GUILFORD -- Still no word whether Guilford High School freshman Ethan Song died accidentally after being shot Wednesday afternoon inside of a Seaside Avenue home.
The Superintendent of Guilford Schools called Thursday a long, sad day at Guilford High School. Friday, the same support was in place, including a special room.
"A quiet place with food and coffee and a place to be if they’re not ready to be in class yet," said Dr. Paul Freeman, Superintendent of Guilford Public Schools.
Dr. Freeman said a teacher confided in him that he was struggling too.
"Talking about Ethan and discussing what just happened with your students in his first period class helped him to be vulnerable, helped him to be more ready so that when that second period class occurred and he needed to talk to a group of young people, about an empty chair that was meant for Ethan, he was more ready to do that," Freeman said.
Tragedies involving the young should prompt parents to ask questions of their kids, but tread lightly.
"We need to be mindful, as adults, of not imposing our own thoughts upon them and really give them the space and the time to talk," said Dr Claudia Califano, a child & adolescent psychiatrist, who is a member of the Yale faculty and owns a private practice in Guilford.
Knowing the right time to talk to your child is also important.
"I’ll often explain to parents that you may have a child who is more likely to speak to you about difficult subjects when they're in the backseat of the car and you’re in the front and you’re driving them someplace," said Califano.
It’s important to be available to your children at those times when they’re likely to open up, she said.
Calling hours for Ethan Song will be Sunday, from 3-7 p.m., at the First Congregational Church on the Guilford Green. The funeral service is Monday at 10 a.m. and all are welcome.
