Lafayette Elementary community mourns student’s mom, victim of Everett espresso-stand fire

January 12, 2016 2:53 pm
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(Everett Fire Department photo)

We’ve just learned today from Seattle Public Schools that the woman killed in an Everett espresso-stand fire was the mother of a student at West Seattle’s Lafayette Elementary School.

SPS says Lafayette’s principal Robert Gallagher and acting assistant principal Kathy Jolly are sending a note to the school community:

It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we share the tragic news that a Lafayette parent died yesterday after a recent and sudden accident.

As a community, we will come together to support the student and family. We will continue to have counselors and mental health support available for students, staff and families, as needed.

When someone dies, it is normal for children to have different kinds of feelings and reactions. Parents and guardians have important roles in helping students understand these tragedies. We understand that each culture has its own way of dealing with death, and we encourage children to talk with their families about their ideas, thoughts and beliefs. We recognize that even if your student may not have known or been close to this family, he/she may still feel a strong reaction. We also realize this may be your child’s first experience with death or it may trigger feelings about other deaths your child may have experienced.

The family will be in our thoughts as they grieve their loss. As we learn of more ways to support them, we will let the school community know. Please note that we are honoring the family’s request for privacy at this time.

The victim has been identified in regional media, including The Seattle Times, as Courtney Campbell. She was badly burned when her Everett espresso stand went up in flames – complicated by a propane-tank explosion – on Thursday, and then came news yesterday that she had died. She was mother of two daughters, including the Lafayette student, and her family has set up a GoFundMe account.

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