Officials at the York County School Division said support will be provided for students following the Saturday crash that claimed the lives of three Tabb High School students.
“I am terribly saddened by the loss of these three young men,” Victor Shandor, the division’s superintendent, said in a statement. “On behalf of everyone here in the York County School Division and our community, I want to express our heartfelt sympathies for the families affected by this tragedy. Division staff are working closely with Mr. (Paul) Rice and school administrators to provide support and resources for our students, staff and school community.”
Rice is the principal at Tabb High School.
The crash happened at 10:30 p.m. Saturday in the 800 block of Yorktown Road.
Virginia State Police said the 16-year-old driver of a BMW 325i lost control of the vehicle, ran off the roadway, and struck a tree, causing the vehicle to overturn on its roof. The driver died on impact; his passengers, two 16-year-old boys, died from injuries related to the crash.
All three were wearing their seatbelts, police said.
On Sunday, students from Tabb High School came out for a vigil at the school’s track, according to the high school’s senior class Twitter page.
“Through last night’s vigil, a student gathering at Tabb High this morning, and multiple tributes on social media, the compassion and love from our county and our surrounding communities is heartwarming,” YCSD wrote in a Facebook post Monday.
But students will still be thinking about their classmates in the coming weeks and to address any emotional needs, Katherine Goff, spokeswoman for YCSD, said there will be additional staff at the high school in the coming days.
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That includes school psychologists, school counselors and other coordinators who are licensed and have training in grief counseling. Those counselors will be available throughout the school day “and/or as needed,” Goff said.
“We know the healing process has just begun and that it will take time,” the district said in a Facebook post.
The district also has an Employee Assistance Program which provides licensed counselors for staff.
Parents, students and community members have expressed their condolences on social media for the loss of the three students. However, the names of the students have not been released as the crash investigation remains open, Goff said.
On Monday, state police spokeswoman Sgt. Michelle Anaya said it remains unclear whether alcohol was involved in the crash.
Anaya said the bodies of the three students have been sent to the medical examiner’s office for autopsies and she expects the results to take at least six weeks.
