Dear Salamanca Community,
I have awful news to share, early this morning a tragic vehicle accident took the lives of three individuals and seriously injured a fourth. A recent Salamanca graduate, a Salamanca high school student, and a resident from Franklinville were killed. An additional Salamanca High School student is hospitalized. Our hearts and prayers go to the families of all involved.
The district crisis team has been activated and will be available for students, staff, and community members at Seneca Intermediate School from 9:00AM- 2:00PM on Monday, July 24th.
In addition to district resources below are numbers for community supports
- Seneca Nation Child and Family (716) 945-5894
- Catt. County Community Services (716) 945-5211
- Catholic Charities (716) 372-0101
- Connecting Communities in Action (716) 945-1041
Below are some helpful thoughts on dealing with death and grief:
Keep in mind that all children and adults react differently. Withdrawal, aggressiveness, panic, anxiety, anger, guilt, fear, regression and symptoms of bodily distress are all signs of grief. Be patient and understanding.
Students and adults tend to express grief in their ways of behaving. They act out their feelings and emotions. We cannot always know what they are thinking or feeling. Take cues from their behavior.
When students are grieving, they have shortened attention spans and may have trouble concentrating. A student may attempt to deny feelings of anger, hurt and fear by repressing them. Eventually, grief takes over and their feelings leak out. It may be months or even years before a student displays signs of the full impact of a death or tragedy.
With deepest condolences,
Mark Beehler
Superintendent