The answer is YES.

School safety is a deeply important topic for both school staff and families. Communication plays a key role in helping families understand the steps schools are taking behind the scenes to keep our communities safe. We sat down with Justine, one of our communications professionals who supports districts in Southwest Washington, to talk about how to approach this important topic with clarity, consistency, and care.

From an accountant to a marketer to a newspaper publisher to a school communicator and operations manager, Rick Parrish has worn a lot of hats in the course of his career. Now starting his 8th year with Longview Public Schools, our Senior Designer, Melissa, picked Rick’s brain about his professional journey and Longview’s school safety communications.

When a crisis hits, communication can either foster trust, or damage it. At this year’s School Safety Summit, I led a session with other area communicators, “Communicating Through Crisis,” that offered practical strategies to prepare, respond, and recover with clarity and confidence.

Here are key takeaways from the session to help you plan ahead: