Processing Tragedy and Pain
Dear Members of the Brighton School Community,
We join the community in being horrified, saddened, and deeply concerned about the murder of Tyre Nichols. We recognize that people are grappling with emotional hurt and processing yet another tragic, racially-based situation. In each of these instances, we consider the best ways to communicate to you, your children, and our staff. We weigh the impact versus the intent of our communication and how we can be perceived as either performative, political or how communication can only add to pain and trauma. We also know how important it is to acknowledge and offer support. Ultimately, our role is to be educators, counselors, and caregivers to the children of this community and to support you in doing the same. Our actions are focused on that objective.
We are here to support each other and lean into each other. The links below have been provided as a resource to groups of staff member in our district who are working with students to process this horrific situation. You may be interested in utilizing them or passing them along to someone who may benefit from having additional support.
Thank you for continuing to support one another and our school community as a whole.
Kevin McGowan, Ed. D.
Superintendent of Schools
Responding to Tragedy: Resources for Educators and Parents | Edutopia
Addressing Race and Trauma in the Classroom | The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Teaching in the Wake of Violence | Facing History and Ourselves
Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers (nasponline.org)
