Grief Counselors Available for Morgan Students Following Tragic Hit & Run [Update]

Update as of 10:45am, Dec. 9:  The Church of the Open Door, where Cailyn Bassett was a member, will be offering time for students and friends to come and meet today, Sunday, Dec. 9, from noon to 2pm. Bassett was a member of the youth group at the church. Her youth leader will be there as well.

Original story: As the Clinton community begins to grieve after hearing the news of a 15-year old resident who died following a hit and run, school officials have met with grief counselors and are ready for the start of school on Monday.

According to the Middletown Police, Cailyn Bassett of Clinton was struck and killed in Middletown on Dec. 7 at approximately 5:45 p.m. She was in the vicinity of Saybrook Road and Coe Avenue when she was struck by a vehicle, said police. Other details such as the description of the vehicle and whether or not Bassett was alone, are not yet available.

The driver of the vehicle did not stop following the hit and run, said police. Anyone with information is asked to call the Middletown Police at (860) 344-3264.

Clinton Superintendent of Schools Jack Cross confirmed that Cailyn was a 10th grader at The Morgan School, has a younger sister and two younger brothers, and was a member of the Church of the Open Door.

Cross said that a crisis team met on Saturday to plan for Monday and the week ahead. All the school administrators and the Board of Education have been notified, he said.

"We are working to contact the youth minister to coordinate support efforts," said Cross. "We will have support available throughout the day Monday. We are also working with Youth and Family Services in town."

This is a copy of the email that was sent to parents of Clinton school children on Saturday:

Good Evening,
By now you may have heard about the tragic death of a Clinton student, Cailyn Bassett. Cailyn, a 10th grade student at Morgan, died last night after being hit by a car in Middletown. Unfortunately, we do not have much information at this time. I can only share that the high school crisis team met this afternoon so that we can adequately plan for addressing the needs of students who will be directly impacted as well as those who may be indirectly impacted. We are concerned about Cailyn's family, her immediate friends and those students for whom a loss of this magnitude may stir or rekindle grief suffered by the loss in their own family.

Support counseling will be available for students during the week beginning on Monday. We are working with community resources and the family's church to determine what additional support may be necessary through the weekend. 

The social media network and the press have lots of information, unfortunately not all is accurate. I would ask that we all recognize the level of emotion that exists and remain sensitive to the family in their time of grief. I am sure there will be more concrete information in the next 48 hours. 

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Cailyn's family and are ready to support them in their time of grief.

-- Jack Cross, Superintendent of Schools