Learning from the
Moment DISTRIC T COMMUNIC ATIONS DURING A PANDEMIC
Mackenzie Hines AND Aerial Adams EDITED BY Rachel Canter MississippiFirst.org
Acknowledgments The thank yous This report was completed collaboratively by Mississippi First staff members and a fellow. We extend special thanks to Jackson Public Schools (Sherwin Johnson and Georgette L. Keeler), Mississippi School of the Arts (Suzanne Hirsch), Mississippi Achievement School District (Morgan McMurtry), and Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District (Nicole Thomas) without whom this project would not have been possible. Lastly, we would like to thank our fellow Aerial Adams for her hard work on this project. This toolkit was made possible by the generous support of the Walton Family Foundation. The views expressed in this report are those of the Mississippi First alone.
Authors, editor, and designer
the team
MacKenzie Hines | Author | Chief of Staff MacKenzie leads communications and operations work at Mississippi First. Aerial Adams | Co-Author | Policy and Communications Fellow Aerial is responsible for assisting in policy and communications activities. Rachel Canter | Editor | Executive Director Rachel is the author or editor of all Mississippi First reports and leads or oversees all policy and advocacy work. Rachel founded Mississippi First in 2008. Brooke Williams | Designer | Policy and Communications Associate Brooke supports advocacy, communications, and engagement activities directed towards policymakers and stakeholders.
Mississippi First The mission
Driven to change the fact that Mississippi has historically been last, our founders set a bold vision: a Mississippi first in education nationally. Mississippi First champions transformative policy solutions ensuring educational excellence for every Mississippi child. We are a leading voice for state-funded pre-K, high-quality public charter schools, access to highly effective teachers, and rigorous state learning standards and materials. © Copyright 2021 Mississippi First Mississippi First encourages the non-commercial use, reproduction, and distribution of our ideas, perspectives, and analyses. We require attribution for all use. Commercial use is not allowed. 125 S. Congress Street, Suite 1510, Jackson, MS 39201 601.398.9008 • www.mississippifirst.org
Contents The LESSONS
1
introduction
3 research & sample 4 SCHOOL DISTRICTS 5 Takeaways 20 Conclusion 22 Case studies 24 Starkville Oktibbeha consolidated school district 34 Mississippi achievement school district 42 Jackson Public Schools 50 Mississippi school of the arts 57 Appendix
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Introduction Behind the study
O
n March 19, 2020, the state of Mississippi ordered its schools to close for the remainder of the academic year in response to the global novel coronavirus, commonly known as the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision affected approximately 483,150 Mississippi students across 1,066 K-12 public schools.
483,150
students across the state of Mississippi
The global crisis forced American schools to grapple with a host of new challenges. Schools had to figure out how to provide education when families could not physically access school and when many students also lacked access to devices and the internet. Schools also had to provide clear and timely information to students and their families regarding school closures and reopenings as well as new protocols to prevent infection and keep students and staff safe. There was no roadmap for how districts were to approach these challenges or how to communicate about them. Districts were left to do the best they could at a time when even the nation’s foremost experts on health and education were unsure what decisions would prove correct.
1,066 K-12 PUBLIC SCHOOLS
resource for school districts, policymakers, and the Mississippi Department of Education to understand the reopening process across the state. After our initial work to compile reopening plans, Mississippi First developed a one-pager of tips and best practices for district communications departments based on common problems we saw. Following this publication, we decided to study a sample of four school districts to better understand how Mississippi districts have navigated communicating important information such as school reopening plans. In early 2021, Mississippi First conducted research in four sample school districts on effective communications strategies for disseminating urgent information to parents and community members. From this research, we developed case studies of best practices and lessons learned for communicating in a crisis. The case studies also include sample materials that the Mississippi school districts used during the 2020-2021 school year. Finally, we developed resources for districts to use no matter what challenges they may face going forward. These resources include templates for school district communications professionals.
There was no roadmap for how districts were to approach the challenges of the pandemic or how to communicate about them.
One of the greatest needs we recognized over the last year was improving school district communications. In July 2020, Mississippi First released an online database which included a comprehensive list of public school districts across the state of Mississippi, their initial 2020-2021 reopening plans, and their social media channels. We updated this database through January 2021 to reflect any changes in reopening plans for the spring 2021 semester. This tool was a place for families and students to learn how their district would be operating throughout the school year. It also became a public MISSISSIPPI FIRST
LEARNING FROM THE MOMENT 1
4 2. 4.
School districts
1. 3.
starkville oktibbeha consolidated school district Learn about a recently consolidated district effectively leveraging a strong pre-pandemic communications foundation. Mississippi school of the arts Learn about a residential school with close student relationships trying to communicate to audiences statewide.
Mississippi achievement school district Learn about a new district that was focused on building community trust and then had to pivot to communicate through a pandemic. Jackson Public School District Learn about how a district navigated an entirely virtual first semester and then another school closure crisis in January 2021.
The four sampled districts are each unique in ways that we thought might provide valuable lessons. Each school district received and signed a memorandum of understanding to work with Mississippi First, completed a survey self-assessing the effectiveness of their reopening rollout strategy, and participated in a virtual interview via Zoom to discuss communications challenges, lessons learned, and best practices. We conducted interviews from February to March 2021 to determine the commonalities and unique characteristics across the districts that affected their communications. We completed follow-ups on an as-needed basis throughout spring 2021. 2
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Research & sample The journey
F
or this report, we used a qualitative research design that relied heavily on interviews, surveys, reviews of websites and materials, and our experience and expertise in communications. Although we sampled four school districts for in-depth case studies, we also reviewed websites for every single school district in Mississippi as a result of our school reopening tracker. For the districts selected for case studies, we sought to answer the following questions: • What were communications like prior to the pandemic? • What was the communications context, in terms of opportunities and barriers, for the district going into the pandemic? • How did the district reopen for the 2020-2021 school year? Did their reopening strategy change from August 2020 to May 2021? • How did the district make decisions regarding reopening? • How did districts communicate decisions with stakeholders regarding reopening and other COVID-19 policies? • What best practices and lessons learned can we glean from the experience of the districts? • What sample communications tactics and tips could help other districts streamline stakeholder communication post-pandemic?
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SCHOOL DISTRICTS 2020-2021 School YEAR Starkville oktibbeha consolidated school district Large, countywide school district; home of Mississippi State University; pre-K-12
Total Enrollment*
Demographics Male Female
Schools
4,906
10
African American/Black
65.2%
51.3%
48.7%
Demographics Caucasian/White Hispanic or Latino
29.9%
1.3%
Asian
3.6%
Mississippi Achievement school District Statewide, stand-alone school district; rural; high-poverty; K-12
Total Enrollment
Schools
3,652
11
African American/Black
98.1%
Demographics Male Female
49.5%
55.5%
Demographics Caucasian/White Hispanic or Latino
0.49%
0.97%
Other
0.38%
Jackson PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
The second-largest school district in Mississippi; high-poverty; pre-K-12 Demographics Male Female
Total Enrollment
Schools
20,401
53
African American/Black
Demographics Caucasian/White Hispanic or Latino
95%
50.7%
1.3%
49.3%
2.4%
Other
1.2%
Mississippi school of THE arts
Small, statewide, residential school district specializing in the arts; 11th-12th grade students only Total Enrollment*
School
100
1
African American/Black
38%
Demographics Male Female
20% Demographics Caucasian/White
55%
80%
Other/Unspecified
7%
We have noticed in some cases school district enrollment numbers for the 2020-2021 school year appear lower than previous years. Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District typically serves close to 5,100, but their enrollment for the 2020-2021 school year was 4,906. Similarly in a typical year, MSA has the capacity to enroll up to 120 students.
*
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Takeaways The FINDINGS
A
lthough the four school districts selected for this study are vastly different, we found three universal takeaways:
1 The pandemic reshaped school communications,
forcing districts to rely more heavily on remote methods, rather than paper notices or face-to-face interactions, to meet the evolving needs of stakeholders. When used effectively, these new methods led to higher community engagement than in pre-pandemic times.
2 Where the foundational conditions for effective communications
existed prior to the pandemic, districts had an easier time shifting to the new reality. Districts should ensure they have developed these foundational conditions as soon as possible.
3 Effective communications in a crisis use the same basic principles as
communications in ordinary times with some important shifts. Districts should be aware of these shifts in order to plan for future crises.
Takeaway one THE PANDEMIC RESHAPED SCHOOL COMMUNICATIONS
S
chools found that some of their most reliable methods of communication no longer worked as a result of school closures and social distancing. Schools could not rely on sending home paper notices of important information nor could they host in-person town halls, parent-teacher conferences, or school events. Almost overnight, they had to learn how to better utilize other channels, particularly telephone calls and texting, their website, social media platforms, and video conferencing, to get messages to parents. The urgency of communications also increased exponentially. With closures happening abruptly and instructional plans evolving day-to-day at some points, districts could not hope that parents would see messages rolled out slowly across different channels, which is how districts had previously communicated information about PTA meetings, events, and important deadlines that were planned in advance. MISSISSIPPI FIRST
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Based on the experiences of the four sample districts as well as our previous research on school reopening plans, we saw the following shifts:
1
Districts upgraded their websites to make them more functional and user friendly.
2 3
Districts began using social media more regularly and intentionally.
Districts began hosting meetings virtually using videoconferencing platforms to allow parents to engage with administrators, faculty, and staff while social distancing.
1
MORE FUNCTIONAL AND USER-FRIENDLY WEBSITES
For our reopening tracker, we reviewed every school district’s website on a daily, and then weekly, basis in July and August 2020. Oftentimes, we found navigating these websites challenging. Reopening plans and resources were frequently buried, requiring not only multiple “clicks” but trial and error to find where to go in the first place. In some cases, we had to call districts directly to get a copy of their reopening plan as it was either not posted online or simply too difficult to find. However, as time passed, we noticed many districts upgraded their websites. Prioritizing this expense was a great use of resources because making website navigation more intuitive helps parents and families access the information and resources they need more efficiently. User-friendly websites also provide a great place for districts to showcase their impact on students. Each school district participating in our study began using their websites for updating critical communications more often than they had in the past. While they observed that this was a necessary strategy, they also found that it was not as effective in gaining response or reaching audiences as other platforms they were using. Districts did discover, however, their websites were central platforms for not only communicating major updates, but also providing access to learning resources for students and families. 6
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2
MORE INTENTIONAL AND INTENSE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND SOCIAL APPS
Without in-person communications opportunities, districts began to explore online channels, including social media, like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as well as social apps, like GroupMe. Prior to COVID-19, many districts used at least one social media platform; however, many did not use these channels as the main touchpoint for parents and families. Over the course of the pandemic, we noted schools began posting on social media more regularly and expanding the type of content that they posted. Social media platforms and apps allow for content creators to easily upload many different types of program files, including video, gifs, documents, and graphics. School districts took advantage of this usability and got better at using social media as more than an online bulletin board. Early in the pandemic, some districts had better and more up-to-date information on their social media channels than on their websites. Reopening plans, for example, were sometimes available first (or only!) through Facebook posts. This occurrence may have been due to social media’s ease of use, whereas website updates may require a multi-step process or even waiting on an external contractor. At a time when many school districts had websites that lacked functionality, the shift to social media may have also been driven by technical considerations.
3
MORE VIDEOCONFERENCING
One big shift during the pandemic has been districts’ use of videoconferencing to connect with families when they could not interact in person. Many districts, including those in our sample, began relying on services like Zoom and Facebook Live to host meetings and events. In these spaces, districts could provide stakeholders live updates and hear direct responses using the chat and comment features. These interactive features enabled districts to reach parents regardless of location and even provided some parents greater access to district meetings that they previously could not attend due to scheduling or transportation issues. Once these meetings concluded, the video could be saved and archived to a website or social media channel. The two platforms do have some significant differences. Zoom allows two or more speakers to connect on the videoconference at one time and provides features like chat, polling, and reaction emojis. However, participants have to have a special link or code to access the meeting, requiring distributing these links and codes in advance of every meeting. Early in the pandemic, as Zoom became more widespread, stories of “Zoom bombings,” where a hacker or other ne’er-do-well interrupts a meeting, grew. Unlike Zoom, Facebook Live meetings are less susceptible to “bombing.” However, parents can only communicate back to the host using chat or comment features, as Facebook Live is a livestreamed personal video platform, rather than a videoconferencing platform. In summer 2020, we also noticed many school districts used narrated videos uploaded to YouTube as a way to explain the decision-making process for reopening and to answer common questions from families. Some videos even explained the logistics of what the first day of in-person school would look like—i.e., how students would arrive on campus, move from classroom to classroom, interact with teachers and staff, etc. Usually, these videos were narrated by the superintendent. YouTube videos can be easily archived on a YouTube channel and shared on the district website, on other social media platforms, and through emails and texts. The downside is that they are a one-way form of communication.
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TAKEAWAY two
FOUNDATIONAL CONDITIONS MAKE A DIFFERENCE
R
egardless of what new tactics or channels they used, some districts experienced a much easier transition to pandemic communications than others. Through our sample of four districts, we sought to understand what differentiated those with smoother transitions into the 2020-2021 school year from those that struggled. Our selection criteria for districts not only included diversity in terms of size, geography, and student population, but an analysis of whether their communications efforts were clear, organized, and effective. Our research, including interviews, revealed that these sample districts had each made a concerted effort to invest time and resources into some key foundational conditions for communications success prior to the pandemic. The more of these conditions a district had in place prior to March 2020, the easier their transition was. These conditions include the following:
1
Know YOUR audience
1
2
BUILD AND MAINTAIN TRUST
3
Be STUDENT FOCUSED
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
The first step for a school district to build a robust communications foundation involves knowing their stakeholders. Taking inventory of the individuals with vested interests in a school district and its operations allows districts to be intentional about the messages it sends. Understanding that school audiences are made up of individual people with their own narratives and experiences can help districts develop a communications plan that will resonate with the audiences they are trying to reach. First, districts need to identify each of their audiences. The “general public” is not an audience. For school districts in Mississippi, audiences may look different based on unique community characteristics, but they will always include students, families, faculty, and staff. These four groups of people will always need to be prioritized in the school district’s communications strategy as decisions will directly impact these groups daily. After identifying these audiences, school districts should explicitly describe each audience in terms of whom is a part of the audience and what they care about. In addition to knowing basic demographic information (race, gender, age, income, home location, length of time in the district, etc.), school districts need to detail any key context about their population. Next, districts must understand what each audience values because good messages tap into the existing values of an audience. Finally, school districts need to know the challenges or barriers to communication that each audience faces, including any existing fears or misconceptions.
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2
BUILD AND MAINTAIN TRUST
The role of school in children’s lives has changed dramatically over the last 100 years. In many cases, districts now provide meals, socioemotional support, and supervision for the majority of a student’s waking hours. This change in expectations for schools makes trust between families and schools even more crucial. Trust allows families to know their students are safe and receiving a quality education that will prepare them for the real world. In communities where schools are highly trusted institutions, navigation through crisis is easier. In communities where schools are not trusted, it is much more difficult for schools to establish a collective effort not only for crisis management but also for students’ academic success. The pandemic-induced transformation of school operations has emphasized parents’ position as partners, making the school-parent relationship paramount to the child’s educational success.
HOW SCHOOL DISTRICTS CAN ESTABLISH TRUST Trust building is a long-term process that requires constant maintenance. Trust can be hard to earn and far too easy to break. The process of building trust is not solely the job of the district’s communications professionals. In fact, if only the communications team is in charge of building trust, it will be too difficult a job. The leadership of a district must be invested in behaving in trustworthy ways in order for the communications team to build trust with community members.
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To build trust, you must commit to the following practices:
Provide accurate, timely information.
Be consistent in when and how you communicate.
Explain your rationale for decisions.
Listen and adjust.
Apologize for errors, and correct them immediately.
Be transparent about what you know and what you don’t.
Provide accurate, timely information.
“Too little, too late” is not just a break-up line; it is a communications warning. No one likes to feel “out of the loop,” especially about something as important as a child’s education. Districts need to prioritize putting out as much information as possible, as soon as possible. However, this need for speed must be balanced with a commitment to accuracy: it is better to delay an announcement to double-check for accuracy than to rush something and make a big mistake. Nothing is worse than when a district itself is the source of misinformation. Not only will the record be hard to correct, but audiences will be less likely to believe important information next time.
Be consistent in when and how you communicate.
Reliability is a key component of trust. This means that you need to make promises that you can keep and then keep them. For example, if you set an expectation that you will send out a newsletter every Thursday with key updates, then audiences will come to rely on that newsletter for information. If the newsletter comes a few times, skips around, and then stops coming, audiences will believe you cannot be trusted to follow through on other promises as well. After all, if you cannot keep a basic promise like this, why should they trust you with more important things?
Explain your rationale for decisions.
Audiences will want to know your “why” for each important decision. Making the effort to explain to stakeholders—even if they do not agree—shows a good faith effort to make responsible decisions. Communicating important decisions begins with explaining the truth about the decisions your district must make and the reasons for those decisions. Districts are often hesitant to explain their full rationale for decisions. School districts with little or no trust from their community may fear leaders’ honesty will be dismissed or their reasoning regarded as irrational by stakeholders. However, establishing trust between community stakeholders and the district by providing disclosure can build community support. 10 LEARNING FROM THE MOMENT
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Be transparent about what is known and what is not.
Audiences do not want to play a guessing game with school districts. One of the fastest ways to break down trust is by giving the impression the school district is hiding something. The faster a district can identify the issue and tackle it head on, the faster the audience can focus on how to deal with the issue versus just focusing on the issue itself. How this played out for districts during Covid-19 During the summer of 2020, districts had to handle a very difficult task—deciding how and when to reopen schools with little guidance for what safe practices were or how the coronavirus would affect children. Very few schools had a back-up plan for how they would operate if students were unable to come to school for months on end. Meanwhile, community infection rates were rapidly rising across Mississippi, with daily cases reaching 1,000 or more. With so much uncertainty, it is unsurprising that districts made all sorts of different choices about their best path forward. As we watched this process unfold, we saw two blunders related to transparency over and over again. The first was that districts took a long time in making decisions—understandable—but they did not communicate much about how they were going about this process to help parents know what to expect, and when. Then, when districts finally provided updates, they often came in the form of very long letters that detailed what COVID-19 had done to the district but left little explanation of the plan of action moving forward. Like many parents, we waited for information throughout July 2020 in order to update our tracker and were frustrated when the (long) answer was so unclear. Unlike most parents, we read those letters (sometimes more than 20 pages!) word for word. No parent has time for that. A multiple-page letter as a main communications strategy can be interpreted by the audience as the district stalling for time because it has something to hide or does not know the way forward. After reading so many long letters, we recommended that districts not bury the lede. A big part of the problem, though, was that many districts did not know what to say so they muddled the issue by putting out as many words as possible. A better strategy would have been to say clearly upfront, “We are still meeting with parents, students, teachers, and health officials to figure out the best plan moving forward. We appreciate your patience and we look forward to presenting a plan on [date].” More detail could then be used to explain what exactly the decision-making process looked like and what factors the district was considering.
