P.E.I.'s Public Schools Branch seeks feedback on policy for memorializing students and staff

The Public Schools Branch is looking for public feedback on a draft policy outlining how Prince Edward Island schools should memorialize staff and students who have died.

The issue gained attention in November when Kensington Intermediate Senior High decided to remove a memorial wall and transition to virtual tributes on its website. The decision sparked some public backlash and was ultimately reversed. 

The PSB is seeking input on its draft policy through an online survey. The branch said it was always the intention to seek public feedback on its plan before putting it into practice.

Tracy Beaulieu, the PSB's director, said the branch created the draft policy following the deaths of several staff and students at Island schools over the past year. These events raised a lot of questions about the best ways to support people who are grieving and memorialize the deceased, both in the short and long term.

"It's a lot to think about in a school, and we're always being asked those questions," Beaulieu said. "We felt it was important to create a document that would provide consistency and support for staff going through that."

PSB wants to hear your thoughts about memorials in P.E.I. schools

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The Public Schools Branch has drafted a policy around an issue that sparked some controversy late last year — physical memorials in Island schools. As CBC's Steve Bruce reports, the branch now wants to get feedback from the public about the best to pay tribute to students and staff who have died. 

Permanent memorials 'keep their memory alive'

The draft policy is available on the PSB's website, where Islanders can also complete the online survey to share their thoughts.

One section of the proposal states that it's "best to avoid" permanent memorials inside schools because "these can serve as constant reminders of the loss, which may hinder the healing process for both students and staff."

In November, Kensington Intermediate Senior High was going to remove memorials, including a sign naming a soccer field after student Aidan Harrington and a tribute wall featuring names and photos of students and teachers who had died while attending or working at the school.

The tribute wall was to be replaced with virtual tributes on the school's website. However, following the public backlash, the school put the wall back up and decided to keep Aidan Harrington's name attached to the soccer field.

Aidan's mother, Valerie Harrington, said she hopes the public feedback will encourage permanent memorials in the PSB's final policy.

"I think a memorial is a place to go and feel close to that student and keep their memory alive," she said. 

"If someone's honestly being triggered by it, I think they would be in the minority."

I think it's important that we grieve, but it's not as important as the impact it could have on the students.— Jody Curley-Howard

The Public Schools Branch said its approach to permanent memorials is based on research and guidance from the U.S.-based National Association of School Psychologists, and was meant to match what's being done in some other Canadian jurisdictions.

A PSB official previously told CBC News that research suggests daily reminders of past deaths can negatively affect the mental health of some students, especially if the person being honoured had died recently.

"We're not saying that you can't remember a person. We're just saying that anything that you do you have to take with consideration, so it isn't going to cause any unintentional harm," Beaulieu said. 

"Having a virtual memorial wall, for instance, that would be something that would be OK and appropriate to consider, because we are in a different time right now, and you want people to have the opportunity for choice when they're going to look at it."

Jody Curley-Howard, whose brother died by suicide in the late 90s and is part of the memorial wall in Kensington, said the research should carry a lot of weight.

"We have to put our faith in best practice and the people that do the research," Curley-Howard said.

"As somebody who has a family member on that wall, I think it's important that we grieve, but it's not as important as the impact it could have on the students currently."

'Did we think of everything?'

Islanders have until Jan. 31 to complete the survey.

Beaulieu said the feedback will be taken seriously.

"Asking for feedback from the public helps us to be able to take that back and look and say, 'Did we think of everything? Is there anything we missed or need to consider?'" 

Once the survey closes, the Public Schools Branch will use it to finalize the policy and present it to the board of trustees for approval.