By Jeff Lipton
Principal Dr. Kenneth Forman broke the news of the girl's death to teachers and classmates on Thursday morning, March 27. The 10-year-old girl, whose name is being withheld by the Herald to protect the family's privacy, reportedly had been feeling ill. The cause of her death was still unknown, officials said.
Forman sent a letter home with all the school's children on March 27, notifying their parents about the death and asking them to be alert for any signs that their child may be experiencing emotional trauma from the loss of a friend.
The girl had attended class Monday and Tuesday of last week but was absent Wednesday, said Forman, adding that he found out at 9 a.m. on Thursday that the child had passed away at home. The entire school community is in shock, he said.
Forman explained that he immediately put his school-based crisis team in motion, as social workers and counselors visited the girl's class to help children cope with the loss and the grief associated with it. In addition, first- and second-grade teachers in the school were instructed to speak to their students about how to deal with the death of a friend.
We've been talking with the children, especially in the fourth grade, Forman said. The fourth grade is a close-knit group, and many of the children knew her and were friends with her.
Forman also held a meeting last Friday morning with parents of children who were in the girl's class, reviewing with them how to deal with their children's questions and grief at home. He also tried to answer their questions and concerns about the circumstances surrounding the girl's death.
In his letter to parents, Forman wrote, We are doing everything possible to assure the safety of your child while in our building. Our support staff is already working to comfort the children and help them deal with the terrible tragedy. We will all help them deal with their fear and their sense of loss.
When asked what he knew of the cause of the girl's death, the principal said, We don't know. Everyone would like to know the cause of death, to put you more at ease. I wouldn't even conjecture a guess. He said he was waiting for Nassau County officials to report their findings to him.
Cynthia Brown, a spokesperson for the Nassau County Health Department, said it had not received any reports of the girl's death. If there was a suspicion that she had died from a communicable disease, the doctor or health-care professionals would have alerted the Health Department, which would then have taken appropriate steps to alert school administrators, Brown said.
We have no clues yet. The whole school community is concerned, Forman said. Any time a child passes away, there is a concern. As soon as we know the reason why we will share that with the entire community.
The principal said that, in the meantime, the school has resumed its normal schedule of classes.
Forman said he was working with the girl's family on funeral and burial arrangements. Forman described the student as a fun-loving, bubbly, bright young lady.
Dr. Mark Rosenbaum, Lawrence Public Schools superintendent, assured parents that whatever the illness suffered by the girl was, it was an isolated case. He added that he has no reason to believe that the health of other children who have come into contact with the girl has been jeopardized.
The school has reported typical illnesses, nothing out of the ordinary, Rosenbaum said. I feel pretty confident ... I don't believe parents have to worry. I'm not anticipating it to be anything but an isolated case.
Despite district administrators' assurances, Number Two School parents who waited to pick up their children from the building last Friday afternoon expressed concern about how the girl died. Everybody in my family has been sick, said a parent of a first- and third-grader at the school who did not identify himself. You have to be worried, with so many diseases going around now.
Sure it's a big concern, said another parent. But another said she wasn't worried at all.
Police have been called in to investigate the case. District officials said that any time a child dies and the cause isn't immediately known, police are notified. Sources told the Herald that the Department of Child Protective Services is also investigating. Officials are awaiting the results of an autopsy.
Patricia Mulherin, the Number Two School PTA president, whose son was in the girl's class last year, said the mood in the school is very solemn.
I loved this child, said Mulherin. She was a beautiful young girl. She would throw her arms around me when she would see me in the hall and say, Hi, Mrs. Mulherin, how are you today?'
She was a loving child. We are all devastated by this, she said. My son is taking it very hard. My heart goes out to her family. It is just heart-wrenching.
She said her son was sick the weekend of March 22 with a 104-degree fever and a sinus infection. My son had been sick all week, but I spoke to my pediatrician and he said there was nothing to worry about, Mulherin said. If there was a problem, I'm sure the school would be closed.
She said that concern was mounting over the fatal disease called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which is spreading in Asia, but she has been reassured that it has not made its way into the community.
Mulherin said the focus should be on the young girl and her family as well as helping them pay for the funeral expenses. Kathy Markey, another parent, agreed. Markey, who is a nurse, said this is no time to get hysterical about an illness that may or may not be going around the community. We have to wait to hear what happened, she said. There are parents who are concerned and frightened. There is nothing we can do. ... Strep [throat], head colds, viruses are all going around. It happens.
Right now, I tell parents it should not be about me.' It's about the child and it's about her family, Markey said. We have to think about them. We're all praying for them.
