By:LARRY MAIER
School districts across the Merricks faced a difficult task in the hours after the World Trade Center terrorist attacks of Tuesday, Sept. 11. As word of the tragedy filtered through hallways, getting kids home safely and making sure there was an adult to greet them were school official's main priorities.
Dr. Ronald Smith, superintendent of Merrick Schools, said that many parents picked up their children early that day. PTA volunteers made phone calls to the homes of children who regularly walk to school and others followed school buses to make sure adults were at bus stops to meet students.
North Merrick Superintendent David Feller said his district also made extensive phone calls to parents, and required that an adult pick up students who normally walk home after school.
But the challenge faced by school districts did not end with getting students home safely. Faculties and staffs will face an even more difficult job in the days and weeks to come as they try to return to some sense of normalcy while not overlooking the needs of children who are dealing with a myriad of emotions, many of whom lost loved ones.
As of Friday, Sept. 14 the father of two Merrick School District students was still missing. So were the uncle of two other students and the daughter of teacher who retired last year, Smith said.
At a memorial service held at the Merrick Gazebo on Saturday, Sept. 15, Louis Kruh, the Bellmore-Merrick Central District's school board president, said that 10 to 15 students and staff members in the district lost family members in the terrorist attacks.
SH: Providing help
School officials in the Merricks said that most schools assembled their staffs early on Wednesday, Sept. 12, the day after the attack, to meet with mental health professionals. Guidance counselors, social workers and school psychologists discussed with faculties how to discuss the World Trade Center attacks with their students in the coming days and weeks. Staffs were also given literature about how different age groups respond to tragedy.
Maura Cashin, the school psychologist at Harold D. Fayette School, said that what will be most important in the coming weeks is that teachers and staffs maintain a calm demeanor in front of students. "Students will need to be reassured that they are safe and that they can trust their parents, teachers and their leaders," Cashin said.
Trying to return to a normal school routine while providing an outlet for individual or groups of students who want to share their feelings is also important, said Cashin, who went with social workers into each district classroom the day after the attack and let students know they were available to talk with or answer questions.
Sister Mary Morrin, principal of Sacred Heart, said that teachers in the upper grades are talking with children about the terrorist attacks and that parish priests have encouraged all students to speak with them if they are troubled.
In the Merrick School District, letters were sent home to parents last week, letting them know that professionals were available to counsel not only school children but parents as well.
Dr. Benjamin Weiss, school psychiatrist at Bellmore JFK High School, said that very few students took advantage of individual counseling services in the days after the attacks but staffs are ready should children need help. "As time goes on, we expect that more students will come to see us," Weiss said.
Kate Collins, spokesperson for the Bellmore-Merrick Central School District, said that in the coming weeks school staffs would be helping students find outlets for their grief and anger.
"We want to help the kids feel a sense of power and that they are not just victims," said Collins. "We're going to help mobilize our kids in community service [projects]."
