Crisis Management in Education

Consider the following scenario:

A principal shared, “We had a threat written on a bathroom wall that said, dont come to school this day, and half of the school didnt show up based on the threats. In the wake of that, people started reporting other things on social media. Things just seemed to spiderweb off of the initial threat and we ended up with kids suspended and expelled. To see the whole process unfold has been eye opening.”

Respond to the following questions:

How would you lead the school through this situation?
What information does the superintendent and board need to know?
What should you tell the public?
How can you avoid this turning into a crisis?

1. I would lead the school with specifics, not bringing in vague details unrelated to the matter, focusing only on facts and student safety. Not exposing student discipline is also priority.

2. The superintendent and board should know details and specifics related to the information, families and students affected, and a contact or point person regarding the matter.

3. The public should know there was a threat and that it has been dealt with and determined not a danger to students per local law enforcement. They should also know a contact or point person to direct questions or concerns related to this matter and how to get a hold of them. They should also be reassured that in matters like this there are specific protocols in place to determine threats and dangers to our school community.

4. Not instilling fear in the public would be my first step in responding to this situation. First local authorities would need to be contacted to determine if there is an actual threat to the safety of the school. Next a statement that does not provide specifics on the threat, just that there is a threat, and that it has been dealt with accordingly by school administration. ensuring families that students are safe and if we thought otherwise they would be informed and removed from any hostile environment efficiently.