The Edvocate

Top Menu

Main Menu

  • Start Here
    • Our Brands
    • Governance
      • Lynch Educational Consulting
      • Dr. Lynch’s Personal Website
      • Careers
    • Write For Us
    • Books
    • The Tech Edvocate Product Guide
    • Contact Us
    • The Edvocate Podcast
    • Edupedia
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • PreK-12
    • Assessment
    • Assistive Technology
    • Child Development
    • Classroom Management
    • Early Childhood
    • EdTech & Innovation
    • Education Leadership
    • Equity
    • First Year Teachers
    • Gifted and Talented Education
    • Parental Involvement
    • Policy & Reform
    • Special Education
    • Teachers
  • Higher Ed
    • Best Colleges and Universities
    • Best College and University Programs
    • Diversity
    • HBCU’s
    • Higher Education
    • Higher Education EdTech
    • International Education
  • Advertise
  • The Tech Edvocate Awards
    • The Awards Process
    • Finalists and Winners of The 2022 Tech Edvocate Awards
      • Finalists and Winners of The 2021 Tech Edvocate Awards
      • Finalists and Winners of The 2020 Tech Edvocate Awards
      • Finalists and Winners of The 2019 Tech Edvocate Awards
      • Finalists and Winners of The 2018 Tech Edvocate Awards
      • Finalists and Winners of The 2017 Tech Edvocate Awards
    • Award Seals
  • Apps
    • GPA Calculator for College
    • GPA Calculator for High School
    • Cumulative GPA Calculator
    • Grade Calculator
    • Weighted Grade Calculator
    • Final Grade Calculator
  • The Tech Edvocate
  • Pedagogue
  • P-20 Ed Careers

logo

The Edvocate

  • Start Here
    • Our Brands
    • Governance
      • Lynch Educational Consulting
      • Dr. Lynch’s Personal Website
        • My Speaking Page
      • Careers
    • Write For Us
    • Books
    • The Tech Edvocate Product Guide
    • Contact Us
    • The Edvocate Podcast
    • Edupedia
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • PreK-12
    • Assessment
    • Assistive Technology
    • Child Development
    • Classroom Management
    • Early Childhood
    • EdTech & Innovation
    • Education Leadership
    • Equity
    • First Year Teachers
    • Gifted and Talented Education
    • Parental Involvement
    • Policy & Reform
    • Special Education
    • Teachers
  • Higher Ed
    • Best Colleges and Universities
    • Best College and University Programs
    • Diversity
    • HBCU’s
    • Higher Education
    • Higher Education EdTech
    • International Education
  • Advertise
  • The Tech Edvocate Awards
    • The Awards Process
    • Finalists and Winners of The 2022 Tech Edvocate Awards
      • Finalists and Winners of The 2021 Tech Edvocate Awards
      • Finalists and Winners of The 2020 Tech Edvocate Awards
      • Finalists and Winners of The 2019 Tech Edvocate Awards
      • Finalists and Winners of The 2018 Tech Edvocate Awards
      • Finalists and Winners of The 2017 Tech Edvocate Awards
    • Award Seals
  • Apps
    • GPA Calculator for College
    • GPA Calculator for High School
    • Cumulative GPA Calculator
    • Grade Calculator
    • Weighted Grade Calculator
    • Final Grade Calculator
  • The Tech Edvocate
  • Pedagogue
  • P-20 Ed Careers
  • What Can We Learn From Literature?

  • Checklist For Organizing Your 1st Grade Classroom

  • 16 Fairy Tale Books for Kids

  • The Graduation Books for Students of All Ages

  • 10 Books for Teaching Kids About Germs

  • 15 Presidential Books for the Classroom

  • What Is Interactive Writing?

  • 10 Joke Books for Kids

  • Time to Rethink Family Tree Assignments

  • 21 Thrilling Superhero Books for Kids

EdTech & Innovation
Home›EdTech & Innovation›3 Keys to Effective Crisis Communication

3 Keys to Effective Crisis Communication

By Chris Piehler
September 5, 2019
2494
0
Spread the love

Crises are, by their nature, unpredictable, but school leaders can ease their impact by preparing ahead of time, connecting with local partners, and using every communication channel at their disposal.

