Crisis Management in Education

Presented by Kim Floyd, Public Information Specialist for Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, Alaska by Allison Brown

Schools are an ever-growing population. Parents expect their children to not only learn, but to be cared for and watched after. So what does a school do when it finds itself in a crisis situation`? Just like any other business, the school calls on its public relations professional.

Kim Floyd is the public information specialist for Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District in Alaska. She spoke to students about some common tips for dealing with crisis communication in the field of education.

Floyd believes that "PR is about public relationships." And with all relationships there are certain communication problems. Floyd has realized throughout the course of her career that teachers do not know how to communicate with parents. But when something goes wrong, the teachers are the first to hear about it. This is where PR comes into play.

First, Floyd gave a definition of both a crisis and an issue. An issue has two-sides, shows a difference of opinion and is emotional. A crisis is an out of control issue. Both of these are prevalent in any school district.

Today, schools are much different than they used to be. Parents are now educated about what their children should be getting out of their education. According to Floyd there are several external challenges on school faculty and administration, one challenge being that no one can agree on the purpose of education.

There are also several internal challenges. Like mentioned before, teachers have no communication training. They can relate to their students, but not to the people who raise them. Schools also deal with constant change and criticism and parents who think they know best.

The public that the school system is trying to reach has changed drastically over the years. They now have shorter attention spans, are incredibly busy and impatient, care little for the chain of command, and want what's best for their children now. It is much more difficult to reach out to the public so that they can get the information they need.

Floyd narrowed down the types of school crises into six categories: school-based emergency (bomb threat, shooting, etc.), takeover crisis (contract negotiations), scandal (sexual abuse), disagreement, bedfellow crisis (personal life affects institution), and operational failure. In all these categories the most important thing is that student safety comes first. The PR professional must figure out who's in charge, decide how it will be resolved, realize you can't please everyone, realize that facts don't mean anything to angry parents and that drama is queen.

In closing, Floyd gave listeners a few lessons to live by. She says you should be the bearer of bad news, express concern for victims, don't scapegoat, don't insult, promise action and follow up.

No crisis is easy, but Floyd reminds students to "always trust your instincts" when dealing with a problem, no matter what industry you are working in.

 

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