More than nine months have passed since the December 14, 2012, school shooting attack upon Sandy Hook Elementary School in the Newtown, Connecticut, school district where 20 children and 6 school staff members were left dead. The horrific nature of the attack upon our youngest and most vulnerable children — elementary students — served as […]
Blog Archives
When social media turns into trouble: School threats, rumors, fights and more
They’re talking about your school on social media: gossip on Facebook, school fights on YouTube, threats on Twitter. Every child with a cell phone, every driver who sees a bus accident, every parent who disagrees with a teacher…they’re all texting and tweeting and posting pictures, videos and comments. Do you know what they’re saying? Information […]
You do have a school Crisis Communications plan – don’t you?
If you ever face a major crisis at your school – and we hope you don’t – you’ll learn the real meaning of the phrase “misery loves company.” Hundreds of reporters will descend upon you, and they’re not just the local reporters on the education beat. You will face reporters from major newspapers and online […]
Beware of school safety analysts’ double-talk, mixed messages
School shootings are down, they are nothing new and they are not that common. But please fund my research proposal on school shootings, pay me thousands of dollars to teach you my model for assessing threats of shootings and hire my fellow consultant for a few thousand bucks to show you how many dozen guns he can conceal […]
More of What Parents Want to Know About School Safety
Prevention and preparedness. Parents want to know about both of these school safety components. Could you and your school leaders answer these two questions with specific examples if asked unexpectedly? What specific steps have you taken to prevent incidents of violence and crime in your school(s)? How well prepared are your school staff to respond to and […]
Timely Parent and Media Communications on School Safety
Failing to communicate school safety and crisis incidents to parents and the media in an effective and timely manner can become its own separate story. It can also put a dent in the credibility of a school district and its leaders from the superintendent to the building principal. One reporter working on a story which questioned a school […]