TRENTON, N.J. – Assemblywoman Michele Matsikoudis’ testimony before the Assembly Education Committee on Thursday spoke to the critical importance of teaching students about grief, an experience that became more common for children during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Improving access to these critical life skills for students in grades 8 through 12 helps support children across the board. Not only does this bill provide students with supportive tools and coping mechanisms for themselves, it also empowers everyone else in the class to learn how they can support a grieving best friend or lend a helping hand to their classmate in need,” Matsikoudis (R-Union) said during committee testimony. “Most importantly, these lessons send a clear message to students experiencing loss: that they are not alone.”
The Union County lawmaker is a cosponsor of a bill (A5015) requiring school districts to provide instruction on grief to students in grades 8 to 12 beginning next academic year.
During the pandemic, one child out of every 500 lost a caregiver to Covid, according to the National Institutes of Health. This made orphanhood a secondary tragedy. Children of racial and ethnic minorities accounted for 65% of these deaths. The Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model projects that one out of every 13 children in New Jersey will experience the death of a parent or sibling before age 18.
The Senate companion bill (S3330) passed the Senate unanimously in May.