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04/21/93
Waco students seem little affected by cult children's deaths
By Diane Jennings / The Dallas Morning News
WACO-The horrifying deaths of 17 children at the Branch Davidian complex doesn't seem to have fazed local youths, but educators said they are ready to deal with any problems that might arise.
School counselors were alerted after the first firefight at the religious cult's compound Feb. 28 and were reminded to "be sensitive' after Monday's inferno, said Estelle Geno, chairwoman of guidance and counseling for the Waco Independent School District.
Parents and teachers should be particularly sensitive to the fears of children, said Dr. Beeman Phillips, professor of educational psychology at the University of Texas at Austin.
Some children might not understand what happened and would add puzzlement to typical concerns about death, he said.
So far, incidents involving children disturbed by the death and destruction have been minimal, Ms. Geno said.
Any negative effect was softened by the remoteness of the compound, said several educators. Because the Branch Davidian children had been schooled at home in recent years, few local children knew those who perished in the fire.
One of the few incidents Ms. Geno could recall happened with a child who got in trouble at home several weeks ago. After hearing about children of cult members being turned over to authorities upon leaving their compound home, the child inquired whether he would be taken away as well.
Waco school counselors were prepared to answer such queries through monthly meetings with a local psychologist who specializes in crisis management, Ms. Geno said.
That psychologist, Dr. Hap Le-Crone Jr., said he doesn't expect many emotional problems from the Branch Davidian disaster.
"It's a terrible tragedy, and we're all treating it as a grief and loss issue,' Dr. Le-Crone said.
How children react to such a situation depends "to a large degree on the way the community handles it and the models they see, the parents and the teachers.'
Interest among children in events at the compound was high Monday, said Waco bus driver Linda Horne.
She said she asked students on her elementary and middle school routes what they thought of the tragedy and was surprised by their thoughtful answers.
"This is a religious community,' she said, and many students quoted the Bible, dismissing the actions of cult leader David Koresh and his followers as "crazy.'
"They followed it, I think, more than some adults,' Ms. Horne said, adding that students weren't particularly upset by the fiery ending but were disturbed by the parents who sentenced their children to die with them in the inferno.
"They said that their mamas were stupid and didn't love them,' Ms.
Horne said.
That's exactly the issue that should be discussed, Dr. Phillips said.
Children may be anxious "about how some of these mothers might have been responsible,' he said. "That would be the source of some serious kinds of worries.'
At University High School, students also seemed undisturbed by events.
Patrick McMillan, a sophomore, said he was "tired of hearing about it' and noted that Waco wasn't used to so much publicity.
Other students also said they were glad the standoff had ended.
"It's just something that happens,' freshman Jermaine Chappell
said.
During the day Monday, some students searched the horizon for smoke, and others watched events unfold on television.
But some adminstrators turned off school televisions Monday.
John Bass, superintendent of the Mart Independent School District
southeast of Waco, did not allow younger children to watch news coverage.
"We knew they would hear about it, but we thought it was something better heard at home with your parents,' he said.
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