express how they feel
    • Be a good listener (allow the child to do most of the talking)
    • Be attentive
    • Acknowledge feelings
    • Remind them that we all will heal with time
    • Provide supportive feedback and reassurance
    • Reinforce that schools are safe

How to help your child deal with the extensive media coverage:

For Elementary Age Children
    • Exclude exposure to violence and drama (i.e. dead corpses, bloody bodies, police with guns)
    • Watch, along with your child, students involved in problem-solving efforts that are on T.V.(i.e. kids supporting each other, telling an adult when something is wrong)
    • Emphasize students working together toward solutions
    • Discuss solutions with your child

For Middle School and High School Age Youth
    • Watch media coverage with them
    • Ask questions such as:
    1. What are your thoughts and feelings about what you have seen?
    2. Why do you think a youth did that?
    3. Have you ever heard or seen another student say they were going to do something like that?
    4. If you do see it, what should you do?
    • Would this work at your school? Why?
    • What other things would you suggest?
    • What would you be willing to do?

If your child talks about harassment, bullying, or being picked on, ask the following questions:
    • How do you think Bullying/Harassment played a part in this?
    • Have you been bullied/harassed/picked on?
    • How did you feel when that happened?
    • How did you handle it?
    • What are ways to handle or cope* with bullying**?
    • How can you help others who are bullied and harassed?
**Refer to "Bullying Information" on our Safe Schools Resource Links Website
www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/student/ss/resources.html