Coaliton to Support Grieving Students

The Coalition to Support Grieving Students empowers school communities throughout the United States to better support their grieving students by sharing industry endorsed resources that provide school staff with tools to be grief-sensitive for students and others experiencing loss.

At A Glance

AASA has joined other professional organizations that represent K-12 educators in an unified effort to address the lack of support for grieving students, forming The Coalition to Support Grieving Students. A primary objective of the Coalition is to effectively address and remedy the gap between an educator's desire and an educator's ability to help grieving students.

Childhood bereavement is all too common in the United States. Approximately one in 20 children will lose a parent by the time they turn 16; the vast majority of children experience a significant loss by the time they complete high school.

Schools play a critical role for children who have lost a loved one. Teachers and classmates responses to a student's grief can serve either as a source of support and stability during a difficult time, or an additional hurdle to surmount.

Yet, grieving children are often overlooked-both in society at large and schools in particular.

The Coalition's purpose is to

Elevate the national conversation around childhood grief
Encourage entire communities to take action to support grieving children in their midst
Recognize how and why schools have a critical role in addressing grief

The primary resource from the Coalition, a practitioner-oriented website provides practical, accessible information for classroom educators, principals, administrators, and student support personnel. Visit our resource library for more information.

December 2015

Leading Founding Members