By Derik Moore

Effective crisis response and communication begins well before a crisis is on the horizon. Crises are, however, by their very nature, unanticipated. So how can you make sure your district is ready to hit the ground running and mitigate disaster once a crisis strikes? At Sheldon Independent School District, we weather tough times by having broad plans in place, developing ongoing partnerships, and making use of multiple communications channels before, during, and after crises.

Planning and Training
First and foremost, when it comes to crisis communications and crisis management, you need to have a plan in place prior to the crisis. When I started in school communications in the mid-1990s, the communications team would sit down and largely come up with a plan on its own. But there’s been a pretty dramatic shift in the intervening 25 years, with a lot of legal requirements coming from the state and federal level. As a result of those changes, the communications plan is now part of a larger crisis-response strategy, all of which is headed up by our safety coordinator, Ray Watson.

This is good news. It means that as long as you’re in compliance with federal, state, and local laws, you already have pretty good plans in place. These plans are usually quite broad and, though they may be created for fairly specific events, are usually adaptable by an experienced staff ready to reprioritize the specific steps in the moment.

It also means that we’re required to participate in trainings and other opportunities that prepare our own staff in appropriate responses right alongside the agencies that are likely to be involved in an emergency response.

Forging Community Partnerships
At my previous district, we held quarterly meetings with first responders such as the fire chief and chief of police. They all had their own incident response protocols that were pretty similar to the ones we had at the district, and these meetings gave us all an opportunity to see inside one another’s response protocols so that, in the case of an emergency, we had a general idea what the people around us were going to be doing.

We knew that the city would set up a command center and I knew that, as the communications director for my district, one of my first orders of business would be to show up there and look for my point of contact with, for example, the police—who I already knew pretty well from our quarterly meetings.

These days, because of our familiarity with one another and the protocols we both follow, we are already in a position to create a message that reassures our community we are working together to address the issue.

But these partnerships also help everyone in the community prepare for disaster. At a district I worked at previously, for example, we held a mock active shooter response at one of our schools. One of the first responders told me, “I’m glad we’re having this exercise. I’ve always seen your building, but I’ve never gone through the hallway.”

That familiarity and the practice of actually moving through our hallways to respond to a dangerous situation is of course incredibly important, but another benefit of that event was that it opened a discussion within the community about our processes and protocols. Nothing will take away the fear of a parent when their child is in danger, but they can at least have the comfort of knowing we’ve prepared and practiced and they’ve had a little insight into what they can expect in these situations.

These partnerships also provide a great wealth of experience. When Hurricane Harvey devastated the Houston area, I had no idea what to expect. I was new to the area and didn’t know what a hurricane would do. In the leadup to the hurricane, the fire chief, who’d been through Hurricane Rita several years before, met with our superintendent, who was also new to the district, and told him to expect three feet of water in the buildings. Advice like this helped us prepare for when Harvey hit, despite its arrival during the first week of school when students had only been in classes for two days.

Broadcasting to Many Channels
Once disaster arrives, it won’t matter how carefully prepared you are to offer the vital information your community needs if they can’t find that information. We address this by releasing all communications on multiple channels, whether it’s emergency information or not.

Our website functions as the repository for pretty much all of our information. We use Edlio, a turnkey CMS provider, to manage our website because their focus on K-12 schools means that it’s easy for anyone in the district to update information with a bit of training and the correct permissions.

During a hurricane, the message shifts, of course, from the next PTO meeting or the upcoming school carnival to the locations of shelters, food distribution centers, and information on where to find loved ones. When dealing with such vital information, it’s important to be able to update our website from a phone or any device available because you’re unlikely to find yourself in front of a desktop computer.

