Fayette district providing counseling for children after loss of beloved teacher
Classes resumed on Thursday at Smithfield Elementary School in the Albert Gallatin Area School District, two days after beloved kindergarten teacher Toby Maykuth unexpectedly passed away.
Superintendent Christopher Pegg said the school district arranged support for elementary school staff to help them prepare for the return of students.
Additionally, the principal and school guidance counselor visited each classroom to talk with students about Maykuth’s death and to provide strategies for coping with grief and loss.
Students districtwide were released early from school Tuesday morning, and classes were canceled at the elementary school on Wednesday.
Maykuth also was the director of the school district’s drama department and the school musical.
Tributes and messages of condolence poured in on the school district’s Facebook page and social media platforms, expressing how Maykuth touched the lives of students and the Uniontown community.
Pegg said counselors, social workers and therapists from Intermediate Unit 1 and Adelphoi Education Services provided crisis counseling at all schools starting on Wednesday and will be available for the remainder of the school year to talk with students who are experiencing stress.
Pegg said in an email that he has been contacted by several superintendents throughout Fayette County offering support to the district.
“It is encouraging to see the support we have received from so many people, and I personally would like to thank everyone for their kindness and thoughtfulness. Our district and school community is truly grateful for this support as we continue to move forward,” Pegg wrote.
As the school community grieves, the foremost focus is on the emotional well-being of students and staff.
The school district posted informational letters dealing with grief and loss online and also sent age-appropriate handouts home with Smithfield Elementary School students.
The handout includes crisis and support services available in the region to students throughout the summer, and the number for the Fayette County Behavioral Health Crisis Intervention Hotline, 724-437-1003, available 24/7.
Dr. Donald Martin, Executive Director of IU1, said it’s important to realize students – from primary through secondary grades – navigate grief in a number of ways.
“People handle grief in different ways, and it might not be immediately. It could be three days, three weeks or three months,” said Martin. “It could be as difficult to process at the high school level as the primary level.”
In a letter, Pegg noted a sudden loss can have a powerful impact on students, and suggested parents be vigilant to their child’s emotional needs and look for signs of stress, which may include loss of sleep, inability to concentrate, irritability, absentmindedness, isolation, withdrawing from usual friends and activities, increased aggression, and fearfulness and worries.
Parents who have concerns about their child are asked to contact the school and speak with the principal or guidance counselor, and Pegg urged parents whose children were close to Maykuth to call the school for additional support during school hours, or leave a message or send an email after hours.
Said Martin, “It’s important to let people know there is help available, there are agencies and supports. Mental health is a real thing for all of us.”