Effective communication will assist you in getting through a crisis in your school community. And when done professionally, it will also protect one of your system’s most precious characteristics, its credibility. Whether big or seemingly small, any crisis can damage your district’s well-being. Social media and built-in community networks easily spread their messages to fan the flames of even a small incident.

Today, concerns for school safety are stronger than ever. The challenges are real and we need to be prepared for any negative occurrence in our schools. This session will help you fine-tune your crisis planning steps with the assistance of two veteran school communication professionals. They will draw from their collective experience and also pull highly relevant information from NSPRA’s new 4th edition of The Complete Crisis Communication Management Manual for Schools.

Panelists: Rick Kaufman, APR, executive director, community relations & emergency management, Bloomington (Minn.) Public Schools; and Terri McHugh, APR, community relations director, School District 54, Schaumburg, Ill.

Moderator: Athena Vadnais, APR, director, communications and community engagement, Gresham-Barlow School District, Gresham, Ore., and NSPRA Northwest Region vice president