We also release all announcements and other vital information through Facebook and Twitter. Those channels are important because nearly all of our parents and other stakeholders are on one or the other, and they allow for real-time two-way communication if necessary. For longer messages, we sometimes have to link back to the website from Twitter because of the limited character count on that platform, but the key for us is that people can easily and quickly find access to the information they need at a moment when they may have very limited options for reaching the outside world and certainly have a million more pressing things on their mind.

Derik Moore has been working in school communications for more than 25 years. He currently serves as the director of communications for the Sheldon Independent School District in Houston, Texas. He can be reached at [email protected]

Previous Article

Funding Education Innovation: 3 Ways to Get ...

Next Article

How to Support Without Hovering: Avoiding Helicopter ...

Chris Piehler

Related articles More from author

  • EdTech & Innovation

    RedCritter Launches CritterCoin, the First EdTech Solution to Leverage NFTs

    July 21, 2022
    By Chris Piehler
  • EdTech & Innovation

    A Look At China’s Thriving Edtech Market

    July 11, 2019
    By Matthew Lynch
  • EdTech & InnovationParental InvolvementTeachers

    How to use safe and private messaging for your school community

    January 21, 2016
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Digital & Mobile TechnologyEdTech & Innovation

    9 Ways to Tell If a New App Is Ready For Classroom Use

    July 3, 2018
    By Matthew Lynch
  • EdTech & Innovation

    Why science and engineering need to remind students of forgotten lessons from history

    December 27, 2016
    By Matthew Lynch
  • pass or fail
    EdTech & InnovationTeachers

    My Vision for the Future of Neuroscience in Education

    August 6, 2018
    By Matthew Lynch

Leave a reply Cancel reply

  • Artificial Intelligence

    How Educators Use Artificial Intelligence to Add Instructional Value

  • Artificial IntelligenceCodingDigital & Mobile TechnologyDigital Literacy

    Turn to Coding and Robotics If You Want Your Students to Possess a Growth Mindset

  • Artificial Intelligence

    The Difference Between AI, Machine Learning And Digital Assistants

Search

Registration and Login

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Newsletter

Signup for The Edvocate Newsletter and have the latest in P-20 education news and opinion delivered to your email address!

Subscribe to The Edvocate Podcast

Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSS
  • Recent

  • Popular

  • Comments

  • What Can We Learn From Literature?

    By Matthew Lynch
    August 9, 2022
  • Checklist For Organizing Your 1st Grade Classroom

    By Matthew Lynch
    August 9, 2022
  • 16 Fairy Tale Books for Kids

    By Matthew Lynch
    August 9, 2022
  • The Graduation Books for Students of All Ages

    By Matthew Lynch
    August 9, 2022
  • 10 Books for Teaching Kids About Germs

    By Matthew Lynch
    August 9, 2022
  • 18 Reasons the U.S. Education System is Failing

    By Matthew Lynch
    April 3, 2017
  • The Top 5 Unexpected Benefits of Early Childhood Education

    By Matthew Lynch
    February 29, 2016
  • 7 Benefits of STEM Education

    By Matthew Lynch
    January 12, 2019
  • What is Culturally Responsive Pedagogy?

    By Matthew Lynch
    April 21, 2016
  • pass or fail

    Black Boys in Crisis: Why Aren’t They Reading?

    By Matthew Lynch
    January 16, 2017
  • Cognitive Learning: A Primer - The Tech Edvocate
    on
    August 6, 2022

    Cognitive Development: What You Need to Know

    […] you are aware ...
  • Benedict university - Top 10 Reasons To Consider - Wahbalami.COM
    on
    August 2, 2022

    Benedict College Admissions: Everything You Want to and Need to Know

    […] Find out what ...
  • 2 Août 1859 – Décès d’Horace Mann, père de l'éducation américaine - Nima REJA
    on
    August 2, 2022

    Pass or Fail: Horace Mann – An American Public School Pioneer

    […] https://www.theedadvocate.org/horace-mann-an-education-pioneer/ […]
  • “unleashing (of) the potential of continuous teaching and learning (improvement) in language education” – Learn With ...
    on
    July 31, 2022

    The Real Purpose of Assessments in Education

    […] Lynch, M. (2022, ...
  • What is the Biggest Problem in Education Today? - Rodney Coe Education
    on
    July 30, 2022

    18 Reasons the U.S. Education System is Failing

    […] The Edvocate lists ...

