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Norwin School District
Talking to Children about School Shootings: A Resource Guide

The Norwin School District is committed to providing a safe and secure learning environment for our students, faculty and staff. Included in this commitment, we also want to provide resources and support for parents and guardians in supporting their children when traumatic events occur. 

As such, the District has gathered the below resources for parents and guardians. Additionally, please know that the District’s student services department are able to support you and your children in addressing concerns when traumatic events occur. 

Please find below a resource guide for talking to children about school shootings. 

Age-by-Age Resource Information for Speaking to Students About School Shootings:
  • The American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend avoiding the topic with children until they reach a certain age — around 8, but again, it depends on the child.
  • “If it doesn’t directly affect your family, kids under 8 do not need to hear about this,” said Dr. Deborah Gilboa, a parenting expert. Before this age, children struggle to process it.
  • But parents should talk to their younger children about mass shootings if they are at risk of hearing it from others, she said.
  • While advice varies by age, Gilboa provided a general recommendation for all parents faced with telling their children about the latest mass shooting.
  • Click here for additional information

Preschool-Kindergarten: One Sentence Story

  • “You have to figure out before you talk to them what story you want them to tell themselves,” she said.
  • With young children, Gilboa recommended that parents keep their stories simple. These stories should reinforce parents’ beliefs. Perhaps, parents want their children to know that a bad person hurt people. Maybe parents want their children to know that someone with a serious illness felt angry and hurt people.
  • “You are going to give a one-sentence story to anyone under 6,” she said.
  • This might be a chance to change the conversation, too. Try to focus on the positives, such as the heroes of the story.

Elementary School Children: Shield Them

  • Again, parents need to decide on the takeaway message. Children in this age group will ask many more interrogative questions and parents need to decide how much they want to share.
  • Gilboa stressed that parents should prevent their children from seeing pictures or the news because the images will stick with children longer than words. If children do see pictures, she recommended that parents show their children positive photos to counteract the negative.
  • “Let’s see if we can replace those memories and balance it out by showing the positives and the amazing people who rushed to help,” she said.

Tweens: Listen to their Feelings

  • Start the conversation by asking tweens if they heard about the latest shooting.
  • “If you are going to talk (about) a fraught or laden topic … you start with a pretest. You are going to ask how they feel about it,” Gilboa said.
  • If they have heard of it, listen to their feelings. If they haven’t heard of it, parents have an opportunity to share their beliefs while gaining better insight into their tweens.
  • “(This becomes) a great conversation of their values and your values that do not focus on the particular gore [but] more on the person you are raising,” she said.

Teens: Look for Solutions

  • Again, Gilboa said parents should ask their teens if they have heard of the latest tragedy and allow them to share their feelings. But teenagers will expect more.
  • “Teenagers are looking for hypocrisy and solutions and this generation believes in collaboration and social justice. And they are going to ask ‘What are you doing,’” she said. “You can answer and then ask ‘what are you doing? What would you like to do? What can we do together?”
  • Teaching teenagers to work toward change will help them be resilient, she said. She stressed that parents still need to listen to their teens’ feelings and display empathy.
  • “I think for anyone action makes us feel effective,” Gilboa said. “What we want our kids to do when (they) see something wrong is to try to fix it.”

Additional External Resources:

Providing Psychological First Aid: For Teachers

Helping Youth after Community Trauma: Tips for Educators

Care for Caregivers: Tips for Families and Educators

Age-Related Reactions to Traumatic Events