When a crisis situation arises in your school district, it’s critical to be able to communicate swiftly, accurately, and effectively with your teachers and staff, families, students, the news media, and other community members.
Because it’s impossible to predict these situations, school districts must establish robust crisis communication plans ahead of time. Such a plan can be invaluable when time is of the essence and you need to keep your community as quickly as possible.
Below are the basic components of an effective school crisis communication plan:
Establishing Communication Channels
At the heart of any crisis communication plan are predefined channels through which information will flow. These channels should be accessible and known to all members of your school community. They may include, but are not limited to, mass notification systems, email messages, text alerts, website updates, and social media platforms.
Making sure these channels are regularly tested and updated will give you the assurance that you can rely on them during a crisis.
Identifying Your Communicators
Another key element of the plan involves identifying who will speak on behalf of the district during a crisis. This role is typically filled by a superintendent, a communications coordinator, or another district-level administrator. They are responsible for gathering the facts and drafting and distributing clear, accurate messages to the community.
Your communicator(s) should be well trained and able to remain relatively calm in the middle of an emergency situation. You should also have backup communicators in case the primary personnel happen to be out of the office on the day a crisis occurs.
Determining Communication Protocols
Every school district should have a clear set of protocols that will be used once a crisis situation arises. From the initial assessment of the situation to the final debrief, each phase of the process should be clearly outlined.
Your plan should detail how to gather the facts, which audiences you need to communicate with and in which order, and how you will distribute your messages. These protocols will help prevent the spread of misinformation and ensure all communications are coordinated and coherent.
Preparing Templates
Communicating during a crisis requires an element of speed. Having pre-approved templates and message drafts for various types of potential emergencies can expedite the release of information. While you may need to customize your message based on the circumstances of the incident in question, you won’t need to start from scratch. This can save critical minutes when you need to get a message out quickly.
Training Your Team
As part of your plan, be sure to hold regular training sessions and simulated drills. These drills should not only involve your communicators, but also teachers, staff, and students to ensure they know their roles and responses in different scenarios. Training helps to identify potential weaknesses in the plan and provides opportunities to refine strategies and procedures as time goes on.
Continuously Improving
An effective communication plan includes a process for gathering feedback and conducting a thorough review of how a crisis was handled after the fact. This step is critical for learning and improving the plan. Continuous updates to the plan will ensure it evolves in line with new technologies, communication methods, and lessons learned from previous incidents.
In short, an effective school crisis communication plan offers a structured and efficient process that can significantly mitigate the chaos and confusion that are common to emergency situations. By ensuring clarity, accuracy, and speed in communications, your district can safeguard the safety of students and staff while enhancing the level of trust between your schools and community.