Ask an Expert

  • Ask An Expert

    How Dumbed Down Education Is Creating a National Security Crisis

    Spread the loveFor the past few decades, our country’s educational system has seen both struggle and tremendous change. With the various ailments plaguing our educational system, education reforms have attempted ...
  • Ask An Expert

    21 Inspirational Quotes That Nelson Mandela Made About Education

    Spread the loveWe all have our heroes. Those human beings that seem larger than life and almost achieve Godlike status. One of my heroes is the late-great Nelson Mandela, who ...
  • Ask An ExpertAssistive TechnologyCareer ReadinessChild Development TechClassroom ManagementDigital & Mobile TechnologyDigital LeadershipDisabilitiesDiversityEarly ChildhoodEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech & InnovationEducation LeadershipElementary EducationElementary SchoolEquityFirst Year TeachersFreshHigh SchoolK-12Middle SchoolModern ParentingParent & Family TechParental InvolvementParentingPersonalized LearningPodcastPolicy & ReformPreK-12Special EducationSTEMTeacher EducationTeachers

    The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 7: How Digital Age Teachers Can Win Over Parents

    Spread the loveEducation is a collaborative process, as it takes many stakeholders working in unison to help students succeed academically. One of the most integral parts of this collaborative team ...
  • Ask An ExpertAssessmentAssistive TechnologyBlack Boys in CrisisChild Development TechClassroom ManagementDigital & Mobile TechnologyDigital LeadershipDisabilitiesEarly ChildhoodEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech & InnovationEdTech Policy & ReformEducation LeadershipElementary EducationElementary SchoolEquityFeaturedFirst Year TeachersFreshGamificationGifted and Talented EducationHBCU'sHigh SchoolHigher EducationK-12Online Learning & eLearningOpEducationPersonalized LearningPodcastPolicy & ReformRetention & Social Promotion SeriesSpecial EducationSTEMTeacher EducationTeachersTesting

    The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 6: 8 Ways That Digital Age Teachers Avoid Burning Out

    Spread the loveBeing a teacher is a tough job. So much so, many new teachers end up leaving the field within their first three years. To ensure that the next ...
  • Ask An ExpertAssessmentAssistive TechnologyBlack Boys in CrisisBullyingChild DevelopmentChild Development TechClassroom ManagementCurrent Ed NewsDigital LeadershipEarly ChildhoodEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech & InnovationEdTech Policy & ReformEdTech Startups & BusinessesEducation LeadershipEquityFeaturedFirst Year TeachersFreshGamificationGifted and Talented EducationHBCU'sHigh SchoolHigher EducationHigher Education EdTechK-12Matthew LynchModern ParentingOnline Learning & eLearningOpEducationPersonalized LearningPodcastPolicy & ReformRetention & Social Promotion SeriesSpecial EducationSTEMTeacher EducationTeachersTestingYear-Round Schooling

    The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 5: The Archetype of a Great Teacher

    Spread the loveOne of the questions that I am frequently asked is, what does a good teacher look like? I respond by mentioning my 10th-grade Biology teacher, Mrs. Minor, and ...

