Borgen said that school counselors, along with other staff, will be at Fidalgo School to assist students, staff and parents with the loss. He said that over the weekend, parents of Jacob's classmates were notified and counseled. Borgen's letter to staff is reproduced in full here on Anacortes Now.
The School District said, in a separate statement, "Since this is a time of healing and mourning for our students and staff, we respectfully ask all parties to refrain from coming on school grounds or contacting staff and students, unless absolutely necessary."
The float plane crashed in the lake Saturday afternoon and immediately flipped over. Bystanders jumped into the lake and managed to push the plane closer to shore, according to reports from the Marysville Fire District.
A member of the Snohomish sheriff's dive team rushed out on a boat, jumped in the water near the plane's wing and managed to cut the boy's seat belt, lifting him to the surface 48 to 50 minutes after the crash, Snohomish sheriff's spokesman Rochon told the Seattle Times.
The dive team initially thought he'd been submerged only 25 minutes, but even at 48 minutes, they still thought there was some hope, because the 41-degree water would have slowed the boy's metabolism, Rochon said. Bystanders jumped into the frigid lake trying to save the boy, but he was under water for some time.
The pilot of the Cessna was reportedly practicing touch-and-go or practice landings on the lake.