2 LAUSD Teachers Die From Coronavirus Just Days Apart

Share:

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Children are feeling the burden of the pandemic as coronavirus strikes people closest to them, like their parents and teachers.

In the Los Angeles Unified School District, two teachers died just days apart from coronavirus complications.

Nick Glover, a fourth-grade teacher at Carpenter Community Charter School, died on Thursday, and Erica Brown-Atkinson — who was a fifth-grade teacher at Barrett Elementary School — died on December 29.

Dr. Judy Ho, a clinical and forensic neuropsychologist, says now more than ever it’s crucial for parents to talk to their kids.

“I think the fears that can come up about the unknowns and the fact this could happen to anybody, that’s probably amplified right now,” Dr. Ho said. “It’s also important to note that children oftentimes worry more about family and friends than themselves so a lot of their fears is what might happen to their parents, what might happen to another teacher, so it’s really important to be able to talk about that and tell them you’re there for them for their comfort and their reassurance.”

Both teachers leave behind spouses and children, and people from the community have come out saying how much they will be missed.

Dr. Ho says it’s important for parents to normalize their children’s feelings after dealing with losses such as this.

“One day they might be angry, another day they might be in denial, the next day they might be really sad and that’s all really normal for how people process grief, especially in the initial weeks after something like this happens,” Dr. Ho said.