Schools Crisis and Issues Management
A school public relations crisis can occur in minutes. Are you prepared?
- MANAGE REPUTATION: MINIMISE POTENTIAL DAMAGE
- MANAGE MEDIA - WHAT TO SAY (OR NOT TO SAY) AND HOW TO MINIMISE NEGATIVE COVERAGE
- ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN PARENTAL TRUST AND SATISFACTION
- ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN STAFF TRUST, SECURITY AND SUPPORT
- MAINTAIN SCHOOL BOARD, COMMUNITY AND STAKEHOLDER CONFIDENCE
- BE CONFIDENT AND RESILIENT IN YOUR CRISIS RESPONSE CAPABILITIES
Anyone can record and publish an incident on their smartphone – it will all be captured and can be distributed within seconds of the event. A school public relations crisis can occur in minutes! Just Google ‘school bus crash’ or ‘drugs found at elite private school’.
In our experience of managing issues and crises communications in independent schools, the following are the top crisis fears that keep school leaders awake at night:
- Sexual abuse scandals
- Traditional and social media campaigns by disgruntled parents
- Bullying and cyberbullying: sometimes leading to extreme consequences such as self-harm or suicide
- Substance abuse issues: Instances of drug and alcohol abuse
- Staff retention and performance
- Declining enrolment numbers
- Leadership challenges and complaints
- Student wellbeing and safety – Death or injury to students on excursion or camp
- Financial mismanagement
However, each school has its own unique concerns. Communication & Media Manoeuvres works with you to create a school crisis communications management plan and to prepare you and your executive team for managing media, school community and external stakeholder communications in a crisis or a high-level issue when it happens.
We provide:
- Crisis Planning – a crisis communications plan, including templates for media and school community communications
- Crisis Communication Training – leadership spokesperson training for addressing media and school community members
- Crisis Communications Management – in a high-level issue or crisis, time is of the essence. If a school does not communicate quickly with the right messages, the school’s reputation can be crucified and spiral out of control. We stand beside leadership and communications staff with the right strategy and communications -including dealing with the media and media statements to keep you and your school ‘safe’.
Managing communications in high-level issues and crisis situations is a crucial specialist skill that most schools do not have internally.
Communications & Media Manoeuvres’ expert crisis communications advisors and former journalists have over 15 years of successful experience in schools’ issues and crisis management communications, for dozens of independent schools in Australia. We have seen it all!
We identify the most likely risks that your school faces and together we minimise risk, increase compliance and support your team’s communications response capability.
The schools Communication & Media Manoeuvres works with are ready to manage a crisis or high-level issue, whenever it may hit.
Find out if we’re the right fit.
To find out if we’re the right fit for your media training needs, call us or email for a confidential discussion.
We’ll be happy to give you specific recommendations for training tailored to your objectives.
