District seeking best ways to share news of deaths

The recent deaths of two New Paltz High School sophomores have given rise to a proposed policy about how to provide such information to the public.

The policy is expected to be voted on by the Board of Education when it meets at 7 p.m. next Wednesday in the high school on South Putt Corners Road.

“There were certain things that we felt we needed to solidify and have a policy on so that we could be consistent and we would be able to move forward in a positive way,” said New Paltz school district Superintendent Maria Rice.

“We looked at a variety of different pieces of research and some policies that others might have similar to this or like this,” she said. “One of the greatest guidance[s] was ‘ Dealing With Suicide in Schools’... [which] looked at the research of what is in the best interest of the school community.”

The New Paltz district lost one 10th-grader to a heart attack in March 2015 and another to suicide in October.

“We had one student who dropped at a track practice and subsequently died of natural causes, and then we had another who [committed] suicide,” Rice said. “Each time ... we need to address the students and the student body, as well as the faculty, staff and community.”

Rice said the deaths were accompanied by questions from the community about what actions could be taken.

“For example, can we have a f uneral in the school?” she said. “Research said that’s not a good idea. [Another question was] how long do you put ... a short memoriam on your website? When does it come down?”

One element of the proposed policy is that the district will not provided any information until there is “confirmed and accurate information about the death” and the “family of the deceased has been consulted.”

There would also be a crisis response plan developed by the superintendent for “safety, operations, community liaisons, funeral, media relations, social media and crisis intervention,” the proposal states.

The policy states students will be allowed to have “spontaneous memorials, such as leaving flowers, cards, poems, pictures or other items, in a place closely associated with the deceased, in the aftermath of a death. ... These spontaneous memorials ... may be displayed until two weeks after the day of the funeral and will then be given to the family, if appropriate.”

The proposal also states that all deaths, regardless of cause, will be “honored and responded to in the same way.”