District presents revised crisis-communications plan after outside audit; clarifies roles and templates

District communications and safety staff presented a revised crisis‑communications plan intended to standardize responsibilities, templates and procedures following an outside communications audit.

Beth (communications) and Jason Brown (director of safety and security) said the Donovan Group interviewed about 30 internal and external stakeholders—including administrators, staff, local law enforcement and municipal partners—then helped the district tailor crisis templates and training. The district provided administrators with professional learning on the revised plan in August and retains access to Donovan Group support for 24‑7 crisis communications assistance.

Presenters said strengths identified in the review included timely family alerts via text and email, layered internal communications tools (radio, Syntegix, email) and positive first‑responder relationships. Challenges included an overreliance on individual institutional knowledge, unclear backup roles, gaps in centralized training for district staff, and inconsistent debriefing on smaller events. To address those gaps the plan clarifies roles and backup responsibilities, defines media-staging areas and press-briefing procedures, standardizes an information‑gathering form and provides debriefing guidance.

Next steps include distributing a crisis‑plan toolbox to central office and flowchart participants, confirming that assigned individuals understand their roles, and an annual review to keep procedures current. Presenters said the objective is to enable building leaders to focus on student safety while communications implements the plan’s media and family outreach components.