The death of a student is a profound tragedy and has a significant impact on the Lambton College community as well as its broader local and global communities. Lambton College is committed to responding to the death of a student in a compassionate, supportive, and cooperative manner.

Responsibility for Coordinating Response

The Office of the Senior Vice President, Academic and Student Success, is responsible for overseeing Lambton College’s response to the death of a student. This response includes, but is not limited to, verification of information, coordinating contact with the family of the student, internal notifications, and support efforts for the Lambton College community. Lambton College’s response will also include cooperation with external officials where necessary.

While every effort will be made to respond with urgency, processes outside of Lambton College’s authority or circumstances relating to the guiding principles may impact the timeliness of the response.

Guiding Principles for the Response to the Death of a Student

• Compassion for the family and loved ones of the student
• Respect for the privacy of the student and student’s family
• Regard for the wishes of the next of kin
• Support for Lambton College community members
• Cooperation with police or other external officials as required
• Compliance with relevant legislation
• Transparency, as appropriate, while respecting the principles listed above

Communications on the Death of a Student

• The wishes of the next of kin will guide the decision to release information on the death of a student, which may include the name of the deceased or other information, such as memorial service arrangements.
• In rare cases, the release of information on the death of a student may be made necessary due to information being released through official channels, such as police communications.

Flag Half-Masting

As a gesture of respect and condolence, Lambton College’s flags will be lowered to half-mast when the College is notified of the death of a student. The flags will remain at half-mast until the memorial service or repatriation has taken place, or a respectful period of time has elapsed.