District's Care Team Helps Students With Loss

Tuesday marked a sad day for students at West Hernando Middle School in Brooksville as they learned of the death of classmate Kaitlyn Harper, who was killed early Tuesday morning in a traffic accident.

When students arrived at school - where Kaitlyn, 13, was in eighth grade - they were met by the district's care team, a team of guidance counselors, social workers and school psychologists prepared to help students and staff deal with feelings of loss.

"I received a phone call before 7:30 a.m. that there had been an accident, and I made sure the (care team) was in place because I wasn't sure what was going to happen," Principal Toni-Ann Noyes said. "I had minimal information, but I wanted to make sure the team was on standby and here before students came to school."

Kaitlyn was hit by a southbound pickup truck early Tuesday morning off California Street in Brooksville and was taken to Brooksville Regional Hospital, where she died.

Her younger brother is in seventh grade at West Hernando. Though he initially went to school Tuesday, he went home early, officials said.

"We've been talking to students throughout the day, and (members of) the care team have been stationed in the guidance office and media center in case students need to talk," Noyes said.

A Brooksville resident, this was Kaitlyn's first year at West Hernando. Last year she attended school out of the district, and attended Powell Middle School in sixth grade, officials said.

Letters went home with every student Tuesday afternoon, making parents aware of the situation and explaining the grief counseling options available to students.

Noyes said she and other administrators spent the day walking through classrooms to check on students.

"It has affected some students and we are taking calls from parents, but I have not walked into a classroom where students are visibly shaken," she said. "Those students are immediately going to the guidance office and dealing with it at that level."

The district's specially trained care team, formed by student services director Jim Knight in 2001, offers behavior and guidance counseling, and if necessary, refers students or staff to outside specialists.

School officials may decide to plan a memorial, but Noyes said she would not plan anything without involvement from Kaitlyn's family.

"I want to respect the family's wishes with anything we do," she said.

And the district's role in helping students cope is far from over. The care team will also be stationed at the school Wednesday, when students are expected to need counseling more than they did Tuesday, officials said.