International Education

  • Education FoundationsInternational Education

    4 Reasons You Should Study Geography

    Spread the loveUsually, people are under the wrong impression that geography does not offer many job opportunities, and there are no jobs for a geographer. They think that studying geography ...
  • International Education

    How International Baccalaureate (IB) Programs Work

    Spread the loveThe International Baccalaureate Program is a very intensive pre-college program in which when students get involved, they get college credit. Unlike most other learning initiatives, this program deeply ...
  • International Education

    Globalization: Everything You Need to Know

    Spread the loveGlobalization is the growing interconnectedness of countries around the world. It involves increasing communication and various forms of interaction between people of different nations, ethnicities and cultures. There ...
  • AssessmentEducation LeadershipHigher EducationInternational EducationProfessional DevelopmentTeachers

    So You Want to Attend Graduate School: The 411 on Grad School Admissions Tests

    Spread the loveApplying for admission to professional and graduate schools is no less competitive than college/undergraduate admissions. If you’re planning to pursue a degree in business, law, medicine, or graduate ...
  • Higher EducationInternational Education

    What Extracurricular Activities Impress Colleges the Most?

    Spread the loveWhen you apply to schools that offer holistic admissions or apply to a college using the Common Application, you will have to describe your participation in extracurricular activities. ...

Early Childhood Education

  • Early Childhood

    Gross Motor Skills: Everything You Need to Know

    Spread the loveIt’s a term used to describe those skills needed to regulate coordination and movement of the large muscles of the upper and lower limbs, as well as the ...
  • Early Childhood

    10 CARD GAMES EVERY KID SHOULD KNOW

    Spread the loveA regular 52-card deck is a lovely thing. There are many activities for youngsters and families to enjoy in one portable set of cards. Yet youngsters get trapped ...
  • Early Childhood

    NATIVE AMERICAN PICTURE BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

    Spread the loveIf you frequent my book lists, you are aware of my strong belief in the ability of children’s literature to affect social change. 1) By exposing kids to ...
  • Early Childhood

    CHILDREN’S BOOKS THAT ADDRESS LONELINESS

    Spread the loveWe all experience loneliness occasionally, but loneliness and isolation may occasionally overwhelm youngsters. By telling stories of other people who have experienced comparable feelings, adults may aid youngsters ...
  • Early Childhood

    PICTURE BOOKS ABOUT THE MOON FOR IMAGINATIVE CHILDREN

    Spread the loveDo your children share my fascination with the moon? These children’s books about the moon should be added to your reading list if this is the case. Stat. ...

Gifted and Talented Education

  • Gifted and Talented Education

    Twice-Exceptional: What Does it Mean?

    Spread the loveTo be twice-exceptional is to be exceptionally gifted in some academic aspects while being below average compared to peers in other aspects. As a matter of fact, such ...
  • Gifted and Talented Education

    A Guide to Talent Search Programs

    Spread the loveThe Talent Search Initiative has as its aim; the identification of high-performing students by organizing specific tests. Different avenues are then provided for these students to channel their ...
  • Gifted and Talented EducationK-12

    Homogeneous Grouping: What You Need to Know

    Spread the loveThis term refers to the grouping of students by mental capability, aptitude, or hobbies. For instance, gifted students are placed in one group, and students with special needs ...
  • Gifted and Talented Education

    Cluster Grouping: What You Need to Know

    Spread the loveThis term describes a manner of classifying gifted students to place them in properly segmented classrooms. For example, about five to seven extremely bright pupils with comparable skill ...
  • Gifted and Talented EducationHigher Education

    Merit Scholarships: Everything Your Need to Know

    Spread the loveThese are monetary gifts awarded by institutions to superbly gifted students, who have set themselves apart by their exceptional performance in schoolwork, regardless of whether they require the ...

Black Boys in Crisis Series

  • Black Boys in Crisis

    The Importance of Mentoring Young African-American Males

    Spread the loveTeachers need to realize that at home, in their neighborhoods, and in school, many students face difficulties that can interfere with learning. Compared to their middle-class counterparts, it ...
  • Black Boys in CrisisDiversityEquity

