Dover schools grieving, planning community discussions
DOVER – School officials are asking for compassion, patience and empathy following what the superintendent called overwhelming loss over the past six weeks.
Two Dover High School students have died unexpectedly in that time. The district on social this morning shared a picture of high school students, all dressed in white in the gym, with the message we stand together in support of the family of Julio Raymundo Ramos, who passed away Tuesday.
Superintendent Karie McCrate in a letter to the community on Thursday called it more grief that anyone should have to bear.
She says representatives from the ADAMHS Board, Springvale Health Centers, the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, and Light After Loss have all been at the schools, along with therapy dogs from the Tusky Valley and Claymont school districts. She says officials are working with the Lifelines Suicide Response and Prevention Program to develop a schoolwide curriculum. Springvale Health Centers is organizing a program at the KSU PAC.
Springvale also brought a mobile health unit to Crater Stadium for the annual bonfire and pep rally, which went on as planned Thursday night.
McCrate says officials hear the confusion, anger and questions from the community regarding children’s health, safety and well-being. She says district officials are planning to have difficult conversations openly in upcoming small-group forums. Details will be announced in the upcoming days and weeks.
MESSAGE FROM SUPERINTENDENT KARIE MCCRATE
October 22, 2026
Dear Dover Families,
Our district has experienced overwhelming loss the past six weeks. To be hit by another heartbreak while still in grief is more than any of us should have to bear. But we commit to you and your children that we will bear it together.
We also hear the confusion, anger, and heartfelt questions from many regarding your children’s health, safety, and well-being. We are ready to have these difficult conversations openly in upcoming small-group forums where Dover families can learn about our support programming and share new ideas. In the coming days and weeks, we will share more details on these opportunities to work together. We will continue offering multiple layers of support to our students, staff, and families, living up to our commitment that “we’re better together.”
Our focus remains the safety, stabilization, and long-term healing of our school community. We continue to rely on expert guidance to ensure our actions align with suicide postvention best practices. Representatives from partners including the ADAMHS Board, Springvale Health Centers, the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, and Light After Loss have all been in our schools this week helping with decision-making and supporting students and staff with care, education, and resources.
Additionally, through a connection made by the ADAMHS Board, we met with authors of the evidence-based Lifelines Suicide Response and Prevention Program, a schoolwide curriculum designed to foster a supportive environment that encourages help-seeking behaviors. By working closely with nationally recognized organizations, we are using their expertise to guide our decision-making to provide continuous care and maintain the safest possible environment for our Dover school family.
Tonight, starting at 4:30 PM, our partners at SpringVale Health Centers will have their Mobile Health Unit at the Bonfire at Crater Stadium. All evening, a caring team of licensed counselors, nurses, and nurse practitioners will be on-site. They will be available to listen, answer questions, and provide resources. We encourage any
students, families, and community members in need of a safe, supportive space to stop by.
SpringVale is also planning to host a community event in the upcoming weeks at the KSU PAC for parents, caregivers, and community members. That event will include a panel of SpringVale professionals engaging in a community conversation about suicide prevention. As soon as we have the dates and details for that event, we will share them with all parents.
This week, our school counselors have been meeting with students, and additional mental health and faith-based counselors have worked with students all week. Therapy
dogs from Claymont and Tusky Valley have also been a blessing.
As we come together tonight at the Bonfire and through the weekend, let us all give extra care to our friends, colleagues, family members, classmates … and to ourselves. Let us demonstrate additional compassion, patience and empathy, knowing that each of us processes grief in our own way.
Thank you for being there for one another and for our Dover Schools Community.
Respectfully,
Karie McCrate
Superintendent