Funeral arrangements have been made for a Fulton County music teacher who died on campus Friday.
In a statement, Fulton County Schools said Derek Cleveland died at Randolph Elementary in South Fulton. He was 59.
“It greatly saddens me to announce that Mr. Cleveland, our beloved music teacher, has died unexpectedly,” Principal Marissa Wilson wrote in a letter to parents. “Mr. Cleveland has been a part of the Randolph school community for many years and was a beloved teacher and colleague.”
An investigator with the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office said Cleveland died a “natural death,” but declined to release an exact cause.
The teacher’s funeral will be held at noon Saturday at the Flipper Temple AME Church in Atlanta, according to Cleveland’s online obituary.
The school’s letter said students could react to news of the music teacher’s death in a variety of ways depending on their age, how well they knew Cleveland and their previous experience with grief.
“There are times when it is necessary to communicate news that is painful for all of us,” Wilson wrote. “During those times, we must be prepared to support each other and our students as we deal with the many feelings that we begin to experience.”
A team of grief counselors, social workers and psychologists will be available this week to assist staff and students struggling with Cleveland’s death, the school said.
The district is expected to return to full-time, face-to-face instruction Wednesday, but parents have the option to continue remote learning for their children.
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Credit: ACC
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