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More than any other time, parents in 2020 understood how hard COVID-related decisions were to make, and they wanted to know that someone had a well-considered plan. Above all, they were looking for a steady hand through the crisis. Instead of long letters, it would have been better for districts to say, “We have decided to do X. This is what it means for your students, and this is what we need from you moving forward.” More information about the “why” could come farther down. Parents who disagreed with the decision or did not understand it would keep reading. All the rest could move on with the knowledge of what was coming. Finally, some districts also made a separate blunder: despite the long time in coming to a decision, when they finally announced plans, some districts changed their minds days later, sometimes multiple times. This constant change gave parents the impression that they could not rely on what the district said, and by extension, they could not rely on the district to keep their children safe. Districts that were more transparent about how they were making decisions and set an expectation of change enjoyed more trust with families. This meant creating “if, then” plans with explanations of what changes might be required under certain circumstances. Districts should change course if the situation requires it, but being truthful about where you are in the process and identifying different “best” solutions for different circumstances from the beginning can cut down on the whiplash your audiences might feel. Transparency about Funding during the 2021-2022 School Year
Many of the messages from the 2020-2021 school year were focused on how it was “unique” or “a school year like no other.” As we head into a new school year, it too will be like no other with one of the largest influxes of federal dollars in the history of public education. In Mississippi, K-12 schools will receive $3,401.90 per pupil in one-time cash with very few restrictions on how it can be spent. Districts must be transparent in how they plan to spend these dollars. We recommend that schools develop a communications strategy specifically around the new funding. Districts also need to message to the community that these are one-time funds. For Trust & Transparency Templates, see Appendix B.
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What are parents thinking as districts head into The 2021-2022 school year?
A national poll released by the Walton Family Foundation in May 2021 does a great job explaining the key mindsets of public school parents. In short, when communicating with parents over the next year school districts need to • Use the opportunities created by the pandemic to create big change and not return to “normal.” • Provide a clear vision for what bold change means to every student in the district. Districts must offer solutions to parents, but districts have some flexibility in the solutions. Stay away from going back to the status quo. • Money is an important part of fixing problems, but it is not the only way to fix a system. Really think about setting a new vision for your district and then be clear on how it will be funded. • COVID-19 has been traumatic for EVERYONE—teachers, parents, students, families, and administrators. Acknowledge this and message from a place of working together to move forward; do not make it a race to go back to normal. • Be accountable for new federal funding, dollar by dollar, line by line. Every cent must go into the classroom and benefit all students. Parents want to see the outcomes of all this new funding being funneled into schools.
Listen and adjust.
Involving audiences in decision-making processes, both for communications and more generally, strengthens the results for all involved. Parents’ first priority is the well-being and safety of their children while districts have expertise in fostering the academic as well as social and emotional progress of their students. By engaging stakeholders in the decision-making process and reflecting their values and desires in plans, districts build trust with stakeholders and make them feel the district has their best interests in mind. Research shows that the coronavirus pandemic has created even more of an opportunity for engagement between families and educators because responding to the crisis “requir[es] collective action built on solidarity and interpersonal trust.”1 A common strategy across all of the districts that we studied was the use of family surveys to gauge community response to reopening options for their students. These surveys collected data on preferences for instructional models, students’ access to devices and internet, and other areas affecting students’ learning, safety, and wellbeing. By soliciting direct input, districts built trust between themselves and stakeholders and helped district leaders make difficult decisions. 1
Davis, Cassandra R., Jevay Grooms, Alberto Ortega, and Joaquin Alfredo-Angel Rubalcaba. 2021. “School Trust and Expectations During the Coronavirus Pandemic.” Accessed June 25, 2021. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57c9d7602994ca1ac7d06b71/t/600c5d1d8fa1e830a2f890e4/1611423006341/Covid_Trust_and_ Education_2020.pdf. MISSISSIPPI FIRST
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Many school districts in Mississippi also created reopening committees as a way to listen to stakeholders. Committees often included the superintendent, high-level district officials, parents, students, teachers, public health professionals, and other community members. These committees were tasked with developing, implementing, and communicating reopening plans.
Apologize for errors, and correct them immediately.
Alexander Pope opined, “To err is human; to forgive, divine,” but districts must acknowledge their mistakes and apologize before stakeholders can forgive them. Brushing aside errors without a word will not ensure they are forgotten; it will only decrease the credibility you have with your audiences. If you make a mistake in your communications, make a clear apology proportionate to the error and articulate what steps you will take to correct the problem. This may be as simple as deleting a tweet, posting that you deleted a tweet and why, and then posting a new, accurate tweet. Other times, it may require an entire campaign across multiple channels to ensure that the accurate information is available to correct misperceptions.
3
BE STUDENT-FOCUSED
A school district’s first priority should be their students’ academic success and preparation to be contributing members of their communities. Students should be at the center of all district messaging, but it is all too easy for them to become lost in the logistics of operating a school district. Especially during times of crisis, schools need to ensure they communicate not only how the crisis will impact students but how their response will help students. Districts must repeatedly ask throughout their strategic decision-making process, “How does this [ACTION, MESSAGE, DECISION] best serve our students?” Once a district can answer this question, it should develop messages to communicate this answer.
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HOW TO MAKE MESSAGING STUDENT-FOCUSED Being intentional in connecting everything back to students will increase trust. Parents and families care most about the opportunities afforded to their students. Be sure to make that connection in district communications every time. Here are two examples of how to improve messaging to center it on students: Example One A school district recently published a Facebook post about a new scoring table for a gymnasium. Adding a sentence that includes the connection to students helps explain how this new donation will directly impact them. Details have been changed to preserve anonymity. Original Post: “Thank you to Representative and Business Owner for a $2,000 donation to District High School Athletics to purchase a scoring table for the school’s newly remodeled gymnasium.” Rewrite to Add How Gift Will Impact Students: Thank you Representative and Business Owner for a $2,000 donation to District High School Athletics to purchase a scoring table for the school’s newly remodeled gymnasium. Our students will get good use of this gift while playing basketball this season—Go Wildcats!
Example Two Many districts celebrate “Teacher of the Month.” However, messaging celebrating a selected teacher is often generic, which misses an opportunity to directly connect the teacher’s work to student impact. It is likely this is template text that is used for most “Teacher of the Month” posts. Details have been changed to preserve anonymity. Post: More excellence from our outstanding employees of the month for August! Congratulations to teachers Mike Anderson and Janet Cole #ExpectExcellence every day! We appreciate you and we recognize you for your excellent work and your impact on the lives of our students and families. Our Employee of the Month program is generously supported by our partner in excellence at Main Street Eatery. How to Improve This Post: This post could be even more powerful if the district could detail how the teachers and staff impacted students and families. Did they receive the accolades because of an engaging lesson? Success on a class project? Have some major breakthroughs in learning in their classroom? Inspirational use of technology? If schools can be intentional about connecting all messages back to student achievement, they will increase stakeholder trust. Also, can the district include a photo of the teacher in action doing great work? Remember, candid images are better than posed images.
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TAKEAWAY three
COMMUNICATING IN A CRISIS REQUIRES A PLAN
W
ith a solid foundation in place, districts can focus on the technical requirements of an effective communications plan—goals, messages, strategies, and tactics (see Appendix A for a general communications plan template). Communicating in a crisis uses the same basic principles as good communications in ordinary times. However, a crisis can impact the context in which you are communicating and may change which strategies, messages, and tactics will be effective or relevant. The COVID-19 crisis had some unique features that are not always the case for other crises. It was also an external crisis, more akin to a natural disaster than an internal crisis, such as an embezzlement scandal. While good communications rules will translate broadly, the best way to approach a crisis depends on its specific context. We recommend that your crisis communications plans are located with your crisis and emergency risk management plan, which should include district policies around emergencies such as natural disasters, weather, facility closures, school shootings, student suicide, etc.
Basic Crisis Communications Principles Have a plan. Write it down.
A pre-written communications plan is key when facing a crisis. When districts are in the middle of a crisis, there often is not time for reflection and planning as decisions need to be made quickly and with confidence in order to continue to maintain trust with stakeholders. The plan should be easy to access and understand and should not be too long. The plan should include stakeholders, key messages, primary tactics and channels of communication (samples/templates, if possible), and a list of decisionmakers and messengers. These plans are living documents and should be revisited annually.
Think through possible types of crises.
Writing a plan will require the district to think through possible crises and their ramifications to design contingencies. That being said, it is time consuming and challenging to predict EVERY crisis or emergency situation that might occur— who really had a plan for a global pandemic? Moving forward, though, smart districts will have a plan for how to operate if faced with extended universal school closures. When writing a crisis plan, districts should prepare for the possibility of both internal and external crises. Doing this at the beginning of the planning process will help you quickly identify stakeholders, messengers, and, in some cases, key messages when a crisis actually occurs. An internal crisis is an event that is happening within the school district. Oftentimes an internal crisis will involve specific students, teachers, and staff. Some examples of internal crises include, but are not limited to, sex scandals, student suicide or other death, staff/faculty member death, maintenance issue at a school, cyberattack, cheating scandal, or bus accident. An external crisis is an event that is outside of the control of the district. Some examples of external crises are hurricanes or tornadoes, global pandemics or other health crises, a water crisis, regional blackout, or snow day. These examples are by no means exhaustive, but they will give districts a starting point for what they might need to be prepared for. Depending on the type of crisis, the district may need to utilize different strategies or messages.
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Have organized contact lists.
On each crisis plan, make sure you have a list of important points of contact within the district as well as stakeholders who may be relevant. This section should include specific staff members and their responsibilities in executing the plan. You might have some overlap, but it is important to identify the messenger for each possible audience. Examples of individuals that should be included, depending on the type of crisis, are guidance counselors, principals, school board members, the superintendent, human resources personnel, transportation officials, etc.
Write down key messages.
As much as possible, develop key messages and include those in your plan. This will ensure all staff and faculty are on the same page when communicating with stakeholders. Messages should be tailored to each stakeholder group—i.e., families, students, the media, and local government. Sometimes, it is not possible to know exactly what message will be appropriate for every future situation. Nonetheless, having some basic messages around the themes of who, what, when, where, how, why, and what happens next can save valuable time.
Be clear.
The crisis plan needs to be clear enough to be useful when the moment strikes. Don’t get bogged down in using lots of words or creating a very long document unless it is warranted. The plan needs to be concise, easy to read, and should be accessible to a variety of audiences.
Save your future self time.
Include decision-making trees in your plan (if this happens, then do this; if that happens, then do that). This can help you react to a crisis quickly. We now live in a society that expects immediate reactions to news, and if the district does not provide an appropriate response, misinformation will fill the void. Districts need to be in front of the crisis when possible. Working through how to respond to different scenarios will enable you to consider more possibilities than you have time for in the moment. Scenario one
Existing written communications plan Ideally, a school district will have a strong written communications plan that it can use as a baseline for its crisis plan. If so, the district can incorporate the points described above into an appendix. When a crisis strikes, the district should be sure to do the following two things:
Take inventory of whether your planned strategies meet the moment. As a first step, you should assess whether your planning will be adequate to meet the needs of your district. Since you cannot possibly plan for every single scenario, you will almost certainly have areas of your crisis plan that are less well developed. Where there are gaps, you should work to quickly fill them, keeping in mind that you may not have all the information you need immediately, as the crisis may take time to unfold.
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Complete a post-crisis review. Reviewing where you succeeded and where you fell short will help you tie up any loose ends, recognize your champions, evaluate your communications tactics and strategy, review media coverage, and help you plan for the next potential crisis. We recommend all school districts complete this process after the 2020-2021 school year. Reflection Questions for the Post-Crisis Review 1. Today, what is the public’s perception of the district? Has this changed throughout the school year? Why or why not? 2. How transparent were we with stakeholders throughout the school year? 3. What was our most successful communications tactic? Use data to answer this question. 4. How are staff and employees feeling about the past year? How is school leadership feeling? How is the communications team feeling? 5. Do our students have what they need to be successful next year? What do they need from the district in order to be successful? 6. Did we experience any communications failures/flops throughout the year? How can we correct those moving forward? 7. Did the district use any new communications strategies? Were they successful? 8. What are the biggest worries or concerns right now as we prepare for the new school year? 9. What did the district do well while navigating the crisis? 10. How can we get more of the right things done despite our current situation? 11. What is something we are not doing today that we should do to better serve our students, families, teachers, and staff? Example of existing communications plan
Starkville oktibbeha consolidated school district No school district was prepared for a global pandemic, but Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District was prepared for a crisis. Their leadership had experience dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and that knowledge and experience proved invaluable in dealing with extended school closures. Because of their strong communications planning prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, SOCSD also felt like they had the systems and strategies in place to navigate this unique situation. They shared three general tips for their success: 1. Have staff dedicated to communications. Doing crisis communications well requires dedicated staff who can devote the time to writing and executing a plan. 2. Know your brand, and stay on brand. In the district context, this means having more than just a logo or district motto. Your district brand should be the perception your district creates in your audiences’ minds when they see your name and logo. Your brand is your identity, voice, values, and culture; it distinguishes your district from another. 3. Make it easy for your audiences. Your audiences should not have to work really hard to understand what is happening and what you are doing about it. You can take away this guesswork through strong planning and clear messages.
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Scenario two
No Existing Written Communications Plan If you are a district with no written plan, it is important to dedicate staff time to developing a written plan. The plan should include general communications strategies and efforts throughout the school year but also supplemental documents that can be used as different crisis situations arise. An individual or team (depending on the size of the district) should be responsible for working with school leadership to develop the plan and should be an integral part of the district’s leadership team. The communications team (or individual) should also lead reflection efforts at the end of each school year to help increase effectiveness for future school years.
Stakeholder input is key. Listen to your audiences as you create the plan. Creating a space for feedback through meetings, focus groups, or surveys can provide important information that can help districts communicate more effectively. By soliciting input, districts can learn the best ways to communicate and the concerns and needs of their audiences. Also, in some cases, collecting feedback can help solve complicated problems.
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Conclusion
Conclusion the finale
t
he pandemic was an unprecedented event in modern school history. For this report, we studied the communications strategies of four school districts during the 2020-2021 school year to develop case studies and glean important lessons that other districts can use.
Without a doubt, the pandemic reshaped school communications. School districts were forced to find ways to communicate with students and families in the midst of school closures and social distancing, leading to upgraded websites, more intentional use of social media, and more videoconferencing. Districts that had the foundational conditions in place to be effective communicators had an easier time shifting to the new reality. These conditions include knowing one’s audience, building and maintaining trust, and focusing on students. Finally, our case studies show that effective communications in a crisis uses the same basic principles as communications in ordinary times with some important shifts. First, districts should have a written plan for crisis communications just as they should have a written plan for communications in ordinary times. Because a crisis moves quickly, having thought through possible crises and responses, having organized contact lists, and developing some basic messages in advance will save a district time and effort when a crisis does strike. A prepared district can then quickly tailor their plan to the particular circumstances of the crisis and move forward. We hope the lessons in this report will help school districts build stronger connections with stakeholders as districts continue the hard work of educating our children. MISSISSIPPI FIRST
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Case studies
Starkville Oktibbeha consolidated school district
Background The facts The Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District is one of the largest countywide school districts in the state. The district is a merger of Starkville School District and the Oktibbeha County School District as a result of state legislation which went into effect in 2015. The consolidated school district is located in the same county as Mississippi State University (MSU). This allows the district to benefit from a number of unique learning experiences created by university partnerships.
10
4,906
*
Students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade
Total Schools
The district is made up of 1 preschool, 4 elementary schools, 1 partnership middle school, 1 junior high school, 1 alternative school, 1 high school, and a career and technical center. SOCSD holds a “C” accountability grade and serves approximately 5,200 students pre-kindergarten-12th grade in typical years. As shown in Figure 1, 65.2% of students identify as African American, 29.9% as white, and 3.6% as Hispanic. Figure 1. STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT race and ethnicity demographics
3.6%
African American/Black Hispanic or Latino
29.9%
White/Caucasian Asian
1.3%
65.2%
*Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District typically serves around 5,1000 students; however, due to COVID-19 their enrollment for the 2020-2021 school year was 4,906. 26 LEARNING FROM THE MOMENT
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Communications The context and barriers The Starkville-Oktibbeha community enjoys several unique features that aid its communications. First, Starkville is home to Mississippi State University, the state’s largest university. This means the county enjoys higher levels of adult education than many others in Mississippi, and the school district benefits from unique partnerships with the university. Although a small town, Starkville has two daily newspapers and is in the coverage area for two television stations, although neither is based in Starkville. Because of the large size of the consolidated district, SOCSD also employs a full-time communications director, a post currently filled by Nicole Thomas. After many years of controversy, the 2015 successful consolidation of Starkville School District and Oktibbeha County School District turned out to be a blessing in disguise when it came to communications during the pandemic. In order to rebrand the district as a single entity, SOCSD had to create a plan of action similar to a reopening plan, complete an analysis of audiences and the best ways to reach them, and develop clear talking points and messages. After the consolidation, SOCSD continued to develop and expand its communications program into one of the best in the state, placing Starkville one step ahead of the challenges presented by the pandemic.
PRE-COVID Communications Although its communications program was well established prior to 2020, the district primarily engaged in routine communications about achievement and events. Its emergency communications processes were reserved for occasional crises, such as severe weather or gas leaks. Primary channels were email, the district’s user-friendly website, and social media. With strong branding, Starkville used consistent and clear messaging across all channels. More than any other district we profiled, SOCSD had a solid communications foundation and strong and unified community support going into the pandemic.
