Follow-Up and Checking In on Grief - Part 2

Some additional thoughts I shared with staff via an email earlier today as we continue to follow-up and check on our students, staff, and community.


YPS:

Thanks for your continued professionalism and support of our students, community, JJ's family, and all of the people impacted by Tuesday's event. I feel the need to provide our staff with the bulleted points below as we move forward.

* Again, "grief specialists" highly recommend "normalcy" for schedules and routines for our kids. Therefore, we will have school on Monday. Any student or staff member that wants to attend the funeral may certainly do so. Please work with your building principal on such arrangements. Some of you will not want to go, some of you will only want to go to the church service, some of you will want to go to everything....we get that. We support that.

* Our wrestlers chose to carry on and they will be in Fairbury tomorrow competing. I will be there with them as will many others.

* We've been asked by numerous media outlets for statements on this situation, our policy on cyber bullying, why we do "this," why we don't do "that," etc. Out of respect for the family, we are simply being very brief in our responses. This isn't about the school district. This isn't about what assemblies we have on bullying, or what we've tried to do about Yik-Yak or anything else. This is about the family and the young people hurting. We're not going to engage in "press releases" or interviews during this difficult time. We just want people to know that we have counselors available in all buildings and that if we need to, we will bring in extra people. We will do what we need to do to help people with their wide range of emotions over the coming weeks/months.

* Another factor weighing hard on us is that this isn't our first suicide. We've lost other students the same way. All communities have at some point. We use the same protocol for each suicide but they all take on their own direction due to the individuals involved, family ties, personality, involvements, etc. As much as I am praying for the Vanderheidens, I'm also praying for Hannah Short's family and the others left to deal with suicide as each new occurrence re-opens their still healing scars too.

* The painful and ridiculous rumor mill is in full force. Out of respect for the family, we are not going to confront that at this time either. It's just not the time. This is a time of grieving and moving forward the best we can as individuals and as a team. This isn't about YPS or any of the ridiculous accusations/rumors that uninformed folks want to make on Facebook. This is about the horrific loss of another young person. This is about being there in a family and community's time of need.

* As your superintendent, I hurt just like you do. I am here for you if you need anything. My cell is 402-366-6491 and any of you can call or text any time of any day for anything. I am proud of what YPS does, has done, and will do. We've worked extremely hard on trying to partner with our families and communities on important initiatives that we all need to be aware of and we will continue to do so.

Thoughts and Prayers,

Mike