Crisis Communications for School Districts: A Resource Guide

Written by Peachjar | February 21, 2024

Crisis Communications is always a hot topic in the School PR community. On a recent episode of Peachjar Extra Credit, Matt sat down with Chief Communications Officer, Randy Barber and Superintendent, Dr. Rob Anderson of Boulder Valley School District to talk about crisis communications in schools.

Below the video we are breaking down common terms in crisis communications and providing some additional resources to help you feel confident in your district's crisis communications plan.

Definitions of Commonly Used Crisis Communications Terms (from School Communications Professionals)

Ensuring streamlined, effective communication stems from mutual understanding of terms used, especially in a crisis. Please note that while people will define—and handle—crises differently, the key is making sure expectations are clear upfront. Informed and trained teams make for successful crisis communicators.

Incident—(n.) a sensitive subject, a matter in dispute

Example: A local crosswalk is known to be a hotspot for potential dangerous scenarios.

Accident—(n.) something that has happened there on campus that is without apparent or deliberate cause

Example: Maybe a student has a minor injury in that local school crosswalk.

Shelter-in-place—(n.) Hunker down

Example: Shelter-in-place could be the result of something like a tornado warning or wildfire nearby

Lockdown—(n.) there is an active shooter on campus

Secure-Down—(n.) secure the perimeter

Evacuation—(v.) to leave the school building during an emergency the building

Example: During a fire alarm, the students and staff evacuate.

Emergency—(n.) A serious situation that demands immediate attention and some communication

Crisis—(n.) a critical emergency; particularly where the response will dictate and drive trust, your brand, your connection to the community at large; something so serious that it will affect your school or school district's reputation and the trust you've established in the community.

Example: The Marshall Fire that impacted the Boulder Valley School District community in 2021 was a crisis.

Tips For Navigating a Crisis As a School PR/Communications Professional

It is agreed that the main priority in a crisis is taking care of the emergency first—and more importantly the students, staff, and parents affected by the emergency. You also want to inform the schools appropriately so they can take necessary action. While there is not a blanket solution and response to every crisis, Randy mentioned it is important to find a balance between speed and accuracy. Here are some tips Matthew shares from his time in pilot school that serve as a helpful framework when addressing an emergency that becomes a crisis.

Aviate, Navigate, Communicate

Meet the emergency—tackle the emergency first.
Navigate next steps—What are the immediate next steps? Where do we need to go next?
Communicate—communicate to the appropriate parties in a timely manner

Additional insights are shared by Randy and Dr. Rob about tackling training for crisis communication. They emphasized the importance of training—not just staff, but parents and guardians as well. Staff and community members alike should know the steps of crisis communications, what official channels to monitor for updates, who to call, and anything else that may better prepare them for a potential crisis scenario. Training and being clear in defining terms is important to mitigate fear and anxiety around a crisis, but also to build trust. If your community feels you are communicating with them in a timely manner, it may ease tensions that could arise during a crisis. If you post on your official social media channels saying, " 'this' is happening...kids are okay...we’ll be back with more information," then guardians are likely to respond more positively since they can trust you are providing as much information as you can as things develop. Additionally, if they truly understand the definitions in place, such as the difference between a secure-down and a lockdown, it allows them to react better to emergency and crisis communications.

Additional Resources

As noted in the video above, Randy mentioned the NSPRA Toolkit as a resource that provides examples of sample messaging, messages to district leaders, strategies for school public relations professionals who want to prepare for communications during challenging times, and more. You can also reach out to your local SPRA chapter or contacts, asking how they handled a recent crisis scenario, or asking for sample messaging. If you are not plugged in yet to a local professional network, here are some benefits you won't want to miss out on.

Boulder Valley School District also indicated they base their crisis and emergency responses (and trainings) on the Standard Response Protocol outlined by the I Love U Guys foundation.

We hope you found this resource helpful, but the video with Chief Communications Officer, Randy Barber and Superintendent, Dr. Rob Anderson of Boulder Valley School District has plenty more information about Crisis Communications. Stay tuned for another blog that outlines strategies and touches on how to prepare for a crisis- including tips on procedures before, during, and after. Until then, if you have any additional questions, we encourage you to reach out to your local SPRA chapter, a fellow PIO, or even Matthew, Randy or Rob!

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