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Communications
MARCH 2020 - JULY 2020 The Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District executive leadership team, including the superintendent, his assistant, the chief financial officer, and communications liaison Nicole Thomas, began ongoing discussions immediately following the 2020 spring break to address the rapid changes for their students and stakeholders. SOCSD began by constructing a dedicated page on its district website at the close of the 2019-2020 school year to provide a central location for updated information. The district then developed a three-pronged approach to its communications strategy based on the available data. This approach involved sending emails directly to stakeholders, posting important information and updates on the district website, and creating short, concise visuals for social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook. The district picked this approach because their experience suggested these channels were the most visible to stakeholders and reached as many students and families as possible. As the school year concluded, the superintendent also created an advisory council of principals, parents, community members, public health officials, epidemiologists, nurse practitioners, and mental and emotional health counselors to decide how the district would operate in 2020-2021. This advisory council helped the district develop its return-to-school guide, which was published on July 21, 2020. As the district learned new information, the guide was revised and the cover of the document was updated to the latest date of publication each time. Communications
2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR On July 31, 2020, the school district released a revised reopening plan via email, its website, and social media in alignment with its communication strategy. The revised plan offered three instruction model options: hybrid, traditional, and virtual. The district allowed parents to choose a model until August 7, 2020. Teachers returned to the classroom on August 17, 2020, while the start date for students was delayed until August 24, 2020, to provide teachers time to prepare the virtual space and allow staff to implement reopening precautions such as personal protective equipment (PPE), social distancing, and facility management. The district requested that the Mississippi Department of Education reduce the 180-day calendar requirement, which was not granted prior to the reopening plan’s release. As a result, the delayed start date extended the school year into June 2021. On August 14, 2020, however, MDE released a waiver to allow districts to move to 170 days, enabling SOCSD to set the final day for student attendance on May 27, 2021. After the first four weeks of the school year, SOCSD found that offering three models of instruction (hybrid, traditional, and virtual) was overwhelming educators who had to prepare for and instruct three different classes of students. In its July 31, 2020, reopening plan announcement, SOCSD foreshadowed this problem by stating, “...[W]e were prepared to accommodate up to 25% of our families through virtual learning. Since mid-July, the number of students...choosing the virtual or hybrid learning model has increased from around 30 percent to more than 40 percent...We do not have the capacity to offer live or recorded virtual instruction to 40-plus percent of our students.” 28 LEARNING FROM THE MOMENT
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Additionally, there were very few students in the hybrid model of instruction and those that were participating were not experiencing success. In response, the district eliminated the hybrid instructional option and began offering either 100% virtual or 100% in-person instruction. This improved students’ academic performance and attendance. The district also advised virtual students who were “not progressing at a rate of mastery of content” by the end of the first nine weeks to switch to the traditional model.
As cases rose in fall 2020, the school district questioned whether it should dismiss all students to virtual instruction, but it ultimately chose to keep its doors open and continue to track the spread due to a lack of student connectivity. The district noted that cases in the district mirrored community trends, so it felt that the district was not contributing to spread above and beyond what was happening community-wide. SOCSD also noted that during previous weather-related incidents, such as tornadoes and snow storms, reaching students was more difficult due to power outages and other stressful circumstances. The only way to ensure children had equal opportunity to learn was to keep the district open for families who wanted to come to school. MISSISSIPPI FIRST
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State of Reopening, Spring 2021 Through the end of the 2020-2021 school year, SOCSD offered traditional and virtual instruction models. Throughout the course of the year, more and more students who started as virtual students returned to school.
Communications
LESSONS LEARNED Like all districts across the state, Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District experienced many challenges and growing pains this year. In terms of their communications strategy, though, they were one of the most successful districts in the state. A few factors were key to their success. First, SOCSD was able to lean into their past communication efforts, and their investments in a communications strategy and team pre-pandemic paid dividends during this catastrophic year. Despite having well-defined communications protocols, though, the district had no experience leading a communications strategy for a catastrophe as large as the COVID-19 pandemic. The ongoing disruption required far more updating, planning, and adaptability than other natural disasters. Fortunately for the district, Superintendent Eddie Peasant had experienced the public relations crisis of Hurricane Katrina and was able to advise the communications team that COVID would require a multistep, multi-week, multiple-component response, rather than simply an email update or two explaining and resolving the situation at hand. The district prepared its communications strategy to encompass the longevity the superintendent foresaw in order to support its students throughout the duration of the pandemic. 30 LEARNING FROM THE MOMENT
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Finally, Starkville looked at the pandemic as an opportunity to continue to improve its practices. Although the district found that the three-pronged approach it chose in spring 2020 was very effective in engaging stakeholders, the district noted that this strategy was not as personable as those employed by other districts which leaned more on audiovisuals such as Zoom meetings, Facebook Live Q&A, and other communal conversations. The district is exploring these tools moving forward. Having a team and a plan made it easier for SOCSD to produce clear messages quickly and often. We have included some of their strategies below to help districts across the state learn from SOCSD’s best practices.
Have Dedicated Communications staff. SOCSD had employees dedicated to communication efforts prior to the pandemic. This was a team of individuals specifically dedicated to developing and sharing messages from the district to community members. To that end, SOCSD had already done strategic thinking around audiences, tactics, channels, and messages to lay the groundwork that would allow them to developing clear, cohesive messages and materials during the crisis. Making an investment in human capital now can help school districts to pivot when disaster strikes, and being intentional in recruiting human capital can have a profound impact on the relationship between the school district and stakeholders. It pays to be prepared. Know the district's brand. Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District has a strong understanding of their brand. This becomes very clear after seeing just a handful of their materials. Remember, branding is more than just a logo or color palette; it represents the essence of the district. It helps bring a district’s goals and priorities to life visually. SOCSD invested time in developing their brand prior to the pandemic. The best way to keep your brand organized is by creating a style guide. A style guide helps districts maintain their brand in all the documents they develop for their audiences. SOCSD’s dedication to their brand makes it easier to produce high-quality collateral with a short turnaround time. clear messages and frequency are important. SOCSD does an excellent job of defining the priorities of the district and then amplifying them through clear, frequent messages to all stakeholder groups. Here are some important questions to ask as you prepare to share information, according to SOCSD:
Communications 101
Who
What
When
Where
How
Why
Who is your target audience?
Where will you deliver your message?
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What is your message?
How do you choose to deliver/ communicate your message?
When will you communicate your message?
Why are you sharing this information? Why is it relevant to your audience?
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Writing/Drafting Your Message
Determine your key points
Use short sentences
Use common language; skip the education jargon
Be authentic
Lean on your beliefs and values
Write a good email subject line
Proof it
Read it out loud
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Mississippi achievement school district
Background The facts The Mississippi Achievement School District is a statewide, stand-alone school district with no geographical restrictions; it may comprise any public schools or school districts that are designated an “F” for multiple years. The current Mississippi Achievement School District was established June 1, 2019, by the State Board of Education pursuant to state law.
3,700
Students across the former Humphreys and Yazoo County School Districts
1,374
Students from Humphreys county
Humphreys Yazoo
2,278
Students from Yazoo county
MASD currently operates in the Mississippi Delta, serving approximately 3,700 students across the former Humphreys and Yazoo County School Districts, with 1,374 students from Humphreys and 2,278 students from Yazoo County. An overwhelming majority of students, 98% (3,584 students), identify as Black or African American, with a near-even split between male and female students. Students’ ages range from 4 to 20, spanning pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. 36 LEARNING FROM THE MOMENT
MISSISSIPPI ACHIEVEMENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
Communications The context and barriers ue to its status as a newly created state takeover entity, MASD has had to work hard to negate its “outsider” identity. Mistrust was particularly high in 2019 immediately after the takeover in both the Yazoo and Humphreys communities. Families initially saw the new district only as an oversight institution rather than one meant to support their children. This perception was reinforced by both districts’ school boards being disbanded and their superintendents terminated as required by law. Under the law, the stateappointed superintendent Jermall Wright reports directly to the Mississippi Department of Education. Members of the school community, therefore, only have the superintendent to direct their concerns to, unless they want to take them to the department in Jackson.
D
The communities in Yazoo and Humphreys not only found themselves under a state takeover but also in a consolidation. However, whereas Starkville Oktibbeha County School District combined two contiguous districts into a single, permanent countywide district, MASD has the rather unique experience of operating as a single district across two different regions for an indeterminate amount of time. When one or both former districts reach academic benchmarks, the districts can be reconstituted by the state into independent, locally controlled districts. This has created unique challenges for MASD in trying to build community and communicate. Finally, on top of challenging community relations, MASD also operates in an extremely rural and impoverished area of the state. This means that students and families struggle with reliable transportation, access to internet and devices, and sometimes adequate telephone service. These conditions make communications difficult even in typical times.
PRE-COVID
Communications MASD inherited communications channels and processes that were not particularly well developed in either district. Each district had a website before the takeover, but these were replaced with the MASD website, which was not very functional at first. MASD also created a single social media account on Facebook and Twitter for the new district, which it updated with events and other major announcements throughout the academic year. Because the district operates under a single MISSISSIPPI FIRST
LEARNING FROM THE MOMENT 37
account on each platform, the district has to be careful not to overlook information that is pertinent to one region, and more importantly, not to neglect to share information with both regions. Overall, communications were not differentiated, with the exception of specific school operations and natural disasters or other crises affecting students based on their location. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, monthly, in-person meetings were MASD’s most important communications tactic. These meetings took the place of school board meetings as each community’s school board had been disbanded. During these meetings, MASD would discuss the district’s goals and the community’s concerns. Attendees included families, school administrators, educators, and other community members. These meetings were the primary opportunity for district leaders to connect directly with community members. MASD used these meetings to get familiar with the stakeholders in both Yazoo and Humphreys and to gather and disseminate information.
Communications
MARCH 2020 - JULY 2020 Despite some strides, MASD was still very much in the early stages of building trust with its stakeholders as well as redesigning all district processes, including communications, when the pandemic began. Consequently, the conclusion of the 2019-2020 school year was distinctly challenging for MASD. While their work prior to the pandemic was certainly not easy, the district now faced the added pressure of ensuring their students had access to an equitable education from their homes. Students’ access to devices and broadband in MASD was low going into the pandemic. This meant the district faced practical difficulties in communicating with families and students above and beyond the willingness of families to engage with MASD. In deciding how to communicate and continue instruction, the district noted, “There was a lot to consider, mainly because of the infrastructure itself in the Delta. It wasn’t as easy for us to say, ‘Okay, now we’re just going to do work from home’ and expect every child to have a computer, or every child to have internet, or every child to have a device.” The lack of time to put a new system in place and the fact that most of the district’s students are located in two very rural counties also made it difficult for the district to ensure high-quality educational opportunities during the first few months of the pandemic. Therefore, when MASD notified parents of the school closures in spring 2020, they offered two “enrichment activity” options, dependent upon students’ access to personal devices. Students were able to access online instructional resources or pick up instructional packets if they did not have device access. Packets were also distributed via bus routes at the end of March. While these instructional resources were provided to students to keep them on track academically, the material was not counted against students who did not complete it. In order to close the spring semester, and in preparation for the fall semester, the Mississippi Achievement School District asked students and parents to disclose what devices, if any, were available to students. MASD additionally held several discussions with stakeholders—including students, families, teachers, administrators, and other community members— in the early summer. On June 19, 2020, the district held its first virtual “District Stakeholder Meeting” via Zoom. There were approximately 400 attendees at this meeting, which engaged parents, teachers, students, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders. This meeting was an online version of MASD’s regular monthly stakeholder meetings. As stakeholders’ interest piqued in district operations in response to the pandemic, the continuation of these meetings in the virtual space became integral to the district’s communications plan. 38 LEARNING FROM THE MOMENT
MISSISSIPPI ACHIEVEMENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
MASD held another meeting with stakeholders on June 23, 2020, via Zoom, where attendance ranged between 260-300 people over the course of the meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to receive feedback on tentative reopening plans, allow stakeholders to express any concerns using the chat feature, and provide responses to previously collected questions. The district also used Google Forms to survey families. Communications
2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR
Using the input from their June stakeholder meetings, on June 30, 2020, MASD made the announcement to delay reopening until September 8, 2020, when they would offer 100% virtual and hybrid instruction model options. The district opened the 2020-21 school year with a Monday-Thursday in-person or 100% virtual options to their elementary students. The district’s secondary students (middle and high school students), were 100% virtual. All special education students regardless of grade were offered an in person option for the entire school year. Fridays were virtual for all students, which provided time to offer continued professional learning opportunities for staff and in-person tutoring for targeted student populations. With access to relief funding that came in summer 2020, MASD purchased devices for each of its students. Parents were required to pay a $25 device usage fee ($50 for parents with two or more students requiring devices), and students had to sign usage agreements. Families who were unable to pay these fees upfront were provided planning options to resolve their debt. MASD provided internet access to students through hotspot setups at schools, learning centers, and churches throughout each community. The district released an announcement on September 1, 2020, detailing which spaces would be open to students based on their respective counties. This announcement also provided families with information on meal pickups throughout the week for students attending virtually and bus routes and stop locations for students attending in-person school. Following an increase in COVID-19 cases after the Thanksgiving holiday, MASD transitioned to 100% virtual learning until the winter break began on December 15, 2020. MISSISSIPPI FIRST
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State of reopening, spring 2021
Following the winter break, MASD transitioned from virtual learning back to hybrid and virtual options. Elementary students continued to follow either their Monday-Thursday in person with Fridays being 100% virtual or the 100% virtual as an option. In February when case numbers began falling, secondary students were offered an A/B-day hybrid option. Students with a hybrid schedule attended in person according to their designated A/B-day schedule, adhering to COVID-19 precautions. Students in the virtual model of instruction attended from home during normal school hours. Schools reported cases of COVID-19 and made communications available via the school district website and social media. Throughout the spring semester, the district made changes to the model of instruction, transitioning to 100% virtual when exigent circumstances, such as weather, prevented students from being able to attend in person. Communications
LESSONS LEARNED Of all our sampled districts, MASD perhaps had the most difficult challenge in that they had the least amount of time to establish basic communications processes and build trust prior to the onset of the pandemic. Nonetheless, MASD’s focus on engaging stakeholders throughout the pandemic has allowed it to emerge from the 2020-2021 school year stronger than it started, with an increase in community cohesion and trust in the district. The first key to MASD’s success has been an intense focus on building trust with community members through consistent, informative updates and multiple opportunities for input. MASD made particularly good use of Zoom to include stakeholders in decision making. MASD found Zoom’s chat, polling, and other instant response features to be useful functions to get responses from stakeholders. Furthermore, these features allowed more people to participate in feedback as including each individual’s voice one at a time such as in a typical public comment period would get unmanageable with large numbers of participants at any given meeting. The polling feature was an especially powerful tool for the district to collect live data on family preferences for reopening plan options. Monthly district stakeholder meetings held via Zoom had surprisingly good attendance. According to the district’s Strategic Communications and Marketing Specialist Morgan McMurtry, pre-pandemic, in-person district stakeholder meetings turned out only small numbers of parents and community members but Zoom meetings garnered over 200 stakeholders consistently. Of course, this is also partially a result of the heightened urgency brought about by the pandemic. MASD believes these meetings were the foundation for the expanded trust it has gained from stakeholders. Nonetheless, the district believes Facebook was the most effective communal correspondence, with the most feedback and inquiry from stakeholders being posted on the school’s page. Facebook is a platform where parents, families, and even some students already had an account. This made it easier to share information and to gain the most responses from families. MASD also shared stakeholder meeting information and other social updates on Facebook to encourage families emotionally as the pandemic brought more stress due to issues like employment, academic progress, and general family stability. Twitter had less interaction than Facebook but still proved to be a useful and somewhat effective communications tool for the district. The same communications were posted on both social media platforms, as well as on the school district’s Instagram account, which was the least effective tool for the school district. MASD’s Instagram account has the smallest following and least interaction of all of its communications channels. Still, the district provides regular updates on their account for students and families who may not have access to other channels. 40 LEARNING FROM THE MOMENT
MISSISSIPPI ACHIEVEMENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
Jackson Public Schools
Background The facts Jackson Public Schools (JPS) is the second-largest public school district in Mississippi and the largest urban school district in Mississippi.
2nd LARGEST SCHOOL DISTRICT
53
total Schools
20,400
Students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade
The district is made up of Figure 2. Jackson Public Schools race and ethnicity demographics 7 high schools, 10 middle schools, 32 elementary African American/Black 1.2% 2.4% 1.3% schools, and 4 special Hispanic or Latino program schools. JPS holds White/Caucasian a “D” accountability grade Two or more ethnicities or races and serves approximately 20,400 pre-kindergarten12th grade students, representing roughly 80% of the school-aged population in the capital city. As shown in Figure 2, the Jackson Public School District is a predominantly Black school district with 95% of its students identifying as African American. Jackson Public Schools is also nearly evenly split between male and female students with 50.7 percent of students being male and 49.3 percent of students female.
95%
44 LEARNING FROM THE MOMENT
JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Communications The context and barriers
j
ackson Public Schools has always needed a complex communications strategy because of the size and academic diversity of the school district. JPS is also located in an urban setting, making it unique among Mississippi districts. These factors alone mean the district has to use a variety of communications channels and tactics in order to ensure they are reaching every stakeholder. Obvious barriers for Jackson Public Schools include size, location, and frequent leadership change. These barriers have made it harder to create a consistent districtwide communications strategy that can be tailored to individual audiences. As a result, the district believes it must lean on each school site to serve as primary messengers.
