Waterloo Schools hit with second tragedy as student dies

Jacob Simon was a third-grader at the school. Waterloo Police said he died in his sleep and was found by his parents in the morning. The child had a history of seizures.

His funeral will be Wednesday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

“There will be grief counseling support available at school on Monday,” said Tara Thomas, a spokeswoman for Waterloo Community Schools. “The students and families were notified after school on Friday. Our prayers and thoughts are going out to the family.”

Grief counselors have already been available to staff and students districtwide since Lou Henry Elementary School Principal Liz Crowley died Tuesday following a hospitalization. She had worked for the school district nearly 20 years and was formerly principal of Dr. Walter Cunningham School for Excellence. Her funeral will be Monday at Antioch Baptist Church.

“It was a tragic week for us, to lose one of our administrators and students unexpectedly,” said Thomas. Along with grief counselors, many others are stepping up to help at Lou Henry as colleagues say goodbye to Crowley.

“We have had a wonderful outpouring of support from everyone, from retired teachers to administrators, so staff could attend the funeral on Monday,” said Thomas. “That’s been really neat to see.”