Authentic, transparent and timely school communication crucial during threats, expert says

Years ago, when there was an emergency at a school, the incident was addressed sequentially.

The incident would occur, schools and law enforcement officials could investigate, handle the situation, and then communicate what happened to students’ families.

Now, with the internet and social media, much of that has to happen at the same time, forcing school officials and police to decide in real time what information can be disseminated.

“Today, in a world where we’re on digital steroids — and that’s the adults, not the kids — the communications are parallel, not sequential,” said Kenneth Trump, a national school safety and security expert. “School leaders not only have to manage the crisis of the incident itself … they also have to manage the communications component.”

Through students’ texts and social media, the community finds out about incidents, like threats, often before the school can communicate them, Trump said.

That means rumors and misinformation can spread in real-time — often before officials can get out the facts.

Recently, schools in Western Pennsylvania have seen a rash of threats, putting a spotlight on how districts handle their communications with the public.

“School leaders can handle these incidents perfectly, but if they drop the ball with their communications, it can cost them their credibility within the school community,” Trump said.

Burrell School District was hit with a social media threat that locked down schools Monday and forced a virtual learning day Tuesday. An arrest has not been announced in that case.

It took 40 minutes from the start of the districtwide lockdown to the first communication to parents and families in Burrell, Superintendent Shannon Wagner said.

“The first thing we’re doing is making sure everyone’s safe,” Wagner said.

Wagner, Burrell school resource officer Rob Acquaviva, city police and Carla Roland, the district’s safety and security coordinator, discuss what information gets released to the public, Wagner said. Each situation determines what information is released and when.

“I will not compromise the investigation, nor will I release information about a minor,” Wagner said.

Burrell uses the Skyward platform to communicate with parents. Wagner stressed the importance of making sure parents’ contact information in the platform is updated.

After any emergency, Wagner and her team review procedures and discuss what occurred and what needs to be revised, she said.

“Our job, No. 1, is to keep them safe and send them home safe everyday. And then No. 2 is to educate them. And we know that,” Wagner said.

Communications to the community during incidents can be a challenge for administrators because they are juggling the handling of the situation while getting the word out to the community, Trump said.

Ultimately, their priority is to make sure students and staff are safe. It’s encouraged for administrators to include crisis communications and social media strategy in their emergency plan.

He stressed that communications should be authentic, transparent and timely. Vague and cryptic messages can give rise to more questions than answers.

“You have to have some level of granular piece of this and at least put some meat on the bones to give enough concrete information to be transparent,” Trump said.

Schools also have to balance confidentiality laws and the integrity of the investigation. It’s ideal for information to come from school leaders who most families know — most often, that’s the building principal, “the face of the school,” Trump said.

Officials in the Allegheny Valley School District inform parents of incidents by email, text or phone call, depending on the situation, said district spokeswoman Jan Zastawniak.

“Once a threat has been received, administrators and school police start an investigation,” she said. “A determination on the situation is made, and communication follows. We try to get information out as quickly as possible, but sometimes that takes a few hours.”

Parents are informed by the district whenever an emergency situation — which could be a medical situation, a rumor, a threat or online incident — becomes known, Zastawniak said.

“We try to notify parents about these matters to reduce rumors, anxiety about the situation, and allow parents to get information back to the district that may help with any type of investigation,” she said.

What’s released to parents and when depends on the situation, Zastawniak said. Administrators and school police discuss what’s released, which can sometimes be limited, because schools operate under confidentiality laws and policies, she said. Information that may be part of an investigation is never released.

Zastawniak coordinates communication for the district, but “it is a team effort,” she said, which consists of the superintendent, building principal and school police officer. Sometimes, a counselor or administrator may be part of the group.

“We try to release as much information as we can as soon as we can,” Zastawniak said. “We want parents to have the information they need to understand what is happening or has happened during an incident.

“We all have the same goal: to create the safest environment possible for students and staff.”