Even though JPS faces many communications obstacles, the fact that Jackson is a major urban center in the state means the district benefits from having access to more communications channels, such as multiple local television and radio stations. However, in the past, JPS has not always maintained a collaborative relationship with local media, leading to local outlets spreading misinformation. In addition to the global pandemic, Jackson has also faced multiple local crises in recent history. The most common crisis concerns the city’s broken water infrastructure, which has caused multiple school closures after winter storms froze city pipes, most recently in 2018 and 2021. In both 2018 and 2021, the city was without water for a few weeks, which meant the public schools also had to close for a period of time without warning. Because JPS has had to navigate school closings and disaster response in ways other districts have not, they developed some lessons learned before the pandemic that helped them prepare. MISSISSIPPI FIRST
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PRE-COVID
Communications Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jackson Public School District relied on fewer and less frequently updated communication tools to share important information with families and students. These tools included newsletters, local news media, and regularly scheduled district meetings. Filmed events such as football games, board meetings, or promotional school videos were uploaded to JPS’s YouTube Channel. Facebook has been a primary communication tool for JPS since August 6, 2012. The JPS Facebook page, which boasts a large following, is a community space for sharing everything from urgent information to updates on student achievement. JPS has found Facebook to be an inviting place for parents and families to get their information. The JPS website had also become an important part of JPS communications efforts pre-pandemic. When Superintendent Errick Green arrived in the district in October 2018, updating the usability of JPS’s website was one of his first priorities and the website has significantly improved under his direction. At the start of January 2019, the district began publishing regular updates which include notable achievements by students, celebrations for educators and administrators, and upcoming community events for families. Due to its large size, JPS is able to employ two full-time communications staffers. As of 2020, these staffers are Executive Director of Public Engagement, Mr. Sherwin Johnson, and Communications Specialist, Georgette Keeler. Communications
MARCH 2020 - JULY 2020 As the coronavirus pandemic unfolded and schools began to close in March 2020, parents and families looked to districts for the next step for their students. Like many districts, the Jackson Public School District faced considerable challenges that came with the COVID-19 pandemic. With very little information available for schools from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), district leaders relied on data trends in their community, advice for businesses from the CDC, and prior experience with crisis management. The Jackson Public School District began implementing strategies to engage students in distance learning following the end of spring break on March 13, 2020, when Governor Tate Reeves first implemented a stay-at-home order for schools. Teachers and principals throughout the district provided instructional assistance to students via Zoom conferencing, held office hours for one-on-one help, assigned lessons using Google Classroom and/or the Canvas platform, and utilized other digital programs such as iReady, Moby Max, or Education Galaxy. For families who could not access online instruction, JPS created instructional packets for students in grades K-12 that families could download and print from the “Learn-at-Home” page on the JPS website or collect from one of the 12 Grab and Go locations, which primarily served as pick-up spots for lunch, dinner, and fresh produce packages for students and their families. Instructional Television (ITV), a local access television channel, also broadcasted some instructional content. 46 LEARNING FROM THE MOMENT
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Despite JPS’s efforts, families experienced considerable disruption to their children’s education. Confusion also reigned, as early communications efforts struggled due to the unpredictable and day-to-day nature of the unfolding crisis. As a result, JPS made the decision not to hold students accountable for either grades or attendance for the last nine weeks of the 2020-2021 school year. Ultimately, this meant families felt there was little, if any, structure to the district’s operations. When the 2019-2020 school year concluded, Jackson Public School District began thinking through what the 2020-2021 school year would be like. Based on issues that arose in spring 2020, JPS had several concerns about reopening, including, but not limited to, the transition to virtual learning for every student in the district, parents taking on the role of educator, educators taking on double or triple the workload in order to teach in a format that many were unfamiliar with, and the issue of grading due to the lack of access to traditional instruction. Jackson Public Schools began developing its reopening plan by consulting with a committee made up of JPS executive leadership, including the superintendent and his cabinet (chief of staff, assistant superintendent for each division, chief of academics, chief of operations, and chief of finance), as well as parents, students, teachers, administrators, doctors, and community members, including the governor, mayor, healthcare experts, and local news media. JPS dispatched surveys to parents and other stakeholders, held press conferences, had interviews with local news media, emailed communications to staff and employees, and consulted with healthcare providers, experts, and public administrators. The surveys to stakeholders indicated that Many students had found virtual instruction inaccessible during the spring 2020 semester.
Many students had no computers or devices, and many had no connectivity, irrespective of device ownership.
Teachers felt unprepared for virtual instruction and anxious about the safety of in-person instruction.
Parents were overwhelmed with their newfound role in education.
Students became Zoom-fatigued, and participation and attendance declined over the last nine weeks in 2020.
The spread of the novel coronavirus was escalating throughout the Jackson area, raising concerns for all stakeholders.
Communications
2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR The JPS 2020-2021 School Reopening Plan After much consideration and taking into account the challenges from the spring 2020 semester, Superintendent Errick L. Greene announced on July 24, 2020, in a special meeting of the Board of Trustees, that Jackson Public Schools would reopen with a fully virtual model for the first semester. School would begin on August 12, 2020, two days after the original start date, to allow teachers to prepare to teach in the virtual model. JPS was one of a handful of districts statewide that decided to only offer virtual learning for the entire first semester of 2020-2021. According to district staff, they were concerned by the “exponential increase of COVID-19 cases in Mississippi and in Hinds County, and, more specifically, the increased pediatric cases of COVID-19” in summer 2020. The sheer size of the district added to the pressure JPS felt to keep students at home because COVID is a virus that preys on crowds of people. JPS felt it was too risky for students to return to the school buildings at that moment in time: they could not ensure students would not get sick. MISSISSIPPI FIRST
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The reopening plan was first made public via press conference, which received extensive media coverage. The plan was additionally made available on the district website as well as social media, including Facebook and Twitter. JPS also held a Facebook Live event to discuss with their audiences what the plan about the upcoming school year entailed.
State of Reopening, Spring 2021 When students returned from the winter break in January 2021, JPS transitioned to phase 2 of their reopening plan, which offered hybrid, in-person, and virtual options for families. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has not been the only disaster that JPS has had to navigate this school year. At the same time JPS was launching the second phase, Jackson experienced a very rough winter. Three years ago, during a winter storm, multiple municipal water pipes broke across the city of Jackson. Many of the fixes were temporary, so again, in 2021, below freezing temperatures and snow left much of the city without safe running water for a month. Because schools cannot operate safely if there is no water for fire suppression systems or toilets, or if the water is unsafe to drink, JPS had to close school buildings. This caused the district to shift their reopening plan once more and students were required to go back to phase 1—virtual school—while the city worked through its water issues. The district then staggered reopenings as schools gained running water, though it was still undrinkable in many cases. As this was happening, there was another local surge in COVID, followed by a week of spring break. Because the district believed there would be an increase in travel during spring break which could further increase COVID exposure, the district instituted a 48 LEARNING FROM THE MOMENT
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mandatory quarantine period the week after spring break. Students again were required to attend school virtually for a week before they could shift back into phase 2. In this time period, JPS notified their stakeholders through several means, including the district’s automated calling system, social media, and local news media. JPS heavily leveraged its Facebook following at this time because most of the district’s audience could be found there and families could access it from smartphones if their homes did not have power in addition to water. Throughout this time, district leadership provided daily updates to keep families aware of which schools would be able to open safely, since these reopenings were handled on a rolling basis. Leading these communications efforts were JPS communications staff, Sherwin Johnson and Georgette Keeler. Communications
LESSONS LEARNED Jackson Public has had a unique school year. Not only have they had to overcome the challenges of navigating an extremely large, diverse school district through the pandemic, but they have also had to deal with school buildings not being operational due to broken water pipes when it was finally safer to reopen schools. At every level, stakeholders have been frustrated with how the school year has unfolded. However, in the face of unprecedented challenges, JPS was able to communicate effectively with its stakeholders. One successful strategy JPS implemented was to use Facebook Live meetings to create a space where the public could have a direct conversation with school leadership, particularly the superintendent. Facebook Live meetings helped JPS build and maintain a trustworthy and compassionate relationship with parents and the public by keeping stakeholders updated on school reopenings, safety measures, and other community concerns. During the water crisis, the district also used this channel to provide direct information from the superintendent to students, families, and teachers. Another successful strategy JPS employed was to implement stakeholder surveys throughout the year. The surveys helped the district understand the variety of barriers and concerns they would need to address, ranging from what the digital divide looked like in the district to what students and families needed in terms of scheduling. This was a strategy that many districts across the state have utilized to understand what students and families need. One of the findings from the surveys was that the district needed to change how they delivered information. Employing some of their past tactics taught the district that their stakeholders best respond to short text and appealing graphics rather than lengthy text, such as the full 12-page reopening rollout plan. JPS took this into consideration and prepared graphics and other visual aids, such as video demonstrations and live video conversations. In order to simplify complex messages, the district used wordsmithing, web management, graphic design, data simplification, and visual adaptation to provide quick, concise, comprehensive information to community members. Finally, while reaching their audiences was a top priority, the district has continued to struggle with ensuring accuracy in local news reports. JPS is being more intentional about its relationships with local media and has begun sharing pre-written statements directly with outlets. They also send their social media posts directly to news media.
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Mississippi school of the arts
Background The facts The Mississippi School of the Arts (MSA), located in Brookhaven, Mississippi, is a public, statewide residential high school for artistically gifted students.
1999 established ON THE FORMER WHITWORTH COLLEGE CAMPUS
6
100* residential high school juniors and seniors
artistic disciplines
Established by the state legislature in 1999, MSA is located on the former Whitworth College campus and is home for up to 120 residential high school juniors and seniors from across the state. The school is under the direct supervision of the State Board of Education. Admitted students enter one of six artistic disciplines: dance, literary, vocal, visual, theatre, and media arts, which they must balance alongside their regular academic studies. Students attend academic classes from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., prior to any additional practice, rehearsal, or studio time required for their art studies and performances. MSA also holds a formal partnership with the local public high school, Brookhaven High School, to offer classes that are not provided on the MSA campus but are required for students to fulfill graduation requirements. Students live on campus throughout the academic year but are required to go home every other weekend in addition to holidays recognized by the Brookhaven School District. Many students have earned National Scholastics Art & Writing awards, Poetry Out Loud recitation contests, scholarship awards, and national recognition while attending the school, and most students go on to pursue their arts disciplines as careers.
Figure 3. Mississippi school of THE arts student population
As shown in Figure 3, the Mississippi School of the Arts was home to students from 37 counties during the 2020-2021 academic year. The largest concentration of students comes from Hinds County, located in Central Mississippi, with 12 students, followed by Lauderdale County, located in East Mississippi, with 9 students enrolled. Every other county has anywhere from 1-4 total students enrolled. Approximately 80% of the student body is female. 55% of students are white, 38% are Black or African-American, and the remaining seven percent are either Hispanic/Latinx or bi/multi-racial. * In a typical year, MSA has the capacity to enroll up to 120 students. However, due to COVID-19, the enrollment numbers for 2020-2021 were down for MSA. 52 LEARNING FROM THE MOMENT
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Communications the context and barriers
A
lthough MSA’s smaller student population gives it a natural advantage in developing close relationships, the statewide nature of the school can make it more difficult to reach parents and families than a district that is located in a city or county. MSA is unable to rely on local media to reach students and families because the majority of students and families are not located near the school. Other factors that make the student profile unique are the small size of the school, its enrollment exclusively of high school juniors and seniors, and its residential model. When students are on campus, the school is responsible for them at all times, a greater level of responsibility than that faced by other districts. To improve its relationship with families and ensure students are being met where they are, MSA annually spends time assessing where its students are from and how to best reach their families. This practice has been ongoing since its inception. Over the course of the year, faculty and staff develop deep connections with each individual student and their families. However, as half of the school is new each year, MSA must start over with learning their audiences’ needs annually. Finally, like the Mississippi Achievement School District (MASD), MSA is unusual in that it is directly under state oversight per state law. Unlike MASD, though, MSA is a permanently established statewide school and never faces the prospect of revolving back into a local school district. This means that the school has never had, and will never have, a local board, as its executive director reports to the State Board of Education. Although this structure suits a school with a statewide purpose, the nature of state board oversight means that the school must follow the direct instructions of the state board at times, rather than choosing its own path.
PRE-COVID
Communications As a small residential high school serving students from all across the state, MSA’s main communications tools prior to COVID-19 were direct mailings to parents and sending additional information home with students during mandatory gohome weekends. MSA would additionally share major updates and announcements on their social media platforms, which were Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Until March 2020, most messages were focused on performances, important dates and events, and urgent information for parents and students. The school would also share opportunities and social events to students via email. MSA does not employ any full-time communications staff. Communications
MARCH 2020 - JULY 2020 In March 2020 when schools were closed, MSA Executive Director Suzanne Hirsch drafted more than five potential reopening plans, in the hope that students would return by the end of the 2019-2020 academic year. However, with the governor’s executive orders, MSA’s only option was to go 100% virtual. MISSISSIPPI FIRST
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As a residential arts school, MSA found its transition to virtual learning particularly difficult. MSA had no experience in trying to replicate its performancefocused curriculum without students on campus. MSA began using Moodle, an open-source learning management software, to facilitate coursework but struggled with students not having reliable internet access, especially in rural areas. The dispersed nature of its stakeholders predictably created communications challenges. MSA chose a comprehensive approach to getting information to families, but there was still much work to do, according to the executive director. “We called a lot; we started using Survey Monkey [an online survey tool] and had to make sure all the students had access to resources like the internet, computers, [and] textbooks. We already knew 100% of students had phones. We mailed, emailed, posted on social media, took surveys from parents and students, [and] held Zoom conferences.” While most of its critical communications prior to the pandemic were distributed in hard copy directly to parents in person or via postal mail, MSA had also used email and social media for major announcements and community updates. To that end, the school was lucky to have those systems in place as the COVID-19 pandemic pushed students from their classrooms to their bedrooms.
Communications
2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR The MSA 2020-2021 School Reopening Plan On August 24, the Mississippi School of the Arts (MSA) announced its plan to offer two models of instruction: a 100% virtual model and a hybrid model. To accommodate MSA’s partnership with Brookhaven High School (BHS), those students enrolled at BHS had remote learning for the entire first nine weeks. At the start of the school year, there were 100 total enrolled students (53 juniors and 47 seniors), populating the six arts disciplines. While most students opted for the hybrid model, there were approximately five students who opted into 100% virtual learning. Fewer than ten students withdrew altogether. Mississippi School of the Arts is directly advised by the state board; however, the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) did not provide MSA additional or different recommendations for their communications strategy. Still, MSA submitted some of their own reopening plan strategies to MDE for review based upon planning meetings that had taken place between MSA and state agencies. The MDE’s chief academic officer gave positive feedback to MSA’s plans and endorsed the school’s efforts. 54 LEARNING FROM THE MOMENT
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For the first nine weeks, hybrid junior and senior students alternated being on campus every two weeks. While on campus, students followed their prescribed schedule. While at home, teachers engaged with them at the same time as their prescribed schedule as if on campus. Seniors were first invited to campus for a weekend prior to the start of the school year to move in, receive resources, go through orientation, and attend senior-reserved events, such as the annual candlelight dinner. Following the weekend, seniors were sent home to start the year virtually. Hybrid juniors were moved in the next weekend to begin in-person classes on August 31 as residential students. The final reopening plan was distributed to students at these move-in weekends. Seniors had their first in-person rotation two weeks later on September 14. While attending in person, hybrid students were clustered on residential floors by arts discipline and prevented from inviting outsiders to limit contact and reduce the chances of spread. (Male students were clustered together due to their small numbers.) MSA additionally set up sanitizing stations at every entrance, put up barriers for teachers, and employed temperature checks. With social distancing, very little opportunity for students to interact, and personal protective equipment available, MSA was able to operate the first nine weeks of school without reporting a single case of COVID-19. However, when its partner school reopened and students began classes there, MSA encountered its first case two weeks before Thanksgiving and subsequently dismissed students to virtual learning the week before that holiday. Students returned from Thanksgiving break in a hybrid model, and there were three more cases. MSA then released all students to virtual instruction the week before the December winter break.
The state of Reopening, SPRING 2021 On January 3, following the winter break, MSA transitioned back to its hybrid instruction model:
Hybrid seniors worked virtually from home January 4-15. Seniors returned to campus for MSA classes January 18-29. Hybrid juniors returned to campus for MSA classes January 4-15. Juniors worked virtually from home January 18-29. All hybrid juniors and seniors came back to campus beginning January 31 for the remainder of the third nine weeks. Also in January, student performances, which had also been 100% virtual, resumed with social distancing precautions in place. Attendance for performances in the Black Box Theater, which hosts theatre, dance, literary, and various other art productions, was restricted to 25-30 people. The number of people allowed in Lampton Auditorium, which hosts vocal performances and recognition ceremonies, was limited to 75 people. When changes to the plan were made, MSA distributed communications through the school’s instant messaging database for automated texting and calling, in addition to social media posts, postal mail, email, website notices, and an app software called Remind. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, the school did not communicate through email, text, or social media as often.
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Communications
LESSONS LEARNED The Mississippi School of the Arts offers two key insights. First, with a diverse, geographically dispersed audience, saturation of information was critical to MSA’s success in COVID communications. MSA’s goal was to make stakeholders aware as soon as possible, in as many ways as possible, of any updates or changes throughout the school year. To do this, they used Moodle, Survey Monkey, social media, emailing, telephone calls, and other channels. MSA leveraged low- or no-cost channels in order to get out the same message as many ways as possible, adjusting characters and using graphics as necessary. Nonetheless, even though MSA added many new communications channels in order to communicate changes in their reopening plan throughout the year, MSA still found the most effective form of communication to be handing documents to parents when students were picked up to go home for the weekend and the least effective to be Twitter, due to its low traffic and interaction, and automated voice calling, due to stakeholders dismissing the calls as “robocalls.” Secondly, MSA attributes its success to placing an emphasis on transparency. At MSA, transparency means engaging stakeholders in dialogue about the challenges the school is facing and the capacity at which MSA could realistically operate considering its size and its residential status. According to Executive Director Hirsch, families were more likely to trust MSA’s decisions when they knew the school was being transparent with them, even if every family did not agree with the approach. Families understand schools were facing tremendous challenges during COVID and were supportive of efforts to operate in the best way the school could. MSA believes transparency is going to be even more important as districts start spending the COVID relief money they receive from the state and federal government. Districts must have a plan to communicate with transparency how the funds are increasing educational opportunities for students.
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Appendix Appendix A - Communications Worksheet Appendix B - Trust & Transparency Templates Appendix C - Resources from Districts
Communications worksheet This section includes communication strategy worksheet and a blank template.
APPENDIX A - COMMUNICATIONS WORKSHEET
A communications strategy plays an integral role in keeping a project on task. Implementing a successful, strong communications strategy can feel overwhelming, but if a district dedicates time to developing a comprehensive communications strategy, staff, teachers, students, and parents will be on the same page, allowing for success from the start! This appendix provides information and tools to help you develop a communications strategy for your district. The narrative section will walk you through the process for developing a strategy, but it is best understood as further explanation for how to complete the template provided in this appendix. We have included two versions of the template. The first version is a completed example template, while the second is blank. We strongly recommend that you use the template and then organize your plan in a written document. This written document will be an internal document that helps everyone responsible for communications know what they should be doing and why. Note: This resource was originally created as part of our One-to-One Implementation Guide: Establishing Your District’s One-to-One Technology Initiative. We have updated the document to help districts develop a district-wide communication strategy.
Definitions Throughout this document, we use some key terms common in communications practice. Understanding these terms will help you better understand this document. These terms are Strategy: A communications strategy is a plan created by an organization to detail communications goals, audiences, and tactics. Audience: An audience is the group of people you are trying to reach. For school districts, common audiences are students, teachers, parents, and staff. Ideally, make your audiences as specific as possible in order to increase the likelihood you will reach them successfully and, therefore, reach your communications goals. For example, students can be broken down into elementary, middle school, and high school groups. You can also further segment each of these groups (by school, for example) in order to better target your communications. Tactic: A tactic is the communications method used to reach an audience. Examples of tactics include newsletters, posters, social media posts, text messages, phone calls, and in-person meetings. Channel: A channel is where a tactic is delivered or placed. Examples of channels include social media, radio, website, and email. Collateral: Collateral is the materials you create for a chosen tactic. Examples of collateral include the text and image needed for a Facebook post, the script for a phone call, and the design for a poster.
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APPENDIX A - COMMUNICATIONS WORKSHEET
Step 1: Goals A strong communications strategy starts with developing goals. The ultimate goal would be a successful communications plan. As you think about your goals for your communications strategy, there are several questions you need to consider when formulating your goals and establishing a vision for your strategy:
What are you trying to do? What ambitious change you want to make? What concrete steps will you take to achieve these goals? Who makes your goals a reality?
