By Julie Metea
Special to School Transportation News

Not many people choose to put themselves in the middle of a crisis, but that's the mindset needed to help school personnel build a communication plan.

Even under intense stress, a school district with a strategic communication plan and well-trained team can make a big difference in how people respond to a crisis. Once general procedures are established, educators can prepare for unforeseen scenarios - from school bus accidents to natural disasters.

"The time to prepare for a crisis situation is not when it occurs, but long before when you have time to map out all appropriate action steps," said Karen Kleinz, associate director, National School Public Relations Association. "We need to communicate with parents and the community about the importance of combining our efforts to provide children with a happy, healthy and safe learning environment."

A School Bus Crisis
A crisis communication plan is an important item in the overall emergency operations. A recent school bus incident in Liberty, Mo., shows how a district can benefit from a communication plan in four phases: pre-planning; immediate responses; critical updates; and post-crisis recovery.

On the last day before winter break, Communications Director Jim Dunn received a call from a television news reporter who said a live truck was on the scene of a student-filled school bus with bullet-penetrated windows.

Dunn admitted he was afraid but prepared. He triggered the crisis communication plan, and his support team kicked into action. Dunn led the process and notified parents and the media. Part of the team responded to safeguard the school bus occupants. On-board technology (GPS and cameras) helped determine the bus location and the condition of occupants. Others helped launch an accident investigation.

"The bus driver already knew what to do - call the supervisor and watch the kids. It's a key role," said Dunn. "Calling the media and parents with an initial message was time consuming but critical. And then we told people what we knew, when we knew it."

For critical updates, the school district has an established email newsletter that is distributed to a list of about 3,000, including parents, teachers and the media. In this case, Dunn said it worked well to provide quick updates.

As part of post-crisis recovery, Dunn informed all parties about the investigation, which inconclusively showed a bullet made the small hole in the school bus window.

"We have a strategic communication plan with clear responsibilities and accountability," said Dunn, who actively shares his experiences as board president of the National School Public Relations Association.

Key Elements of a Crisis Communication Plan
At a minimum, school districts should have a few pre-established items. They include a role and responsibility checklist, designated communicators, solid working relationships with local emergency departments, and access to local mental health services and clergy. Above all, all participants need to be trained. Especially bus drivers who need to know their roles on the frontline.

"Team members should have aids, such as flip charts with media protocol and death notification protocol. A bus driver should not have to do an interview with CNN or tell a parent about a child's death," said Michael Dorn, executive director, Safe Havens International Inc.
The public relations industry recommends that school districts retain a communications manager or consultant. Administrators have the role of managing an onsite crisis and dealing with the well being of students and employees. The communications manager is key to responding to reporters, parents and other stakeholders in the district. A good communications manager also should have solid relationships with local emergency officials.

Educators also can benefit from an aligned crisis communication plan. Some state education departments develop a template that can be shared with their districts. The district can adjust the template to fit its local needs. Parents should be notified - at a high level - about the crisis communication process.

Dorn said school districts with limited personnel, just as larger school districts, must first have a well-designed crisis plan that clearly defines the roles of each employee. He also advocates entering mutual aid agreements to pool resources with other counties, such as using another district's public information officer to handle all media requests during an emergency.

"You've got to have in your plan what we call a media protocol," he said. "If we don't practice (Incident Command Systems) everyone is cross-communicating."

For the Bus Driver
The National Association for Pupil Transportation provides some of the most comprehensive guidelines to prepare school bus transportation personnel for emergencies. Its booklet, "School Bus Emergency Incident Guidelines," spells out who to involve in the process and how to prepare them.

The booklet addresses a variety of emergency response issues, including planning, security, emergency procedures and communication. The bus driver's most important roles are to protect students and report an incident to the designated emergency contact. Guidelines indicate that the school spokesperson should protect the driver from media interviews at the scene. They should handle the required police reports and communication with families.

"Supervisors need to make sure drivers are trained. Drivers need to know how to size up an emergency, how to protect students, and then how to alert the team," said Donald Tudor, South Carolina's director of transportation and editor of the NAPT booklet. "The biggest mistake is not training them and expecting them to deal with the situation."

Drivers are not encouraged to say anything externally, because it could become official and used in a court of law. If the media confronts a driver, the booklet provides a few suggestions. They include referring the media to the spokesperson, projecting a professional image, remaining calm and being aware of the background setting. It's critical to protect the students and their identification.

Resources for Crisis Communication
Some districts pay to bring in experts, but free resources are available. The U.S. Department of Education has extensive links for emergency and communication planning at www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/index.html . It also provides best practices through web links to school districts, including Fairfax, Va., county public schools and Montgomery, Md., county public schools.

The Liberty, Mo., school district's web site (www.liberty.k12.mo.us) also could be considered a best practice, because it provides parents with details on school safety, security and communication. The National School Public Relations Association (www.nspra.org) provides a variety of resources, including free advice on structuring a communications department. The Public Relations Society of America ( www.prsa.org ) also provides general communication resources and topics.

"I do feel very positive that schools are really on top of these things. They understand the importance of this. They take it seriously," said Kleinz.