with some key differences.
“When we had practiced or implemented
our crisis response in the past, we planned on
having key positions in the organization filled,”
said Director of Communications Danielle
Clark. “Last summer, we were between super
intendents, and I found myself deciding what
support we would offer to our community It
was unexpected, and time moved quickly. The
community needed our help
now,
and we sim
ply had to respond:’
Poudre schools provided similar support to
families and staff as Colorado Springs, and they
also followed a three-phase approach.
“A key difference is that we found ourselves
providing support to our rural community as
well. We were helping to find shelter for farm
animals and food for horses, cows and even
goats:’ Clark said.
“We
also focused on open
ing our schools so students could visit familiar
places where they felt safe.”
Clark highlighted the importance of hiring
a coordinator to handle the long-term effects
of the tragedy, an approach we took in Aurora
after the theater shooting.
I3logging
A1r
Read what superintendent
colleagues are blogging
about on
AASA CONNECT
(
.
You’ll find excerpts
on the, magazine’s
“BEST OF THE BLOGS”
page.
SthoolAdministrator
ESSENTIAL INSI6HTS AND COMMENTARY FOR SCHOOL SYSTEM LEADERS
42
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR OCTOBER 2013
Roles of Reassurance
In each of these tragedies, the school district
acted as the hub of the
community.
Their expe
riences provide useful lessons and confirmed
the critical role of school districts in offering
community safety and support.
One lesson we learned in Aurora is the
importance of talking with students about the
tragedies. “Some staff and parents wanted us
to shield students from the tragic news of the
shooting:’ said John L. Barr who retired in
June as Aurora’s superintendent. “But we real
ized that students would learn about it even
tually. For example, one kindergartner learned
about it from friends at a weekend swim class.
Regardless, we provided parents with the
opportunity to have their child opt out of the
discussions.”
Another lesson we learned was how pow
erful social media can be during a crisis. In
Colorado Springs, Ashby said, “we continually
updated the community via our Twitter and
Facebook pages, and we found that many fami
lies and staff relied on our updates:’
There’s a positive impact to providing per
I