Step 2: Context Before you can design a communications strategy, you need to understand the context in which you are communicating. This requires you to look internally at the school district’s assets and challenges in terms of capacity to communicate as well as externally to understand what outside factors may impact your ability to communicate effectively. Questions that can prompt your thinking about these factors are included in the template below.
Step 3: Strategic Choices All strong communications strategies start with an in-depth analysis of audiences. Your first job is to precisely identify all of your audiences. Your audiences will include, at the very least, students, parents, staff, and teachers. Once you have identified these audiences, you must think about what each audience cares about—what they value—and what barriers they may face. For each audience, think of the main theme, or the big picture, that you are trying to communicate. Then, you will develop messages that expand on that theme and can be used when you begin to make collateral. Don’t forget to share your success as part of your messaging. It is important for audiences to hear success stories to increase engagement and buy-in to what you are communicating. Use success stories to reinforce the “why” of your message. We have done some thinking about each of the four main audiences that we identified for you. You should expand on or edit what is below to help it fit your own context.
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Students
What students need to know varies based on age.
Parents
Teachers
Staff
When communicating with elementary students, you have to meet them where they are developmentally and physically. This means they will have more barriers to information. Consider how you can make information accessible to them. Collateral, for example, should be very picture-heavy to account for children who are not yet strong readers. Channels will also be more restricted, as they will most likely not be on social media or have access to email. Their teacher is the best direct messenger. Teachers can also hand out tangible materials to students. Middle and high school students have access to online apps, cellphones, and social media. They also have direct access to teachers, who can be used as messengers. However, in most cases, middle school and high schools rotate teachers so their individual schedules will look different. You need to identify the teacher(s) that meet with all students in order to ensure the messages are received.
Parents are unique, which means you will have to use multiple channels and messengers in order to ensure everyone receives the message. Parents are busy, often have children of multiple ages, and are being bombarded with information from not only the school district but other external organizations. You will need to be careful not to overwhelm parents with too much information while still making all information easily accessible to those who want more detail. The list of what parents need to know is long; your communications strategy should precisely list what parents need to know, when they need to know it, and the best way to present that information to reach the majority of parents. Spending time understanding who your parents are will help you develop the best tactics and channels to use in order to best communicate with them. Teachers are a very diverse group representing many age groups. With that in mind, they also have different levels of knowledge and confidence when using resources available to them. Administrators have direct access to them at school, hopefully through well-established communication channels. Nonetheless, teachers should be engaged early and often. Teachers value feeling like they understand what is going on and that they have been heard by administrators. They also value their time, as it is limited during the school year. Remember, teachers serve as advocates and messengers daily with their students and parents. They should be a key part of your communications strategy in terms of receiving messages, but you should also consider what they need to serve in their role as messengers. Staff needs to have a clear understanding of what their role will be in establishing a communications strategy. Similar to parents, this audience is diverse. First, identify the staff that will be involved directly with the communications strategy, and state what they will be responsible for. Once this is complete, you can identify the best way to reach them. Does your district have a strong email culture? Or is there a weekly meeting staff needs to attend? Identify the best channel based on the culture of the school. Also, decide who is the best messenger: is it a school leader or the head of communications? From there, you can decide on the best tactics.
Remember that once you know your audiences, you need to understand what their values and their barriers to information before you can develop themes and messages.
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Step 4: Communications Activities Once you know your audiences and have some basic messages, you need to determine your tactics, plot them on a timeline, and assign key tasks to people. You should also consider your budget for communications at this stage. Tactics should be specific to audiences, meaning that some tactics will not reach all audiences as effectively. A tactic may also be the same across audiences but vary in the channel you use. For example, a communications checklist is one tactic, but you may distribute it via email to school leaders. Be aware that there should be several channels and tactics in place to distribute your communications strategy. Remember to look in your needs assessment data to see if you have any clues about the most responsive form of communication for your audiences. examples of tactics Newsletters can come in a variety of formats. They can be emailed, posted on websites, printed and sent home with students, or even mailed. Be specific on what the goal for each newsletter is. Keeping a newsletter to one to two pages will help make sure more people read it. Be consistent about when the newsletter comes out so the audience can expect them. For example, publish a newsletter on the first Monday of each month. (Audience tip: Parents are often the main audience for newsletters.) Social media posts are a good place to provide important information in a short-form format. For example, you can post district news, showcase teachers, staff, and students, post important links, job postings, and highlight happenings within the district. You can embed videos and photos to help increase engagement. Similar to other online formats, keep posts short and sweet. Also, you can sometimes use the same content across different platforms. Instagram and Facebook allow you to post in both places at one time. Remember, though, that Twitter has character restrictions. (Audience tip: This is a good tactic for parents, teachers, administrators, and older students who are on social media. This is only a good tactic if you have a substantial following on your social media accounts.) Video does not have to be professionally produced, but it does have to be specific to the goal and audience. A good rule is to keep an informational video under two minutes. Short and sweet is always good to ensure engagement and views. Also, when possible, include captions to increase accessibility. (Audience tip: Depending on the channel (e.g., YouTube, embedded videos on your website or social media accounts), this tactic can be good for a variety of audiences, especially younger audiences.) Informational sessions, in-person or online meetings with constituents, allow a target audience to hear directly from school or district administrators and often provide a forum to answer questions. It is important to have a clear agenda or script in order to keep these sessions short and to the point. Because this tactic requires more time for the audience, it might be challenging to get 100% participation. Think about ways you can work with events already on the schedule to increase participation. (Audience tip: This is a good tactic to use with all audiences, but students and teachers are easier to reach with informational sessions because they are already expected to be at school.) Printed materials could include flyers, posters, one-pagers, FAQs, waivers, letters, postcards, direct mail, etc. The benefit of adding printed materials is to allow a way to communicate without the possibility of clutter. When communicating through email or social media, we often miss the opportunity to reach our target audience because of the many other things that may come through those channels. (Audience tip: This is a good tactic for teachers, students or parents. Teachers can use flyers a means to communicate to students. Sending parents postcards or letters home with their child are easy ways to get them engaged in student activities at school.)
Along with tactics, you have to be strategic in the channels you choose, who you choose to target through those channels, and how you use those channels. For example, communicating to parents with a newsletter can be helpful through email and through printed materials, but the same channels may not be effective when targeting students. Remembering how each audience responses to each tactic and channel is essential to reach them effectively in your communications efforts.
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examples of channels Your social media accounts will only be successful if you dedicate time to them. If you want your social media to be frequented by your audiences, you have to post regularly and create engaging, relevant content. Examples of social media that school districts commonly use are Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Include images and video. Similar to email, short and sweet is best. (Audience tip: This is a good channel for parents, teachers, and older students who have social media accounts. Be aware not everyone is on social media. This should not be the only channel you use to post updates.) If possible, emails should be segmented to reach specific stakeholders better. Short and sweet is best, as well as including visuals/graphics. Many will not read a wordy email. (Audience tip: This is the best channel for teachers, parents, and high school students—if they have school-provided email addresses.) Your website should serve as a centralized location for all important information that school audiences will need to access. It is one of the most important channels because it is completely controlled by the school district and allows for transparency. However, a bad website can create frustration and be a barrier to communication. You should spend time annually to audit the district website to make sure information is up-to-date and easily accessible to your audiences. (Audience tip: This is a good channel for parents, teachers, administrators, and older students.) Most school districts have access to robocall or mass texting software. Almost all adults (along with many high schoolers) have access to a cellphone or a landline. This channel is usually used for announcements related to weather and school emergencies. You should be mindful of the length of the message. (Audience tip: This is a good channel for parents, teachers, administrators, and older students.)
Social apps like GroupMe have become very popular as a means for communication with parents. These operate similarly to Facebook groups, in that they can be kept private, and allow for text, image, or video posts. If a district already uses a social app, it should consider how it can be leveraged for communications about general updates and crises. (Audience tip: This is a good channel for parents, teachers, administrators, and older students.)
Step 5: Measure Success As with every plan, you need a way to know whether you are achieving your goals. Your measurement plan should include both outputs and outcomes. Outputs measure whether your specific tasks were completed. For example, did you receive feedback from the tactics you chose? Outcomes measure whether your desired changes took place. For example, measuring your metrics on your social platforms, email, and website will allow you to see what is successful for your audiences. Make sure you have output and outcomes specific to each audience.
Step 6: Final Considerations Update your strategy at least once a year. A communications strategy is a living document, and you will need to revisit it at least once a year, if not more frequently. Take into account any changes to the initiative and if those need to be communicated to your audiences.
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LEARNING FROM THE MOMENT 63
APPENDIX A - COMMUNICATIONS WORKSHEET
Communication Strategy Sample We created this template based on the SMART CHARTTM model from Spitfire Strategies. The SMART CHART will help you assess your strategic decisions and create a high-impact communications strategy. The example below focuses on an open house for a school who has K-12 students.
STEP ONE: GOALS What are you trying to do? What is the big ambitious change you want to make? Host an open house for all students, teachers, families, and staff Overall Vision: 1. Increase parents’ participation in their childrens’ education 2. Establish a connection with parents for a successful academic year 3. Increase parent, teacher, and student relationships What concrete steps will you take to achieve these goals? (Remember this template is for developing your communications strategy for this event or initiative. Your objectives should be specific to how you are going to communicate your to your audiences, not how you are going to execute the communications strategy. Also, know you are going to have multiple objectives.) Objectives: 1. SAMPLE: Create a communications strategy to establish trust and transparency with stakeholders 2. SAMPLE: Build capacity to communicate to our audiences 3. SAMPLE: Successfully measure results of communications strategy and make improvements Who makes your objectives a reality? Identify the key communicators for your objectives. Be specific. You should be naming individuals. EXAMPLE: The superintendent, a principal, head of communications, teachers
STEP TWO: CONTEXT
Understanding your assets and challenges on the front end will help you streamline communications once you define your audiences and tactics. Think about access to resources, staff time, etc. Think of this as a quick version of a SWOT analysis. Internal Scan
Assess your organization’s assets and challenges from a capacity perspective. Consider all the things you control that may impact your communications efforts. What staff, resources, and tools do you have to use?
External Scan
Take stock of what’s happening around you that will affect your communications strategy. Are there misconceptions or misinformation that might get in the way of your communication efforts? Are there time considerations or key events that you might need to factor into your strategy? Are there natural communication opportunities you can leverage to help advance your strategy?
64 LEARNING FROM THE MOMENT
MISSISSIPPI FIRST
APPENDIX A - COMMUNICATIONS WORKSHEET
STEP THREE: STRATEGIC CHOICES AUDIENCE: Who are the people who can help you achieve your objectives? Be specific. The “general public” is not an audience. You want to break down your audiences as much as possible so you ensure you are providing the exact information they need to know in order for you to reach your objectives. There is no limit on the number of audiences. For the purpose of this template, we are only identifying four: students, parents, staff, and teachers. Identify Audience
Parents (Break this down by Students (Break this down by schools or grades. school or grades.) Strategies and tactics will look different for elementary vs. high school, etc.)
Identify Core Concerns: Determine what will compel the audience to move toward your objective. Think about this in terms of what the audience values and what will be barriers. Make sure you think about what your audience needs to know that they do not already know or what misconceptions they may have.
Example Values: - Quality resources available to students in their learning environment - The school environment - Quality teachers - Clear instructions - Clear expectations Example Barriers: - No support at home - No ability to get to the open house
Your education is important Theme: What is the to us. big picture you are trying to convey to each specific audience?
Example Values: - Wanting their child to have access to the best education possible - Helping their child academically Example Barriers: - Not able to take off from work to attend the open house - Inability to get to the open house
We are preparing your student/child for the future.
Staff (This should include specific individuals that will play a role in ensuring the registration is a success.)
Teachers (Break this down by school or grades. Expectations for teachers will be different depending on school and/or grade.)
Example Values: Example Values: - Clear expectations - Clear expectations - Professional development - Want to be a part of the process and be heard and training - Want students to have high-quality instructional Example Barriers: materials - Lack of information - Professional development - Poor internal and training communications - Lack of support and Example Barriers: training - Lack of information - Poor internal communications - Lack of support and training You are instrumental in getting students successfully registered for the next school year.
Teachers are essential to each student’s success.
Message: Is your message based on the audience’s core concerns? Does it overcome—not reinforce—their barrier? Is “the ask” in the audience’s comfort zone? If not, does the offered benefit outweigh the risk? Does the message offer a vision or emphasize a personal reward? Does it convey hope toward success? Is it consistent with the theme throughout? Attending will ensure the success of your education Your responsibilities/expectations
Attending will help ensure the With your help, more children With your help, more children can get access to a high-quality success of your student/child’s can get access to a higheducation. quality education. education. Your responsibilities/ expectations
Your responsibilities/ expectations
We need you in order to make this open house successful. Your responsibilities/ expectations
MISSISSIPPI FIRST
LEARNING FROM THE MOMENT 65
APPENDIX A - COMMUNICATIONS WORKSHEET
STEP FOUR: COMMUNICATIONS ACTIVITIES
Your communications strategy starts coming together as you identify tactics, plot them on a timeline, and assign key tasks to the people who will help implement your strategy. Below are some example tactics. This list is not exhaustive. Audience
Students
Parents
Staff
Teachers
Tactics
Posters/flyers in schools
Email of important dates/info
Posters/flyers in schools
Announcements from teachers and/or administration to the entire school
Social media posts
Email of important dates/info
Poster/flyers in schools/teacher boxes
Text messages
FAQ
Allow for a Zoom option for families to schedule time with teachers
In-person meeting to discuss responsibilities and logistics
Email of important dates/ info (for older students) Allow for a Zoom option for families’ to schedule time with teachers
FAQ
Email of important dates/info FAQ Allow for a Zoom option for teachers to schedule time with families In-person meeting to discuss responsibilities and logistics
Postcard in the mail with QR code to website link about program Video about open house (website and/or email)
Timing
Identify the timeline for the tactics that you identified. Remember, parents care about the success of their student’s education and safety. In this example, the timeline should be before or at the very beginning of the school year to help establish relationships with families. You need to have communications tactics for each of these phases.
Assignments
Who is responsible for each tactic? In some cases, it might be more than one person. Make sure everyone is aware of their responsibilities.
Budget
How much will each tactic cost? Think printing costs, social media ads, time to produce materials, etc. You want to make sure you can execute your strategy within the budget you are provided.
STEP FIVE: MEASUREMENT OF SUCCESS
The measures of success should be a mixture of outputs and outcomes. Think of outputs as measures of your efforts—the things you are doing to move your strategy forward. Outputs can include generating a specific number of email or text messages to parents, creating a video message from your superintendent for your website, or writing a student handbook. Outcomes are the changes that occur because of these outputs. If you generate a specific number of emails and text messages to parents, it is more likely they will attend the event. The purpose of your communications strategy is to ensure that your messages are getting to the right audiences and that those audiences are doing what you want. Below are some examples. This list is not exhaustive. Audience
Students
Parents
Staff
Teachers
Outputs—These need to be very specific, including numbers/metrics.
The number of students that attended the open house
The number of parents that attended the open house
Send one email to all staff with specific responsibilities and schedule for the open house.
Send one email to all teachers with specific information regarding the open house.
Students received more information about their classes and their teachers.
Parents received information about their student’s classes and their teachers.
Give teachers a detailed checklist and guidelines for what to expect for open house. Train teachers on how to approach those who opt for a Zoom option
Outcomes
Students will be able to establish a connection with their teacher. 66 LEARNING FROM THE MOMENT
Parents will be able to have a connection with their child’s teacher and administration.
Staff members will be able to ensure student success.
Teachers will be able to foster connections with students and parents
MISSISSIPPI FIRST
APPENDIX A - COMMUNICATIONS WORKSHEET
STEP SIX: FINAL REALITY CHECK Is the strategy doable? Are your choices consistent? Does the logic flow from one box to the next? (Tip: Try testing your decisions backward—i.e., by accomplishing these tactics using these messengers, we will deliver these messages, supporting this theme, tapping into these values, moving this target audience, and so forth. Does the logic work as well in reverse as it did when you worked through Smart Chart 3.0? By going backward, you are more likely to recognize faulty logic or disconnect between decisions and steps. If the logic doesn’t work in reverse, go back and address the trouble spots.) Are you motivating the right people to take the right action at the right time? Are there any assumptions or guesses built into the strategy that require further research to confirm or correct? Will the tactics move you toward your objective? Will they reach the appropriate audience(s)? Are you using the best persuasion practices, such as respecting the audience’s lifestyle, sharing hope, making them the hero, positioning the issue within the social norm, and so forth? Are there other objectives you need to add to the Smart Chart? Be sure you’re taking a comprehensive approach to meeting your overall goals. Is there buy-in from your organization to implement the strategy? Can you measure progress? If you answered YES to all these questions, you are ready to get to work! If you answered NO, go back and find your weaknesses in your strategy and update.
MISSISSIPPI FIRST
LEARNING FROM THE MOMENT 67
Communication Strategy Template
We created this template based on the SMART CHARTTM model from Spitfire Strategies. The SMART CHART will help you assess your strategic decisions and create a high-impact communications strategy.
STEP ONE: PROGRAM DECISIONS What are you trying to do? What is the big ambitious change you want to make? [This is where you list your goals.]
What concrete steps will you take to achieve these goals?
Who makes your objectives a reality?
STEP TWO: CONTEXT
Understanding your assets and challenges on the front end will help you streamline communications once you define your audiences and tactics. Think about access to resources, staff time, etc. Think of this as a quick version of a SWOT analysis. Internal Scan
Assess your organization’s assets and challenges from a capacity perspective. Consider all the things you control that may impact your communications efforts.
External Scan
Take stock of what’s happening around you that will affect your communications strategy.
