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A Matter of Life and Death

In: Social Issues

Submitted By acherie8
Words 516
Pages 3
As a school leader there are many issues that will be faced during one’s career. Fights, staff oversight, disciplinary issues…but who thinks about the death of a student. Many administrators probably have considered or experienced this occurrence, but what about that student’s online information after his or her death? This can easily be a touchy subject and due to the fact that it is still a relatively new concept to consider there is not a wealth of clear guidelines and procedures outlining how to handle this occurrence. I have not personally had to deal with this issue in relation to a student, but I have had former classmates and a close friend pass away at young ages. Around two years ago a close friend of mine was killed in a car accident. His Facebook page became a memorial of sorts where friends and family could leave messages and posts in honor of the deceased. The instances of former classmates’ passing was also linked to the social network of Facebook.
When someone passes immediately it becomes either the status or topic of discussion in people’s news feed stating for anyone who has access through being a friend to see that someone has passed away. It becomes a topic of discussion amongst those within the same social network, and the individual’s page becomes inundated with messages of grief and disbelief. People will often try to verify the passing of the individual, or as the article discussed, family members will go online to grasp at what memories they may find online to give them some feeling of closeness to their deceased loved one.
As a school administrator one can (and must) be prepared for such occurrences. One way to do this is by having the school website feature a page or section where other grieving individuals (students, staff) can leave messages or share thoughts and feelings connected to the passing of the individual. This is one way

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