New Jersey teenagers have already lived through a deadly pandemic and the height of a youth Mental Health crisis so it's time according to a new law spearheaded by Republican senator Jon Bramnick for schools to better support them new guidelines now make New Jersey the first in the nation to require grief instruction teaching students about grief loss and how to cope senior correspondent Joanna Gagis reports this bill I think is actually transform for the students of New Jersey it's really showing the value of grief being part of mental and emotional Wellness the bill that Evelyn moon from the counseling center good grief is referring to brings grief education into New Jersey classrooms it was sponsored by Senator Jon Bramnick and just passed through both houses of the legislature unanimously and was signed by Governor Murphy last week when I saw what young people were going through and how it was important for them to learn how to grieve or deal with loss I said this is absolutely necessary in the schools the grief instruction will be offered as part of the health curriculum for grades 8 through 12 it's something that those who've experienced grief will tell you is a major need not just in our schools but in our society where we just don't know how to talk to those who've lost a loved one especially for young people it can lead to dangerous isolation Demeka Jennings-Johnson experienced it when she lost her 25-year-old son Jerome who she called Romy in 2015 not that people intentionally like ostracized but they don't know what to say it's that awkward moment and either they would just completely talk about something completely different that's unrelated or I will say this I had people who said the wrong things too um he's in a better place or you have other children just focus on them so those are the things that for me were heartbreaking to hear because of her own pain Jennings Johnson said she struggled to support her three younger kids who were 18 15 and 13 when Romy died her youngest was visibly struggling in school and the counselors informed her that even they didn't know how to support her in the ways that she needed I am excited that that this is now um a law it will teach students first of all that you're not alone know who to go to if and when it happens so this is a a great opportunity for our students to learn some coping skills and some coping mechanism prior to their experience with you know some serious losses in their lives ask anyone who lost a loved one while they were in school when they were young no one knew what to say including the teachers I'll tell you one story there was a nine-year-old girl who was asked to draw her family as they sometimes ask children to do she Drew her family included her eight-year-old brother who had died and the teacher failed her says oh you can't put your brother in so much of it is our own stuff it's our discomfort you know we either want to make the person immediately feel better or we want to very quickly move it along because it's making us uncomfortable we don't know what to say we don't know how to hold space for this good grief has already developed a training program for schools that helps those who are suffering and teaches those around them how to help there's nothing you could do that can fix it for them in that moment but you can give them your presence your time your attention your listening your empathy you could do all of those things and then for the griver I think things that we can practice with them is some of those mindfulness activities um breathing rounding journaling bramnick hopes that good grief along with another support organization called imagine a center for coping with loss will work with the Department of Education to develop a Statewide curriculum that's slated to roll out in September I'm Joanna Gagis NJ Spotlight news