STEP THREE: STRATEGIC CHOICES AUDIENCE: Who are the people who can help you achieve your objectives? Be specific. The “general public” is not an audience. You want to break down your audiences as much as possible so you ensure you are providing the exact information they need to know in order for you to reach your objectives. There is no limit on the number of audiences. Identify Audience
Identify Core Concerns:
Theme:
Message:
Example Values:
Example Values:
Example Values:
Example Values:
Example Barriers:
Example Barriers:
Example Barriers:
Example Barriers:
STEP FOUR: COMMUNICATIONS ACTIVITIES
Your communications strategy starts coming together as you identify tactics, plot them on a timeline, and assign key tasks to the people who will help implement your strategy. Audience Tactics
Timing
Assignments
Budget
STEP FIVE: MEASUREMENT OF SUCCESS
The measures of success should be a mixture of outputs and outcomes. Think of outputs as measures of your efforts—the things you are doing to move your strategy forward. Outputs can include generating a specific number of email or text messages to parents, creating a video message from your superintendent for your website, or writing a student handbook. Outcomes are the changes that occur because of these outputs. If you generate a specific number of emails and text messages to parents, it is more likely they will attend the event. The purpose of your communications strategy is to ensure that your messages are getting to the right audiences and that those audiences are doing what you want. Audience Outputs
Outcomes
STEP SIX: FINAL REALITY CHECK Is the strategy doable? Are your choices consistent? Does the logic flow from one box to the next? (Tip: Try testing your decisions backward—i.e., by accomplishing these tactics using these messengers, we will deliver these messages, supporting this theme, tapping into these values, moving this target audience, and so forth. Does the logic work as well in reverse as it did when you worked through Smart Chart 3.0? By going backward, you are more likely to recognize faulty logic or disconnect between decisions and steps. If the logic doesn’t work in reverse, go back and address the trouble spots.) Are you motivating the right people to take the right action at the right time? Are there any assumptions or guesses built into the strategy that require further research to confirm or correct? Will the tactics move you toward your objective? Will they reach the appropriate audience(s)? Are you using the best persuasion practices, such as respecting the audience’s lifestyle, sharing hope, making them the hero, positioning the issue within the social norm, and so forth? Are there other objectives you need to add to the Smart Chart? Be sure you’re taking a comprehensive approach to meeting your overall goals. Is there buy-in from your organization to implement the strategy? Can you measure progress? If you answered YES to all these questions, you are ready to get to work! If you answered NO, go back and find your weaknesses in your strategy and update.
Trust & Transparency templates This section includes two templates to help a district increase transparency around funding. This document is derived from a template by South Kitsap School District in Washington state. It was sent by mail to all taxpayers in their community. We have created Word versions of this template that can be downloaded at www.mississippifirst.org.
Template 1: District Finance-School Funding This template can be used from year to year.
Template 2: District Finance 2021-2022 School Funding (with Federal American Rescue Plan Dollars) This template is specific for years where districts are spending Federal American Rescue Plan dollars. We recommend districts include information about Federal American Rescue Plan dollars for the 2021-2022 school year to increase funding transparency. Districts can also include a box to explain exactly how the district spent ARPA funds.
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MISSISSIPPI FIRST
APPENDIX B - TRUST & TRANSPARENCY TEMPLATES
YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT LOGO
DISTRICT FINANCE - SCHOOL FUNDING [SCHOOL DISTRICT NAME] takes pride in operating in a resourceful and responsible manner. Our annual operating budget is approximately $XXX and most of our spending directly supports classroom instruction and students. Our resources, equipment, and technology sustain proven, effective education strategies and create safe and successful learning environments for all our students. We use public tax dollars efficiently to equip our students with the knowledge and skills to prepare students for college, career, and real life.
Funding sources
How the funding is used
The budgeted General Fund pays for day-to-day operations and is funded by a variety of sources:
The focus is on instruction. On average, XX% of the money goes to our teachers and their support, XX% to school and district administration.
STATE DOLLARS XX%............................................................................$XXXXXX
Teaching and teaching support, school and Central office staff XX%............................................................................$XXXXXX
The largest source of funding for local schools comes from state tax dollars.
LOCAL AD VALOREM Dollars XX%............................................................................$XXXXXX
Last school year, we spent XX¢ of every dollar on teaching and teaching support, which includes librarians, counselors, classroom assistants, and special education support.
Local ad valorem funds are collected from taxpayers annually. The funds are used for day-to-day costs.
LOCAL BOND Dollars* XX%............................................................................$XXXXXX Local bond dollars are collected from taxpayers and must be approved by local voters. The funds are used for day-to-day costs and building expenses.
Federal Dollars XX%............................................................................$XXXXXX Over XX% of federal dollars are strictly allocated, meaning the district can’t use federal dollars
Custodial, maintenance, & Grounds XX%............................................................................$XXXXXX Just over XX¢ of every dollar we spent last year was on school maintenance, custodians, and ground crews.
Nutrition services XX%............................................................................$XXXXXX Just over XX¢ of every dollar went to provide students with nutritious meals.
to make up for shortages in other funding. These funds are used for special education targeted assistance and school food programs.
Transportation XX%............................................................................$XXXXXX XX¢ per dollar was spent on buses and drivers, who safely transported students approximately XX
OTHER-including donations XX%............................................................................$XXXXXX All other funding sources include local gifts and donations, which are used to fill very specific needs.
miles last year.
Utilities XX%............................................................................$XXXXXX Just over XX¢ of every dollar was spent on power, water, and sewer for our XX schools and XX additional buildings.
All other support services XX%............................................................................$XXXXXX Everything else that goes into keeping our schools running, cost just over XX¢.
Not all districts will have funding from local bonds. Do not include this if you district does not receive this money. This document is derived from a template by South Kitsap School District in Washington state. It was sent by mail to all taxpayers in their community.
*
[school district website] [telephone]
APPENDIX B - TRUST & TRANSPARENCY TEMPLATES
YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT LOGO
DISTRICT FINANCE - 2021-2022 SCHOOL FUNDING [SCHOOL DISTRICT NAME] takes pride in operating in a resourceful and responsible manner. Our annual operating budget is approximately $XXX and most of our spending directly supports classroom instruction and students. Our resources, equipment, and technology sustain proven, effective education strategies and create safe and successful learning environments for all our students. We use public tax dollars efficiently to equip our students with the knowledge and skills to prepare students for college, career, and real life.
Funding sources
The budgeted General Fund pays for day-to-day operations and is funded by a variety of sources:
STATE DOLLARS XX%............................................................................$XXXXXX The largest source of funding for local schools comes from state tax dollars.
LOCAL AD VALOREM Dollars XX%............................................................................$XXXXXX
How the funding is used The focus is on instruction. On average, XX% of the money goes to our teachers and their support, XX% to school and district administration.
Teaching and teaching support, school and Central office staff XX%............................................................................$XXXXXX Last school year, we spent XX¢ of every dollar on teaching and teaching support, which includes librarians, counselors, classroom assistants, and special education support.
Local ad valorem funds are collected from taxpayers annually. The funds are used for day-to-day costs.
LOCAL BOND Dollars* XX%............................................................................$XXXXXX Local bond dollars are collected from taxpayers and must be approved by local voters. The funds are used for day-to-day costs and building expenses.
Federal Dollars XX%............................................................................$XXXXXX Over XX% of federal dollars are strictly allocated, meaning the district can’t use federal dollars
Custodial, maintenance, & Grounds XX%............................................................................$XXXXXX Just over XX¢ of every dollar we spent last year was on school maintenance, custodians, and ground crews.
Nutrition services XX%............................................................................$XXXXXX Just over XX¢ of every dollar went to provide students with nutritious meals.
to make up for shortages in other funding. These funds are used for special education targeted assistance and school food programs.
Transportation XX%............................................................................$XXXXXX
Federal AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN dollars †
XX¢ per dollar was spent on buses and drivers, who safely transported students approximately XX
XX%............................................................................$XXXXXX
Utilities XX%............................................................................$XXXXXX
These are one-time funds that the district received through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. It is based on our relative share of Title I, Part A funding.
miles last year.
Just over XX¢ of every dollar was spent on power, water, and sewer for our XX schools and XX additional buildings.
OTHER-including donations XX%............................................................................$XXXXXX All other funding sources include local gifts and donations, which are used to fill very specific needs. Not all districts will have funding from local bonds. Do not include this if you district does not receive this money. † We recommend districts include information about Federal American Rescue Plan dollars for the 20212022 school year to increase funding transparency. Districts can also include a box to explain exactly how your district spent ARPA funds. This document is based off a document created by South Kitsap School District in Washington State. It was sent by mail to all tax payers in their community. *
TECHNOLOGY† XX%............................................................................$XXXXXX Just over XX¢ of every dollar was spent on technology. This includes devices, training, and staff needed to support technology.
All other support services XX%............................................................................$XXXXXX Everything else that goes into keeping our schools running, cost just over XX¢.
[School district website] [telephone]
Resources from districts This section includes sample materials from the case study school districts: • Jackson Public Schools, • Mississippi School of the Arts, • Mississippi Achievement School District, and • Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District.
MISSISSIPPI FIRST
LEARNING FROM THE MOMENT 75
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Attention
JPS Parents Coaches and Students! Learn How JPS Will Support Athletics and Activities During the 2020-2021 Fall Semester
Join us for a virtual conference call Thursday, August 20, 2020, at 6:00 p.m.
To participate, please follow the steps below: Call 1-312-626-6799 Submit the Meeting ID: 858-7762-5143 Enter the Password: jpssports OR Join the Athletics Zoom Meeting at www.jackson.k12.ms.us/AthleticsZoom
JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOLS 5/24/2021
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS The JPS Mobile App is Here!
RETURN TO HEADLINES
The JPS Mobile App is Here! December 2, 2020
The District's o cial mobile app is available in app stores today. Get access to news, events, the district directory, and even our DonorsChoose site right in the palm of your hand. You can customize your experience by selecting which schools you want to follow. Customize your experience with the app through Noti cations settings. We hope you will enjoy having access to the tools and information you need on a daily basis in one amazing app! To download: · Enter your App Store (Available in Google Play and the Apple App Store.) · Search for 'Jackson Public Schools MS.' https://www.jackson.k12.ms.us/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=4&ModuleInstanceID=779&ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B…
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APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
March 24, 2020 Dear JPS Families: In accordance with Gov. Tate Reeves' State of Emergency Declaration for statewide school closings, the Jackson Public School District will be closed until April 17, 2020, at a minimum. In order to ensure that continuous learning occurs during our school closures, we are offering distance learning assignments for our scholars. Our Learning-at-Home Plan includes a variety of resources and suggested schedules that you can use to help your child stay focused during this critical time. This valuable resource is located at www.jackson.k12.ms.us on the Coronavirus Response Page (www.jackson.k12.ms.us/CoronavirusResponse). The Learning-at-Home link provides access to various online learning platforms, printed resources, recorded lessons, and Read Aloud book chats produced by JPS Instructional Television (ITV). The book chats will also air on our ITV Channel 19 on Comcast. To combat learning loss, instructional packets for Pre-K-8 grades have been made available online. Look for them under Learning-at-Home on our Coronavirus Response Page. Scholars are permitted to write their answers on their own paper. The first instructional packet provided activities for March 16-27, 2020. Beginning March 30, the second instructional packet will be posted with activities for March 30-April 17. Additional packets will be provided if the school closure is extended. Printed instructional packets are available from 9:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. at all Grab-and-Go meal sites for scholars in grades Pre-K–12. We are asking that these printed instructional packets be reserved for our families that have no internet access or smart device at home. The Grab-and-Go meal sites are as follows: North Sites Central Sites Boyd Elementary Blackburn Middle 4531 Broadmeadow Street 1311 W. Pearl Street
South Sites Marshall Elementary 2909 Oak Forest Drive
North Jackson Elementary 650 James M. Davis Drive
Galloway Elementary 186 Idlewild Street
Peeples Middle 2940 Belvedere Drive
Spann Elementary 1615 Brecon Drive
Lake Elementary 472 Mt. Vernon Avenue
Whitten Middle 210 Daniel Lake Boulevard
Raines Elementary 156 N. Flag Chapel Road
Wilkins Elementary 1970 Castle Hill Drive
Smith Elementary 3900 Parkway Avenue
JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
Canvas and Google Classroom The Canvas and/or Google Classroom platforms may be used for our middle school scholars and will be used for our high school scholars for teachers to provide coursework and assignments. Scholars can access Canvas and Google Classroom using their Clever username and password. Clever can be accessed at https://clever.com/in/jpsd. Beginning March 30, 2020, all teachers will have office hours through Zoom Videoconference, email, and/or telephone during the Learning-At-Home designated course/class times to assist scholars with questions about assignments. The Learning-At-Home times are listed on the suggested Learning-At-Home schedules. Instructions on how to access teachers during this time will be sent through Canvas, Google Classroom or School Status (email/text message). Support for Exceptional Education Services Exceptional education services will be provided to eligible scholars with disabilities during the school closure. By continuing to ensure that a free and appropriate public education is afforded to scholars with disabilities, the following supports will be provided: Equal access to instruction with accommodations, to the maximum extent possible; Parent(s) and scholars included in decision-making for services, where appropriate; and Parent(s) and committee members notified of proposed actions regarding services. Grading of All Assignments Scholars are expected to keep and maintain completed work, whether from the instructional packets and/or online assignments. They should also complete online coursework by the stated due dates. This work will not negatively affect scholars’ grade averages but may be used to help scholars meet promotion requirements. Additional Assistance If parents need additional assistance with picking up or accessing the Learning-At-Home coursework or assignments, please contact us at covid19@jackson.k12.ms.us. Families are encouraged to frequently visit the District’s Coronavirus Response Page (www.jackson.k12.ms.us/CoronavirusResponse) for the most current updates, responses, meals and services, resources, and FAQs. As always, we will continue to communicate with our JPS families as we work as a community to overcome the challenges presented by this crisis. Remember to stay safe, wash hands frequently and practice social distancing. Sincerely, Assistant Superintendents, Jackson Public Schools
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Errick L. Greene Ed.D., Superintendent
Our Agenda Opening & Welcome
Mission/Vision & JPS Core Values Purpose of Meeting Supplemental Food Support to JPS Families Learning Supports to Scholars Our Updated Website How You Can Provide Coordinated Support Meeting Closure & Next Steps
JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
EQUITY
EXCELLENCE
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
GROWTH MINDSET
RELATIONSHIPS
RELEVANCE
POSITIVE & RESPECTFUL CULTURE
JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
Share our current plan to support Jackson area scholars and their families through supplemental feeding programs & learning supports. Engage our partners in the ways we can coordinate our efforts and publicize the good work community partners are already committed to doing.
North
Central
South
Boyd
Blackburn Middle
Peeples Middle
North Jackson
Lake
Marshall
Raines
Wilkins
Galloway
Whitten Middle
Spann
Smith
JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
A flyer and social media posting which includes this city map/ school locations and key details is available for sharing.
Friday,
Wednesday,
Saturday,
March 20 & 27
March 18
March 21
• Distribute weekend food backpacks at 12 school feeding sites
• Distribute food boxes to families at Pecan Park Elementary from 4 - 6 p.m.
• Distribute food boxes to families at Peeples Middle School from 10 a.m. - Noon
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
• Instructional packets for grades K-8 are available online and will be distributed at our 12 feeding sites. • Our updated website includes links to instructional games and websites students use at school through single-sign site (Clever).
• Students are able to take Accelerated Reader quizzes online for any books they read and earn points towards school-based incentives. • Beginning Monday, March March 23rd, there will be supplemental lessons on our JPS Instructional Television station, Comcast Cable Channels 18 & 19.
• Our High School scholars are being assigned supplemental coursework in Canvas.
JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
Volunteer Sponsor the Weekend Backpack Program Book Donations Spread the Word Continue Doing Good & Tell Us About It: Thea Faulkner, Director of Partners in Education (Family & Community Engagement) tfaulkner@jackson.k12.ms.us
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
Visit our website at www.jackson.k12.ms.us. Like Us on Facebook, Follow Us on Twitter, & Subscribe to Our YouTube Channel.
JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
Hosted by the following JPS departments:
Errick L. Greene Ed.D., Superintendent
Our Agenda Opening & Welcome JPS Core Values Purpose of Meeting Supplemental Food Support to JPS Families How You Can Provide Coordinated Support Guidelines for Volunteers Next Steps & Questions Our Updated Website Closing remarks
JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
EQUITY
EXCELLENCE
GROWTH MINDSET
RELATIONSHIPS
RELEVANCE
Share our current plan to support Jackson area scholars and their families through supplemental feeding programs. Engage our partners to coordinate our efforts to ensure equitable distribution of supports.
POSITIVE & RESPECTFUL CULTURE
JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
Breakfast and Lunch: Monday-Friday, 9-11 a.m. Free to children 18 and under; Adults: $2.50 for breakfast, $3.75 for lunch.
North
Central
• Boyd • North Jackson • Spann
• Blackburn MS • Lake • Raines • Galloway • Smith
South
• Peeples MS • Marshall • Wilkins • Whitten MS
Dinner Meals - free to children and adults
500 meals per site for two days: • Bates/Cardozo • Chastain Middle • Galloway Elementary
Thursday, March 26
Friday, March 27
3:00- 5:00 p.m.
3:00- 5:00 p.m.
• • • •
Chicken Tetrazzini Green Beans Dinner Roll Utensils/Napkin
• Baked Chicken • Oven Roasted Potatoes • California Vegetables • Garlic toast • Utensils/Napkin
JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
• Volunteers: 6-8 per site to distribute meals, curbside, preferably into car trunks. • Financial donations to continue the dinner meals ($4,628 per week/site). • Financial donations to provide weekend Family Food Boxes, beginning Friday, April 3. We are currently seeking a food vendor to provide specific items, which will determine the actual costs. Stay tuned.
Continue doing good & tell us about it: sherjohnson@jackson.k12.ms.us
For additional information, please contact:
Thea Faulkner, Director of Partners in Education (Community, Parent and Engagement) tfaulkner@jackson.k12.ms.us
Meal distribution site volunteers must:
JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
Guidelines •
• • •
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
JACKSON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Volunteer Sponsor the Weekend Backpack Program Book Donations Spread the Word Continue Doing Good & Tell Us About It: Thea Faulkner, Director of Partners in Education (Family & Community Engagement) tfaulkner@jackson.k12.ms.us
MISSISSIPPI SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
Mississippi School of the Arts COVID-19 Plan for 2020-2021 School Year (revised August 17, 2020) As most are aware, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has continued the spread worldwide. The Mississippi School of the Arts has created a plan to prepare aligned with Center for Disease Control for the possibility that this virus may be in our community for months to come and reopening the campus for operation must be done with great care.
COVID-19 Basics: • The Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) causes a febrile respiratory syndrome, similar to influenza. • Many cases may have mild symptoms. • Severe cases may occur, leading to respiratory failure and death, especially among older adults and those with chronic medical conditions. • The vast majority of people infected with COVID-19 will fully recover. • The virus is spread from person-to-person through respiratory droplets. • There is no antiviral treatment or vaccine currently available for COVID-19. Please review the essential elements of CDC guidance for preventing the spread of illness in the workplace. The protocols in this document are provided for Traditional or Hybrid MSA operations. If CDC/MDE/MDHS guidance should expect closure of campus or an outbreak has begun to disrupt traditional operations, protocols will be released for a Virtual Learning Environment. An online web-based instructional portal is in place to provide seamless instruction regardless of operation model.