    7 Ways That Black Students are Discriminated Against in U.S K-12 Schools

    Spread the loveAfrican Africans have a long history of being mistreated in the United States, starting with slavery. It should come as no surprise that their children face the same ...
  • Ask An ExpertAssessmentAssistive TechnologyBlack Boys in CrisisChild Development TechClassroom ManagementDigital & Mobile TechnologyDigital LeadershipDisabilitiesEarly ChildhoodEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech & InnovationEdTech Policy & ReformEducation LeadershipElementary EducationElementary SchoolEquityFeaturedFirst Year TeachersFreshGamificationGifted and Talented EducationHBCU'sHigh SchoolHigher EducationK-12Online Learning & eLearningOpEducationPersonalized LearningPodcastPolicy & ReformRetention & Social Promotion SeriesSpecial EducationSTEMTeacher EducationTeachersTesting

    The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 6: 8 Ways That Digital Age Teachers Avoid Burning Out

    Spread the loveBeing a teacher is a tough job. So much so, many new teachers end up leaving the field within their first three years. To ensure that the next ...
  • Ask An ExpertAssessmentAssistive TechnologyBlack Boys in CrisisBullyingChild DevelopmentChild Development TechClassroom ManagementCurrent Ed NewsDigital LeadershipEarly ChildhoodEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech & InnovationEdTech Policy & ReformEdTech Startups & BusinessesEducation LeadershipEquityFeaturedFirst Year TeachersFreshGamificationGifted and Talented EducationHBCU'sHigh SchoolHigher EducationHigher Education EdTechK-12Matthew LynchModern ParentingOnline Learning & eLearningOpEducationPersonalized LearningPodcastPolicy & ReformRetention & Social Promotion SeriesSpecial EducationSTEMTeacher EducationTeachersTestingYear-Round Schooling

    The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 5: The Archetype of a Great Teacher

    Spread the loveOne of the questions that I am frequently asked is, what does a good teacher look like? I respond by mentioning my 10th-grade Biology teacher, Mrs. Minor, and ...
  • Ask An ExpertAssistive TechnologyBlack Boys in CrisisBullyingChild DevelopmentChild Development TechClassroom ManagementDisabilitiesDiversityEarly ChildhoodEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech & InnovationEdTech Policy & ReformEducation LeadershipElementary EducationElementary SchoolEquityFeaturedFirst Year TeachersFreshGifted and Talented EducationHigh SchoolHigher EducationHigher Education EdTechK-12Middle SchoolModern ParentingOnline Learning & eLearningParent & Family TechParentingPersonalized LearningPodcastPolicy & ReformSecondary EducationSTEMTeacher EducationTeachersTesting

    The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 4: How to Create a Culturally Responsive Classroom

    Spread the loveBuilding a culturally responsive classroom is hard. To help you along your journey, here is your guide to exploring and respecting the cultural backgrounds of your students while ...

RSS Matthew on Education Week

  • Au Revoir from Education Futures November 20, 2018 Matthew Lynch
  • 6 Steps to Data-Driven Literacy Instruction October 17, 2018 Matthew Lynch
  • Four Keys to a Modern IT Approach in K-12 Schools October 2, 2018 Matthew Lynch
  • What's the Difference Between Burnout and Demoralization, and What Can Teachers Do About It? September 27, 2018 Matthew Lynch
  • Revisiting Using Edtech for Bullying and Suicide Prevention September 10, 2018 Matthew Lynch

About Us

The Edvocate was created in 2014 to argue for shifts in education policy and organization in order to enhance the quality of education and the opportunities for learning afforded to P-20 students in America. What we envisage may not be the most straightforward or the most conventional ideas. We call for a relatively radical and certainly quite comprehensive reorganization of America’s P-20 system.

That reorganization, though, and the underlying effort, will have much to do with reviving the American education system, and reviving a national love of learning.  The Edvocate plans to be one of key architects of this revival, as it continues to advocate for education reform, equity, and innovation.

Newsletter

Signup for The Edvocate Newsletter and have the latest in P-20 education news and opinion delivered to your email address!

Contact

The Edvocate
5322 Markel Road, Suite 104
Richmond, VA 23230
(601) 630-5238
[email protected]

Follow us

Copyright (c) 2022 Matthew Lynch. All rights reserved.