10
3. Communication
The third step is to
reach out to other
necessary
parties
(Board of Education,
Administrators, families,
etc.) to share some
basic information or
express condolences.
Do this when you have
some time after the
initial assessment of the
situation has taken
place and confirmation
of identities has been
received from Law
Enforcement officials.
When families are contacted, try to be as
sensitive and delicate as possible throughout the
conversation. It is a good idea to ask about their
wishes for dissemination of information about their
children, including the following issues:
Would they like the school to release a
current yearbook picture to the media, if
asked?
Would they be interested in accepting
donations from the community (food,
counseling, memorial gifts, money, etc.)?
If so, can we have a contact number to
offer to groups seeking to give
assistance?
Would they like the school to clean out
their student’s lockers for them? If so,
identify a secure area in the school office
where families can collect their student’s
belongings.
4. Release of information
The fourth step will be to set a time for a press
conference and give adequate time for a message to
be developed containing the appropriate facts. If
possible, try to allow for no more than 3 to 6 hours of
lapse time.
Plan to work closely with the authorities to
determine facts, assess conclusions drawn, and
agree upon the best way to release the information
(who speaks about what issues, etc.)
Determine where the press conference will be
held. My recommendation is that it
not
occur on
school property.
5. Assistance in a crisis
The fifth step is to begin filtering who, what,
when, where, and how you will use whatever is being
offered. Prepare yourself to be inundated with offers
that come in all at once. In your desire to do the
right thing, deciding what to accept and what not to
accept can become overwhelming. This process
comes down to a balancing act from the heart as to
what to take and what to decline. It is leadership
laced with compassion.
For example, we accepted the help of counselors
from neighboring school districts and a local hospital
in the days after the tragedy we experienced. We
politely declined the offer made by our bus company
to transport our students to memorial services
because our counselors advised us that this would
not be in the student’s best interest. Although it was
a nice gesture by the bus company, the counselors
felt that students should be accompanied by a parent
or guardian for support when attending a memorial
service for a classmate.
Closing Thoughts
In the end, the best thing that leaders can
provide in a time of crisis is a sense of calm
accompanied by clear direction for staff and the
community. The compassion and respect that you
show is what you will eventually be judged upon
when your reactions to the situation are evaluated.
(Continued
from page 9)
Loss of multiple students story —————————
“
In the end, the best thing that
leaders can provide in a time of
crisis is a sense of calm
accompanied by clear direction for
staff and the community. The compassion
and respect that you show is what you will
eventually be judged upon when your
reactions to the situation are evaluated
.
”
- Superintendent Jay Plese, Wilimington District 209U
Lessons
Learned