Traditional Operation – All students are on campus. Schedule operates daily without change from original plan. If necessary, while on campus to allow for smaller classes in a few of the courses, students could participate in class while on campus in their dormitory rooms removing internet/device obstacles. They would alternate days in the classroom with the teacher. Hybrid Operation – Rooms are assigned with a junior and senior in each room. If Hybrid operations are adopted, a (junior or senior) class of students would attend on campus courses for two weeks and switch to online for two weeks while the other class would attend on campus. This would half the capacity of school operations. Initial plans for reopening will be August 31-September 27 on hybrid model with extensions as needed. Virtual Operation – All students and staff work from home for a minimum of 14 days or length as designated necessary for the safety of all. Obstacles to consider – internet access; device access; motivation of the students to participate in online/virtual learning
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
MISSISSIPPI SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
Mississippi School of the Arts COVID-19 Plan for 2020-2021 School Year (revised August 17, 2020) MSA is implementing the following CDC Recommended Strategies: Prevent Employees and students with symptoms of acute respiratory illness are recommended to stay home and not come to work until they are free of fever (100.0° F or greater), signs of a fever, and any other symptoms for at least 48 hours, without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom-altering medicines. Employees should notify their supervisor and stay home if they are sick. Students or staff who live with a COVID-19 positive family member should self-quarantine for 14 days before returning to campus. Students or staff who have taken trips to highly infected areas should consult with the administration prior to returning to campus to assess if a self-quarantine is warranted.
When a student returns home on weekends, if there is a person in the home who is COVID19 positive, the student should quarantine and begin distance learning for 14 days before returning to campus. Do NOT return to campus if you are sick or feeling ill. Communicate with the administration to ensure coursework and absences are excused. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
On Campus Preventative Measures Handwashing, social distancing, masks required posters throughout campus Daily temperature checks of all staff and students at the beginning of the day Screening questionnaire for students returning to campus from overnight Sanitizer stations on every level of all buildings and every classroom Restrooms are continuously stocked with soap and paper towels Disinfectant spray is being utilized on high touch areas Masks required in all common areas and outdoors when social distancing is impossible Masks provided to all staff and students; face shields for classes with more vocal exertion and each teacher; clear barriers for singers to stand behind Small ensemble and solo work for all performing arts classes Student training on cleaning procedures; handwashing procedures; habits regarding high touch areas Two students per dormitory room (when in hybrid operations, 1 per room) Floors assigned by arts discipline as much as possible Limited access for fitness center, art room, laundry room in the Student Life Center Staggered meal times by group with assigned seating areas; additional outdoor seating No visitors from outside of campus for the Fall 2020 Modified check out procedures as a drive through for weekend departures No visiting from floor to floor, instead visiting in common areas on campus or 1st-2nd Floors of the Student Life Center Small class sizes, distanced classroom seating, barriers for teachers Virtual learning with partner school, Brookhaven High School for the 1st nine weeks High traffic barriers at administrative desk areas Virtual performances and exhibits for the Fall 2020
MISSISSIPPI SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
Mississippi School of the Arts COVID-19 Plan for 2020-2021 School Year (revised August 17, 2020) • • • •
No field trips for Fall 2020 – replaced with increased on campus activities Administration monitoring daily updates from all regulatory and health agencies Small group mental health sessions and individual sessions are available for students dealing with trauma related to COVID-19 or other issues No equipment, props, costumes, supplies should be shared without first wiping them down between touches.
Daily questioning will be conducted of students and staff to indicate any new developments in their health. • • • • • • •
Response Measures If symptomatic or temperature of 100 degrees, student will be isolated in nurse’s station isolation room; staff members will be sent home immediately Student’s Parent/Guardian will be contacted to pick up and/or arrange for local testing Kings Daughters Medical Center will be contacted for assessment Patient will either be quarantined at the local hospital or sent home until fever free for at least 72 hours While waiting for test results, the student/staff member must self-isolate until results are provided Contact tracing will occur to identify any additional students/staff who may need to quarantine, monitor for symptoms, or test Students/staff should work from home when possible during the time off campus; inability to work due to illness will be accommodated with time for make up
Staying Home When Ill - Many times, with the best of intentions, students report to school and staff report to work even though they feel ill. Students who are absent with an illness requiring quarantine for two weeks or more will be afforded alternative assignments and opportunities to recover their work for course credit. No penalties toward honors status or other recognition will be issued for illness.
Employees are provided with paid medical leave to compensate employees who are unable to work due to illness. During flu season and/or an influenza pandemic, it is critical that employees do not report to work while they are ill and/or experiencing the following symptoms: fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number of people who have been infected with this virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting. Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people with influenza-like illness remain at home until at least 48 hours after they are free of fever (100 degrees F) or signs of a fever without the use of feverreducing medications. Employees who report to work ill will be sent home in accordance with these health guidelines. Employees who are sent home under this policy will be required to utilize leave. If leave is exhausted and a COVID-19 diagnosis has been given by a doctor,
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
MISSISSIPPI SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
Mississippi School of the Arts COVID-19 Plan for 2020-2021 School Year (revised August 17, 2020) employees will not be penalized with leave without pay. Medical documentation is required. Recover Upon removal of students or staff who test positive, disinfection protocols will be increased. Within privacy laws and confidentiality, public health notices will be issued. In some cases, there may be a recommendation for testing for those who were in direct contact with a positive COVID-19 patient. Prevention protocols will continue to be followed. If the student doesn’t test and exhibits symptoms of illness, they should stay at home and continue virtual learning until they are fever free for 48 hours.
Mental Health is definitely impacted by this pandemic. As a result the school psychologist will be available for small groups (either online or in person) to deal with the uncertainty and isolation for students. These will be conducted weekly to offer students a mechanism of coping. When these efforts are inadequate, communication will be provided to the parents for further resources available to the family.
If more than 1/3 of a group (floor, discipline, class, etc.) on campus becomes ill with COVID19 that group may be expected to quarantine with remote learning for 14 days. If a significant number of students or staff are diagnosed with COVID-19, the school may close to virtual operation for a period of time as needed for the safety of students and staff. Sources monitored regularly as well as in consultation with colleagues and institutions: • https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html • https://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/14,0,420.html • https://www.nasn.org/nasn-resources/practice-topics/covid19 • https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/clinicalguidance/covid-19-planning-considerations-return-to-in-person-education-in-schools/ • https://www.ed.gov/coronavirus • https://www.misshsaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/nfhs-guidance-for-fall-2020review-june-19-2020-final.pdf • https://mdek12.org/
MISSISSIPPI SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
Mississippi School of the Arts COVID-19 Plan for 2020-2021 School Year (revised August 17, 2020) Sample letter to parents and community for COVID-19 Diagnosis – to be tailored for the particular audience – sent via email and mail: Dear MSA Family,
As of (date), a student/staff member in your student’s class/group/discipline/floor/team has tested positive and been diagnosed for COVID-19. With protocols in place, MSA believes this is not an outbreak at this time and will continue operations as scheduled until notified otherwise. However, all individuals should monitor for symptoms and consult your physician as needed. In the case of prolonged exposure, some students/staff members my receive a separate notification to quarantine at home for 14 days.
If your student develops symptoms or are ill, please stay home and do not return to campus. All students/staff are asked to stay home if they present with a fever and remain there until fever free for 48 hours. As always, MSA strives to maintain a safe and healthy environment for our family. Please help us in staying in communication for any symptoms or diagnoses by contacting our school nurse at denise.owen@msabrookhaven.org or call 601-823-1347. Thank you,
Suzanne Hirsch Executive Director
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
MISSISSIPPI ACHIEVEMENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
MISSISSIPPI ACHIEVEMENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
MISSISSIPPI ACHIEVEMENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
2020 - 2021 STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA SCHOOL DISTRICT
RETURN TO SCHOOL
GUIDE
PUBLICATION DATE: 7/21/20
StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA SCHOOL DISTRICT
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
TABLE OF CONTENTS Click headings to jump to each section.
General Guidelines SOSD Mission, Beliefs and Goals Equity and Access What Families Can Expect When Schools Reopen Social Emotional Learning How Can Families Prepare at Home? When We Say Hello... Academics Athletics Arts Attendance Pending Calendar Adjustments Child Nutrition Transportation
3 3 4 5 6 6 7 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
Health and Safety Guidelines 10 General Safety Precautions Throughout the Day On Campus & In the Classroom
Student Safety & Health Protocols SOSD is Committed To Social Distancing Protocols Handwashing & Hand Sanitizing Face Coverings Where Students Should Wear Face Coverings Classroom & Facility Configuration Cafeteria Restrooms Elevators
Student Screening & Case Response Suspected or Confirmed COVID Illness COVID-19 Related Isolation Space Health Screening Positive COVID-19 Case Response
10 11
Staff Safety & Health Protocols SOSD is Committed To Social Distancing Protocols Common Workspaces Single/Multiple Assigned Occupant Offices Break Rooms & Food Preparations Restrooms Elevators Face Coverings
Staff Screening & Case Response Suspected or Confirmed COVID Illness Temperature Screening Positive COVID-19 Case Response
Resources
24 25 26 27 27 27 28 28 29
30 30 30 31
32
12 13 14 15 16 18 19 19 20 20
21 21 22 22 23
For on-going updates from SOSD on our Covid-19 response and plans for returning to school, visit StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
STAY CONNECTED! @StarkvilleSD
StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
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STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA SCHOOL DISTRICT
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
GENERAL GUIDELINES
The health and safety of our students, staff and families is of utmost importance as we prepare to return to school. When the 2020-2021 school year begins, school will look much different than previous years due to new health and safety measures in response to Covid-19. The Starkville Oktibbeha School District has developed plans to reopen schools based on guidance from public health officials and state and federal agencies. District plans will continue to be updated as the situation evolves. The District is focused on our identified mission, vision, beliefs and goals.
MISSION The mission of the Starkville Oktibbeha School District is to achieve excellence by facilitating the discovery and development of each student’s passion, purpose, and potential.
BELIEFS
GOALS
We believe excellent public schools are the HEART of a thriving community.
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT We will maximize growth of all students through rigorous and meaningful instruction.
We believe excellent TEACHERS are essential for student success. We believe DIVERSITY is a strength and shall be embraced, recognized, and celebrated. We believe problem solving, critical thinking and creativity cultivate LIFELONG LEARNERS.
VISION
We believe quality education fosters LEADERSHIP and develops good citizens.
EXPECT EXCELLENCE EVERY DAY.
We believe our schools must be safe, welcoming, and RESPECTFUL to all. We believe ENGAGING our families and community is vital to ensuring each student’s growth. We believe that health and WELLNESS are foundational to success.
StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
HEALTH, WELLNESS & SCHOOL CULTURE We will foster and maintain inviting, equitable, healthy learning environments that promote safety, wellness, engagement, and excellence. HUMAN RESOURCES We will recruit and retain a highly qualified, diverse workforce through an equitable process to ensure student achievement. COMMUNITY COLLABORATION We will engage and partner with community stakeholders to foster greater student opportunities and build a more vibrant quality of life. OPERATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS We will maximize resources to ensure operational effectiveness.
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APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
GENERAL GUIDELINES
Equity & Access The Starkville Oktibbeha School District is committed to equity and access to quality instruction for all students supported with safe and best practices during a pandemic. Our schools have a responsibility to be culturally and linguistically responsive and meet the needs of ALL students, including language support for English learners and support for students with disabilities. All students must have opportunities to achieve academic success that are accessible, personalized, culturally relevant, and responsive.
StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA SCHOOL DISTRICT
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STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA SCHOOL DISTRICT
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
GENERAL GUIDELINES
What Families Can Expect When Schools Reopen Schools will reopen with flexible options that include on-campus and distance learning. In grades K-5, parents may choose to move their child/student between traditional and virtual learning models at the start of school OR at the end of each nine-weeks grading period. Students who change learning options at the end of the nine weeks period may be assigned to a new teacher depending on class size and type of instruction. The deadline for parents to choose their child’s learning option for the first nine weeks is July 23. In grades 6-12, parents may choose to move their child/student between traditional, virtual, and/or hybrid (8-12 only) learning models at the start of school OR at the end of the semester. Students who change learning options at the end of the semester may be assigned to a new teacher(s) depending on class size, course offering and type of instruction. The deadline for parents to choose their child’s learning option for the fall semester is July 23. Students who choose the District’s virtual learning option will still be allowed to participate in athletics/ extracurricular activities.
StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
TRADITIONAL SCHEDULE: Open schools as traditionally as possible adhering to recommended health and safety guidelines as identified by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), and the Mississippi Department of Education(MDE). This traditional school environment includes smaller class sizes to allow for 3 - 6 feet of distance as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics where teachers move from class to class rather than students when possible.
VIRTUAL SCHEDULE: A full virtual school experience supported through Google classroom for grades K-5 and through Canvas for grades 6-12. This school option teaches students entirely online and requires reliable Internet access and an electronic device. Students will be required to attend class virtually for instruction.
HYBRID SCHEDULE:
Open schools following an A/B schedule that would allow students in grades 8 - 12 only to attend class physically and virtually on alternating days. For example, a 10th grade student would attend class at school for in-person instruction on Mondays and Wednesdays, and he would attend class at home for virtual instruction on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Fridays would be a virtual learning day for all students who are following a hybrid schedule. Students of parents/guardians who do not select a preferred learning option will be assigned a traditional schedule. For a full description of learning options, visit: starkvillesd.com/covid19/return
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APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
GENERAL GUIDELINES
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA SCHOOL DISTRICT
Social Emotional Learning The Starkville Oktibbeha School District recognizes the social emotional impact of the pandemic including fear, loss and isolation. The District has committed to increasing mental health supports for students in the upcoming school year, including a renewed focus on social-emotional learning.
Attending to the social emotional well-being of our students will be a top priority as they return to school. District and school staffs are committed to supporting students’ social emotional wellness and offering resources to ensure students transition back to school smoothly. Support may include social emotional learning, building relationships, and increased access to mental health/wellness services. Families and schools will work together to check how students are feeling and assess their individual needs to provide the support our students need during these challenging times.
How can families prepare at home? The guidelines SOSD will implement to address the challenges of COVID-19 in the upcoming school year may seem uncomfortable to students at first. Try these tips from our school counselors to help your child prepare at home...
TALK TO YOUR CHILD
about returning to school in August
MODEL AT HOME
wearing a face covering, washing your hands & demonstrating six feet of distance
Allow your child to
PICK OUT A FACE COVERING
that is comfortable to him or her
StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
PRACTICE
putting on & taking off a face covering – You can PRACTICE with a favorite doll or stuffed animal!
Encourage your child to
ASK QUESTIONS and communicate his or her feelings
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STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
GENERAL GUIDELINES DANCE PARTY
VIRTUAL HUG
When we say HELLO... Celebrate each new day of school safely by practicing our official classroom greetings!
ELBOW BUMP
RAISE THE ROOF
StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
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APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
GENERAL GUIDELINES Academics The Starkville Oktibbeha School District believes excellent teachers are essential to student success. Quality instruction delivered in-person or virtually should meet the same standard of teaching excellence expected in the Starkville Oktibbeha School District. Whether our students are learning in the classroom or at home, our teachers will support our students through engaging, learning experiences that promote and encourage reading, writing, critical thinking, and communicating.
S
Athletics The Starkville Oktibbeha School District resumed extra-curricular activities and practices on June 15. Each sport and/or activity affiliated with the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) will adhere to the established guidelines as defined by MHSAA, CDC, and MSDH for health and safety.
Arts The Starkville Oktibbeha School District recognizes the importance of arts in education. The District is committed to arts integration in the regular classroom in elementary school if the amended school schedule is unable to accommodate specials classes. Schools will work with students and families to ensure accommodations are made and alternative options are considered. For example, arts instruction could be offered virtually on Fridays. At the middle and high school level, band, theatre and choir leaders are exploring modifications for how courses will be taught if social distancing is not feasible or if there is an increased risk for spreading the virus.
Attendance The Starkville Oktibbeha School District will follow the Mississippi Department of Education attendance reporting requirements. Students who choose a virtual school option will be required to attend class and meet attendance requirements.
StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA SCHOOL DISTRICT
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STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA SCHOOL DISTRICT
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
HEALTH & SAFETY GUIDELINES
The Starkville Oktibbeha School District will promote behaviors that reduce the spread of infectious diseases by educating our students, faculty and staff about routine, regular hand washing, covering your face, and sanitizing spaces and high touch surface areas.
General Safety Precautions Throughout the Day Schools will follow disinfection and sanitization guidelines for school campuses including classrooms, workspaces, outdoor spaces and playgrounds. All students and staff will be encouraged to wash/clean their hands regularly. Handwashing station with soap and/or hand sanitizer will be available in hallways and classrooms. Schools will limit sharing of supplies between students and disinfect between uses if sharing is unavoidable. Face coverings should be worn by staff and students in certain situations.
Gloves are not recommended for use by students or staff, with the exception of those conducting duties such as cleaning, first aid or food service.
StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
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APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA SCHOOL DISTRICT
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
HEALTH & SAFETY GUIDELINES
On Campus & In the Classroom Social distancing is important to ensure the health and wellness of our students and staff as it will help limit the spread of the virus. Social distancing will need to be practiced in all classes, courses, and spaces.
Schools will implement the following strategies to maintain smaller groups of students in shared spaces: Modify school schedules and/or courses if social distancing is not feasible or if there is an increased risk of spread (Ex. Choir, Band); Alternative accommodations and options will be considered Face coverings required when social distancing cannot be achieved in some classes or in small group instruction Limit visitors on campus Keep students in smaller groups Serve meals in small group settings Space desks further apart to ensure to the extent possible for desks to be spaced six feet apart but no fewer than three feet apart and facing the same direction Serve individually plated or boxed meals Where possible, keep student groups from mixing Stagger lunches, recesses, and other transition times Do not host large gatherings such as assemblies and dances Identify a sick room for students who are not feeling well to minimize contact with others until they are able to go home
StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
What is SOCIAL DISTANCING? The U.S. Centers for Disease Control define SOCIAL DISTANCING as:
1
Remaining out of congregate settings
3
Maintaining approximately 6 feet of distance from others when possible
2
Avoiding mass gatherings
6
FEET The Starkville Oktibbeha School District is committed to ensuring the health and wellness of all students. As public health guidelines change, The District will adjust plans accordingly. We will work together with our students and families to keep our children safe as we transition to a new school year.
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STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STUDENTS
StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
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APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA SCHOOL DISTRICT
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
STUDENT SAFETY & HEALTH PROTOCOLS
The Starkville Oktibbeha School District’s goal for the fall is to safely bring back as many students as possible to in-person school settings in order to maximize learning and address our student’s needs in a holistic manner. At the same time, the district is planning for a fall return that includes multiple possibilities based on the spread of COVID-19 and the comfort level of our parents and community with sending their child to school. In discussion with infectious disease specialists, physicians in our own community, and the Mississippi Department of Health, we are heartened to learn that based on current data, the medical community supports the return to in-person learning with appropriate health and safety protocols in place.
