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Parent urges board to revise memorial policy after son excluded from remembrance garden
Summary
A parent told the board that district policy 702.1 excludes permanent memorials for people who died by suicide; the parent asked the board to change the policy to be inclusive; the board said it is reviewing the policy.
Karen Steidel, a Jersey Shore resident and parent, addressed the board during public comment on June 23 to ask that the district change Board Policy 702.1. She said her son, a member of the Class of 2024 who died in May 2024, was not allowed to be included in a planned remembrance garden dedication because policy language excludes permanent memorials “to those who have committed suicide.”
Steidel described her son’s death as the result of mental‑health illness and said the policy’s exclusion was discriminatory and retraumatizing for families. She asked the board to change the policy to be inclusive of all alumni “who died too soon.” She cited research on suicide prevention and urged board members to reconsider the policy’s language and intent.
The board president expressed condolences and told Steidel that the board has the policy under review. The superintendent said the policy had been brought to the board’s attention and that they were “currently looking into it.” The board took no immediate policy vote or action at the meeting and did not announce a timeline for a proposed revision.
Steidel said some classmates were prevented from participating in the remembrance dedication and that she wanted the district to allow names like her son’s to be included in future commemorations. The board’s public reply emphasized empathy and a commitment to examine the policy language as requested.
