A public relations expert from the Kansas Association of School Boards met with Great Bend USD 428 Board of Education members on Monday to present “Communicating During Difficult Times.”
Carol Pitts, KASB assistant executive director of marketing and public relations, focused on community engagement, crisis communication and media relations.
“The board operates in the public eye,” Pitts said. “It’s important to show accountability and transparency when engaging the community.”
Board member Susan Young said the board was addressing the topic “on the heels of some regrettable events.” She did not specifically mention a school bus incident last February that seemed to take on a life of its own, fueling protests, rumors, two juveniles being found guilty of misdemeanor battery and a pending lawsuit.
Board member Cheryl Rugan said sharing information didn’t always seem to help.
“We’ve learned the media can print whatever they want,” she said.
People need to hear from school officials more frequently during times of unease or unrest, Pitts said.
“When anything happens, people need to hear what’s going on,” Pitts said. “Silence is not golden. Misinformation will fill it in; someone will take over the communication.”
There are things school board members and administrators cannot say, such as information that would violate the privacy of students, Pitts said. Let the public know what you can’t say, she adviced.
An example of a situtation that causes public unease is the Legislature’s June 30 deadline to respond to the Kansas Supreme Count’s order to make school funding equitable or to risk a statwide shutdown on July 1.
Frequent updates are in order, even if the only information is that the district continues to monitor the situation and still doesn’t know what will happen.
The school district can use social media to convey information and to take the pulse of the public. If it continues to be a hotbed, continue to address it. “People need to hear frequently what you can say,” Pitts said. Her advice: Share what you know, talk about what you are doing, and be hontest about what you can’t share.
“I’ll try to do a better job of that,” Superindent Brad Reed said. “I hate repating myself when there’s nothing new.”
Pitts encouraged board members and administrators to build and maintain relationships with local media; maintain an overall culture of transparency; and look at media relations as a partnership.
“You have a story,” she said, referring to the many positive stories that reflect the board’s mission. “They need your story.”