P.E.I.'s English Language School Board has distributed literature to teachers to help them discuss the mass shooting at a school in Connecticut.

There's no formal campaign to address the issue with children, said school superintendent Jane McMillan, but the board wants to make sure teachers have what they need and are watching carefully.

"We want to be able to reassure children that they are safe, that school is safe, and remind them there are very trustworthy people in charge and that everything is OK," said McMillan.

The goal is to make sure children feel secure.

"Teachers will be looking for children who are anxious or for children who are at greater risk and talking to them and helping them work through it," she said.

There are in-school guidance counsellors available and the board has psychologists for children who need to talk.

Parents face conundrum

Parent Hannah Bell was uncertain about whether to bring up the subject with her five-year-old daughter.

"I honestly didn't know what to say. I mean, you don't want to give them something to worry about," she said.

But Bell was concerned about what someone else might say to her. On Sunday night she spoke with her daughter, and was surprised by how much her daughter understood.