Communications director previews website launches, kindergarten outreach and continued CCIU audit

Lisa Palmieri, Kennett Consolidated School District communications director, told the communications committee on March 3 that the Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU) communications audit presentation is scheduled for the committee’s April meeting and that the district’s remaining elementary school websites should be launched within weeks.

Palmieri opened by saying, “The CCIU presentation has been scheduled for the next communication committee meeting in April,” and that the auditors had shared raw data and summary material she planned to use in the district’s communication and planning subcommittees. She described the audit as a beginning point and said she plans to continue measuring communication outcomes as new strategies come online: “I would really love to continue, the auditing process through my department as more communication strategies go online in the next year.”

The audit data Palmieri described showed increased optimism about the district’s new superintendent and higher trust in district communication, she said, but also a recurring desire among respondents for more information and greater improvements. Palmieri said CCIU staff had draft findings from surveys and focus groups and that the auditors will present a full report to the committee on April 7.

Why it matters: the audit and website updates are central to the district’s effort to consolidate messaging across schools and increase access for families who rely on newsletters, translations and direct district channels when navigating registration, health services and calendars.

Website rollout, newsletter and translation updates Palmieri said the final three elementary school sites are nearly complete: “When we, get together again in April, they will have been launched and fully loaded for our elementary families.” She described a content-creation workflow she is building with administrators to increase news stories and photography and said she expects to expand social media work after the website launch.

On translation, Palmieri said the district uses the Weglot translation tool but is nearing its current limits because of the volume of new content and will renegotiate the contract so “there’s no one ever has an experience where they can’t translate something on the website.” She also noted the district sometimes posts separate Spanish newsletters when automatic translation does not perform as expected.

Student content, photography and incentives Palmieri outlined plans to incorporate student-produced content, including a tentative meeting with the high school’s Demon Press and advisors to let students contribute to the main site. She said student work and athletics photography have been an early source of content and that the district plans regular features: “It would be of the week because there's so much sports going on.” Committee members suggested bylines and other incentives for student contributors; Palmieri said academic credit or bylines could be part of the approach but that she is still evaluating incentive models.

Kindergarten registration campaign and community outreach Palmieri described a multi-piece kindergarten promotion that was hand-delivered to preschool directors, including 5-inch round cards, bilingual flyers and stickers. She said the team built a consistent visual identity and pushed registration links to the top of district and school pages.

She described the distribution: preschool directors received roughly 25 packets to give to families, and staff delivered branded items, including sticker and cookie-cake deliveries, to local preschools to make the drive “memorable” and encourage enrollment ahead of staffing and planning deadlines.

Communications coordination and inboxes Palmieri said she has access to every school newsletter through the district's Smore CMS and pulls content from those newsletters into the district website. She also said principals can include her in SchoolMessenger emails and that the communications office is consolidating selected district messaging to create a single, consistent voice for families.

Crisis and access communications Palmieri described recent district communications tied to a federal law enforcement presence in the community on Feb. 21. She said the district convened executive staff and informed principals and families via an email and a temporary website pop-up; “we were highly prepared for that,” she said, and emphasized compliance with federal law and FERPA. Palmieri told the committee the district is discussing a dedicated crisis-information section for families and will work with counseling staff to identify what to host on the website.

Operational details and next steps Palmieri said a short survey approach—thumbs-up/thumbs-down or two- or three-question newsletter polls—would reduce “survey fatigue” while offering recurring temperature checks. She also said Dan’s technology team provides closed-captioning guidance via YouTube for board meetings and that she is working with the technology and communications teams on accessibility.

The communications committee did not take formal votes. Palmieri said CCIU’s full audit will be presented on April 7 and that the website and kindergarten promotion work will continue in the coming weeks.