Communicating School Safety Confidently for Leaders & Districts

By Tamara Croom Doss, MSHRM, CEM; Doctor of Science Candidate in Emergency Management; Jacksonville State University

School districts everywhere are learning that communication is not an afterthought to school safety. It is one of the most critical leadership skills you can practice. Parents have high expectations, threats are constant, and social media is faster than most notification systems. When something does happen, families want to know their district has a plan and is willing to tell them what they need to know. Leaders who communicate confidently about safety before, during, and after an emergency can build trust and promote the appropriate family response. Studies show confident communication can even influence student and staff behavior in critical moments.¹

Trust is a vital component of crisis communication. Families report they will act on instructions from school leaders if they know and trust them, and believe their children are their top priority.² Parents of students with medical or special healthcare needs were also more likely to follow instructions if they came from a trusted school source.³ Findings from these studies are not new to many leaders. When people know you care about them and their needs, they are more likely to listen to your instructions. Communication also plays a significant role in recovery. Schools return to normalcy quicker when leaders communicate with empathy and deliver calm, consistent messages.⁴ Trust like that is not established when a crisis occurs; it is earned years before with routine conversations and interactions. Leaders should post safety information on their website, include the “why” behind safety drills, and encourage families to ask questions. Over time, these small steps build a relationship that the community can rely on during stressful times.

Communication starts with active listening, but it is often one of the first skills overlooked. Students, families, and staff members walk through school doors with fears, assumptions, and needs that will ultimately dictate how they react during an emergency. Researchers found many parents assumed they should immediately go to school to reunify with their children, even if that meant getting in the way of first responders.⁵ Schools cannot correct misunderstandings if they do not ask families about their assumptions or needs. Host listening sessions, build family advisory groups, send multilingual surveys, and have ongoing culturally informed conversations to learn what your community expects and needs from you. You cannot improve what you do not understand, and this feedback is crucial when updating your district’s emergency operations plan or communication practices.

Day-to-day conversations about safety set the stage for how confidently you will communicate with your community during an emergency. Schools with established safety cultures do not view communication as a monthly responsibility. It is integrated into every process. These schools slow down to explain procedures in clear, jargon-free language. They post student-friendly safety information online and ensure families know what to expect during reunification long before an emergency happens.⁶ Additionally, all pre-crisis communication should be accessible, translated, and inclusive. Taking an equity lens into conversations and planning ensures all families, regardless of language, background, or ability know what your district expects from them during an emergency.

In an emergency, families want information as soon as possible. But the problem is, misinformation usually spreads before your district can issue a formal statement. Within minutes of school shootings and other school-related emergencies, social media posts will spike and many will include incorrect details.⁷ One way to combat rumors is to train staff on what can and cannot be shared during an emergency. Leaders can communicate confidently by being clear about what is known, what the school is doing, and when they will have more information to share. Emotional intelligence is also crucial. Principals who validated their community’s emotions, expressed fear alongside their students, and spoke calmly were able to regain trust even if they could not provide all the answers.⁴

During the recovery phase, families want information and reassurance. They want to know what happened, what is next for the school, and how they can help their children. Although some information may need to stay private, there are still things districts can share with families after an emergency, including:

• Next steps

• How the school is preventing similar incidents

• Mental health resources

• Debrief opportunities

Hosting staff, family, and community debriefs after emergencies reinforces your commitment to transparency and helps build relationships. Communication should not stop after the recovery stage either. Districts should continue following up with families long after an event to reinforce how they are learning and improving.

Family engagement is another critical element of your communication strategy. Students and families who interact with first responders differently due to their cultural background, trauma history, or previous experiences may understand your messages differently during a crisis. In research focused on preparing children with medical needs for disasters, families were found to be better prepared when school districts created culturally specific disaster kits and communication plans.3 Partner with community members who have already built trust with families, translate materials into their native languages, and provide all communication in accessible formats.

Technology has impacted how schools communicate in an emergency. Districts can now push mass notifications through numerous channels like school apps, parent portals, and text-message systems. Many districts also monitor social media closely when something happens to their school because misinformation spreads quickly.⁷ While technology has helped improve communication, schools should always have contingency plans if your systems go down. Cyberattacks and technical glitches happen, so prepare alternative communication systems before an emergency.

Districts should also partner with community stakeholders to strengthen communication. If your school partners with fire departments, emergency management agencies, law enforcement, hospitals, and mental health agencies on emergency preparedness, it will naturally reflect in your communication. Everyone will have a unified message because it stems from shared knowledge. Conduct joint drills and table-top exercises, or develop shared communication protocols to build these relationships long before an emergency hits your community. Your relationship with local media is important too. Share accurate information with your local news outlets during low-risk events so they know you are a reliable source that values responsible coverage.

As mentioned before, all communication should be continuously evaluated. After every drill or incident, take the time to review:

• Was your message clear?

• Did families receive the message in a timely manner?

• Did everyone know what they were supposed to do?

Strong school safety cultures value communication enough to make it a part of their routine evaluation.⁶ Hold debriefs with staff, survey families about their experiences, and review your current platforms. Find what is working and improve on what is not.

Communication has evolved from being a component of school safety to the foundation of school safety. How you talk about safety and respond to emergencies will shape how families perceive your school, how staff members react, and if students will stay calm and follow instructions. When people know you care about them, hear their fears and concerns, and give them timely updates they can understand, you will build a community that trusts you during a crisis. Invest in your school culture, build relationships, use technology to your advantage, partner with first responders, and commit to improving every day and you can improve communication practices for your entire school community.

References

1. Reynolds B, Seeger MW. Crisis and emergency risk communication as an integrative model. J Health Commun. 2005;10(1):43-55. http://doi.org/10.1080/10810730590904571

2. Houri AK, Thayer AJ, Cook CR. Targeting parent trust to enhance engagement in a school–home communication system: a double-blind experiment of a parental wise feedback intervention. School Psychology. 2019;34(4):421-432. http://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000318

3. Hipper TJ, Davis R, Massey PM, et al. The disaster information needs of families of children with special healthcare needs: a scoping review. Health Secur. 2018;16(3):178-192. http://doi.org/10.1089/hs.2018.0007

4. Brymer MJ, Jacobs AK, Layne CM, et al. Psychological First Aid for Schools (PFA-S): Field Operations Guide. National Child Traumatic Stress Network; 2017. https://www.nctsn.org/resources/psychological-first-aid-schools-pfa-s-field-operations-guide

5. Zhe EJ, Nickerson AB. Effects of an intruder crisis drill on children’s knowledge, anxiety, and perceptions of school safety. School Psychol Rev. 2007;36(3):501-508. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ788357

6. U.S. Department of Education, Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance Center. Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans. 2022. https://rems.ed.gov/docs/REMS_K-12_Guide_508.pdf

7. Palen L, Anderson KM. Crisis informatics—new data for extraordinary times. Science. 2016;353(6296):224-225. http://doi.org/10.1126/science.aag2579