SOSD is Committed To: Be consistent and coordinate with actions of other public entities in the area and seek compliance to the best of our ability with CDC recommendations. Complete initial and ongoing deep environmental cleaning of all district facilities. Signage strategically located in common areas. Physical distancing measures in place by location. Conduct training for employee and supervisor training. Communicate expectations and procedures to students and parents. Protect the health and well-being of our students, staff and community. Established guidelines in place for employee, student, and visitor screening. Act responsibly and in alignment with our core mission, vision and beliefs. Listen closely to the concerns of our school community and ensure we keep our decisions under constant review.
StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
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STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STUDENT SAFETY & HEALTH PROTOCOLS
SCHOOL DISTRICT
Social Distancing Protocols Social distancing is a simple yet very effective mechanism to prevent potential infection, that relies on simple distance to avoid infection.
6
FEET
6
FEET
6
FEET
In practice this means: Staying 6 feet away from others as a normal practice Eliminating contact with others, such as handshakes and hugs This practice of social distancing includes but is not limited to field/playground, classrooms (to the best of our ability), locker rooms, elevators and stairways, bathrooms, cafeterias, hallways, common areas, and entrance/exit areas. These are examples, but the principle of social distancing is universally applicable. Maintain a social distance of 6 ft. throughout your school day whenever possible. Where a minimum distance cannot be maintained, please follow guidelines regarding face coverings. Students will be expected to maintain good hygiene at all times. Regular hand-washing will be built into the school day schedule for students.
StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
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APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA SCHOOL DISTRICT
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
STUDENT SAFETY & HEALTH PROTOCOLS
Handwashing & Hand Sanitizing Handwashing removes pathogens from the surface of the hands. While handwashing with soap and water is the best option, alcohol-based hand sanitizer (at least 60 percent ethanol or at least 70 percent isopropanol) may be utilized when handwashing is not available. As has always been the case, handwashing should be used whenever hands are visibly soiled and after using the bathroom.
Our initial hand hygiene requirements & related guidance are as follows: Students and staff are required to exercise hand hygiene (handwashing or sanitizing) upon arrival to school, before eating, before putting on and taking off masks, and before dismissal. Handwashing: When handwashing, individuals should use soap and water to wash all surfaces of their hands for at least 20 seconds, wait for visible lather, rinse thoroughly, and dry with an individual disposable towel. Hand sanitizing: If handwashing is not feasible, hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent ethanol or at least 70 percent isopropanol content can be used. Hand sanitizer should be applied to all surfaces of the hands and in sufficient quantity that it takes 20 seconds of rubbing hands together for the sanitizer to dry. Hand sanitizer should be placed at key locations (e.g., building entrances, cafeteria, classrooms).
What is EFFECTIVE HANDWASHING? USE SOAP & WATER!
Wait for a visible lather & wash for
20
Dry with an individual
DISPOSABLE TOWEL
SECONDS
StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
What is EFFECTIVE HAND SANITIZING? 1
Choose a sanitizer with at least 60% ethanol or 70% isopropanol
2
Apply enough that it takes 20 seconds of rubbing hands together to dry
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STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA SCHOOL DISTRICT
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STUDENT SAFETY & HEALTH PROTOCOLS
Face Coverings In the fall, access to a face covering should be available at all times for students within the Starkville Oktibbeha School District. Students in grade 2 and above are required to wear a mask/face covering that covers their nose and mouth in situations where social distancing is not feasible. According to CDC guidance, young children (preschool to early elementary aged) may not be able to properly wear a face covering especially for an extended period of time. For this reason, students in preK, kindergarten and grade 1 are strongly encouraged to wear a mask/face covering, but it is not required at this time. Face shields may be an option for those students with medical, behavioral, or other challenges who are unable to wear masks/face coverings.
Face coverings must be worn by students in grades 2 and up in the following situations: When in common areas While on the school bus When working closely around another student’s premises or in situations requiring close proximity to the teacher, such as in a small group. When social distancing is not able to be maintained
What makes a good FACE COVERING? AN EFFECTIVE FACE COVERING SHOULD: Fit snugly against the side of the face Allow for breathing without restriction
Be secured with ties or ear loops (preferred)*
Include multiple layers of fabric
Cover nose & mouth
Be laundered & machine dried if reusable
StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
MASK BREAKS will occur throughout
the school day, when... Students can be 6 feet apart Students can be outside or near open windows *Students will be allowed to wear a neck gaiter/buff as a facial covering. All facial coverings must be appropriate for the school environment.
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APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA SCHOOL DISTRICT
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
STUDENT SAFETY & HEALTH PROTOCOLS
Where Students Should Wear Face Coverings...
On the school bus
When entering or exiting spaces
During individual or small group instruction
During school day transitions
StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
In hallways or common spaces
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STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STUDENT SAFETY & HEALTH PROTOCOLS
Classroom & Facility Configuration To the extent possible, SOSD will aim for desks to be spaced six feet apart (but no fewer than three feet apart) and facing the same direction. Again, schools will seek to maximize physical distance between desks within their physical and operational constraints. To minimize the number of students who would potentially be exposed in the event of a COVID-19 event, to the extent feasible, elementary schools will aim to keep students in the same group throughout the day and middle and high schools are encouraged to minimize mixing student groups to the extent feasible. Our initial protocols are as follows:
Cohorts: Schools will divide students into small groups that remain with each other throughout the day, with smaller cohort sizes preferred. Schools should look for ways to isolate cohorts of students and prevent inter-group contact to the extent feasible.
Capacity: There are no required maximums on cohort or group sizes as long as schools adhere to the physical distancing requirements and recommended guidelines.
Cafeteria The cafeterias will not be open in the fall for large group seating. This may require meals to be served as grab-n-go or in the classroom. Students may bring their lunch to school in a lunchbox of their choice. Touch-free water dispensers will be available.
StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
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APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
STUDENT SAFETY & HEALTH PROTOCOLS
Restrooms School or facility restroom cleaning will include day-time intervals to promote a clean environment and make sure social distancing is maintained. Restroom check-in sheets for cleaners will be posted on the back of the door of each restroom and require the cleaning team to check off the frequency and time cleaned. Just as in the case of other areas, the restroom requires social distancing of 6 ft. Therefore, facilities will make modifications which may include the following depending on the size and capacity of the restrooms. A maximum capacity occupancy will be created and posted outside of the restrooms. The capacity will be based on the number of toilets and 6 ft. distance. Schools will supply a schedule/ access for students to regularly wash their hands. Situational queuing may have to be implemented to ensure social distancing outside the restroom if the restroom is at capacity or leading up to the sinks/hand-washers, if all are being used.
Elevators The number of people that can occupy the elevator at any given time will depend on the size of the elevator car. Students will need to maintain 6 ft. distancing in the elevator. Social distancing is to also be invoked when waiting for the elevator to arrive on your floor. The elevator cab will have indicators as to how many people can occupy the cab and where each person needs to stand. In many cases, one maybe two occupants will be allowed in the cab at any given time. This may cause lines to queue up waiting for elevators.
StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
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STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STUDENT SCREENING & CASE RESPONSE Suspected or Confirmed COVID Illness If a student is sick, or has an infected person in their household, please stay at home. If a student becomes ill while at school, the student will be isolated, and parents will be required to pick up the student in an immediate manner. Parents are asked to notify the school if a student has symptoms associated with COVID-19 or has been in close contact with someone who has been diagnosed with, or is showing symptoms of, COVID-19. Close contact is defined as being 6 feet or less for more than 15 minutes without wearing a mask.
COVID-19 Symptoms include: Fever or chills
New loss of taste or smell
Cough
Sore throat
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Congestion/Runny Nose
Fatigue/Muscle or body aches
Nausea or vomiting
Headache
Diarrhea
By acting quickly, we can also determine if other close contacts need to be quarantined and if deep cleaning may be required for any schools or buses. If quarantined, it is imperative that students DO NOT enter ANY SOSD property/facility until they are cleared. Students returning to school must be fever free for at least 3 days. The Mississippi Department of Health may be notified if the district becomes aware that a student has tested positive, and may include those individuals in “close contact” to assist the MDHS in their contact tracing efforts.
StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
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APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
STUDENT SCREENING & CASE RESPONSE COVID-19 Related Isolation Space In order to minimize transmission of COVID-19, schools must ensure they have an isolated space available for students displaying COVID-19 symptoms. Schools will designate a COVID-19 related isolation space that is separate from the nurse’s office or other space where routine medical care is provided. A student who shows COVID-19 symptoms during the school day will be moved to the specific room pre-designated for medical-related isolation until they can be picked up by a family member. More information about steps to safely discharge students will be provided in the future.
Health Screening Staff, students, and visitors who are entering a SOSD building may have their temperature checked and recorded. Parents or caregivers should check for COVID-19 symptoms each morning as the District’s primary screening procedure for students. The district may implement strategies to reduce risks to the safety and health of students and staff from COVID-19 that include conducting daily in-person or virtual health checks when there is an elevated risk (e.g., symptom and/or temperature screening, questionnaires, self-checks and selfquestionnaires). Any such screening will consider ways to maintain confidentiality as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Because people infected with COVID-19 can spread the virus even if they do not have signs or symptoms of infection, temperature screening may play a part in a comprehensive program to monitor student health during the pandemic. If a student registers as having a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher, the student will be moved to an isolated area with as much respect to the individual’s privacy as possible while working to maintain the safety of others. Again, students who are sick or displaying symptoms are asked to stay home.
StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
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STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA SCHOOL DISTRICT
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STUDENT SCREENING & CASE RESPONSE
Positive COVID-19 Case Response Staff or students who become infected with COVID-19 (whether through the community or within the school) must be isolated at home for 14 days. Close contacts must be quarantined for 14 days. Elevated cases within a group or classroom may require extensive quarantine, including the dismissal of classes or buildings, or the entire school. In the event of an outbreak, which will be considered 3 cases within any group or more, all group members will be quarantined for 14 days. In the event of multiple outbreaks or affected groups, or 20% or more of the population of students or staff, an entire school building may be closed. Re-opening of classes or buildings will not take place until after a 14-day quarantine to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Parents will be notified if there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 while protecting the privacy of the infected individual. During the event of a class or building closure, students will have access to remote or virtual learning.
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We know you have questions. We do, too. Staying safe together this school year will require all the flexibility and grace we can muster. What will NOT change? Our commitment to helping each student discover his or her passion, purpose & potential. As Jacket Family, we’ll get through this together!
”
~ SUPERINTENDENT EDDIE PEASANT
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APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
STAFF
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STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA SCHOOL DISTRICT
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STAFF SAFETY & HEALTH PROTOCOLS
SOSD is Committed To: Be consistent and coordinate with actions of other public entities in the area and seek compliance to the best of our ability with CDC recommendations. Complete initial and ongoing deep environmental cleaning of all district facilities. Signage strategically located in common areas. Physical distancing measures in place by location. Conduct training for employee and supervisor training. Communicate expectations and procedures to students and parents. Protect the health and well-being of our students, staff and community. Established guidelines in place for employee, student, and visitor screening. Act responsibly and in alignment with our core mission, vision and beliefs. Listen closely to the concerns of our school community and ensure we keep our decisions under constant review.
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APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA SCHOOL DISTRICT
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
STAFF SAFETY & HEALTH PROTOCOLS
Social Distancing Protocols Social distancing is a simple yet very effective mechanism to prevent potential infection, that relies on simple distance to avoid infection.
In practice this means: Staying 6 feet away from others as a normal practice Eliminating contact with others, such as handshakes This practice of social distancing includes but is not limited to field/ playground meetings, locker rooms, garages, parking lots, conference/ meeting rooms, elevators, bathrooms, cafeterias, pantries, hallways, common areas, entrance/exit areas of work locations, and offices. These are examples, but the principle of social distancing is universally applicable. Maintain a social distance of 6 ft. throughout your workday whenever possible. Where a minimum distance cannot be maintained, please follow guidelines regarding face coverings. Employees are expected to maintain good hygiene at all times.
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STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STAFF SAFETY & HEALTH PROTOCOLS
Common Work Spaces Please see maintenance cleaning protocols for details on site cleaning. Sanitizing wipes or sanitizing spray with paper towels will be available for employees to disinfect their own workspaces. After use in common areas, please return these items back for others to use. If more are needed, please contact your supervisor. In high traffic areas, situational waiting line/distancing markers will be created on the floor to indicate where to keep 6-feet of distance. If by chance, there are no line markers please have situational awareness to maintain 6 ft. distancing. Areas where you will see them will be at reception, elevators, bathrooms, print/copy machines, entry and exits areas, and anywhere queuing may routinely occur. Employees need to remember to wear face coverings when appropriate, avoid touching their face and wash hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds several times during the work hours to reduce risk and prevent person to person potential infections.
Single/Multiple Assigned Occupant Offices Employees who are assigned to an office workspace (single or shared) should organize themselves to ensure social distancing to keep 6-ft. separation, and 360-degree seating. Avoid face to face desk layouts.
Break Rooms & Food Preparations Due to the overwhelming concern for safety for employees and all those in our facilities during this pandemic, the break rooms will not provide or permit the sharing of resources for food preparation and storage. Employees are discouraged from the use of common refrigerators,
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APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
STAFF SAFETY & HEALTH PROTOCOLS coffee machines or products (coffee, tea, sugars, stirrers, etc.), toasters, toaster ovens, etc. Where microwaves are available for use, disinfectant spray and paper towels will be provided for employees to wipe high touch points including microwaves. It is the responsibility of the user to wipe down the machines before and after each use.
Restrooms School or facility restroom cleaning will include day-time intervals to promote a clean environment and make sure social distancing is maintained. Restroom check-in sheets for cleaners will be posted on the back of the door of each restroom and require the cleaning team to check off the frequency and time cleaned. Just as in the case of other areas, the restroom requires social distancing of 6 ft. Therefore, facilities will make modifications which may include the following depending on the size and capacity of the restrooms. A maximum capacity occupancy will be created and posted outside of the restrooms. The capacity will be based on the number of toilets and 6 ft. distance. Some toilet and sinks may have to be permanently locked/cordoned off in order to ensure sufficient distance. Facilities will supply enough supplies (soap) for employees to clean up after themselves. Situational queuing may have to be implemented to ensure social distancing outside the restroom if the restroom is at capacity or leading up to the sinks to wash your hands if all are being used.
Elevators The number of people that can occupy the elevator at any given time will depend on the size of the elevator car. People will need to maintain 6 ft. distancing in the elevator. Social distancing is to also be invoked when waiting for the elevator to arrive on your floor. The elevator cab will have indicators as to how many people can occupy the cab and where each person needs to stand. In many cases, one maybe two occupants will be allowed in the cab at any given time. This may cause lines to queue up waiting for elevators.
StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
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STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA SCHOOL DISTRICT
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STAFF SAFETY & HEALTH PROTOCOLS
Face Coverings Access to face covering is required at all times for all staff within the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District. Face coverings must be worn by all employees in the following situations: When working in public places. When working closely in a student’s premises, such as in a small group. When social distancing is not able to be maintained with a co-worker, student or member of the public while at a school facility or while riding a bus or with another person in other school district vehicle. Employees may use either a district-issued or a personal face covering, depending on preference and availability. Non-Fire-Retardant/Arc Rated Face Covering– use when there is no potential for a gas ignition or electric arc flash. Fire Retardant Face Covering – must be used when there is potential for a gas ignition or electric arc flash.
Face coverings should: Fit snugly but comfortable against the side of the face. Be secured with ties or ear loops, if provided. Include multiple layers, or equivalent, of fabric. Allow for breathing without restriction. Be removed from behind head or ears to minimize hand contact with face. Be laundered and machine dried if reusable. Cover nose and mouth. Face coverings will not be mandatory in cases where the use of the face covering will pose a medical or health issue or for religious reasons. Employees with concerns about wearing face coverings should talk with their direct supervisor or the school nurse for a discussion on possible accommodations. •
How to put on and take off a cloth face covering
StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
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APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
STAFF SCREENING & CASE RESPONSE Suspected or Confirmed COVID Illness If you are sick, or have an infected person in your home, please do not come to work. If you become ill while at work, immediately isolate yourself, tell your supervisor, and go home. Call your supervisor or human resources, if you have symptoms associated with COVID-19 or have been in close contact with someone who has been diagnosed with, or is showing symptoms of, COVID-19. Close contact is defined as being 6 feet or less for more than 15 minutes without wearing a mask. By acting quickly, we can also determine if other close contacts need to be quarantined and if deep cleaning may be required for any district facilities and vehicles. If quarantined, it is imperative that employees DO NOT enter ANY SOSD property/facility/worksite until they are cleared. Employees returning to work must be fever free for at least 3 days. The Mississippi Department of Health may be notified if the district becomes aware of a staff member or student has tested positive, and may include those individuals in “close contact” to assist the MDHS in their contact tracing efforts.
Temperature Screening Staff, students, and visitors entering a SOSD building may have their temperature checked and recorded. Neither the OSH Act nor OSHA standards prohibits employer screening for COVID-19, if applied in a transparent manner applicable to all employees (i.e., non-retaliatory). Employers may implement strategies to reduce risks to the safety and health of workers and workplaces from COVID-19 that include conducting daily in-person or virtual health checks (e.g., symptom and/or temperature screening, questionnaires, self-checks and self-questionnaires). Any such screening should consider ways to maintain confidentiality, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Because people infected with COVID-19 can spread the virus even if they do not have signs or symptoms of infection, temperature screening may play a part in a comprehensive program to monitor worker health during the pandemic, but may have limited utility on its own. If a person registers as having a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher, the person will be moved to an isolated area with as much respect to the individual’s privacy as possible while working to maintain the safety of others. Again, individuals who are sick or displaying symptoms are encouraged to stay home.
StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
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STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STAFF SCREENING & CASE RESPONSE Positive COVID-19 Case Response Staff or students who become infected with COVID-19 (whether through the community or within the school) must be isolated at home for 14 days. Close contacts must be quarantined for 14 days. Elevated cases within a group or classroom may require extensive quarantine, including the dismissal of classes or buildings, or the entire school. In the event of an outbreak, which will be considered 3 cases within any group or more, all group members will be quarantined for 14 days. In the event of multiple outbreaks or affected groups, or 20% or more of the population of students or staff, an entire school building may be closed. Re-opening of classes or buildings will not take place until after a 14-day quarantine to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Staff and parents will be notified if there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 while protecting the privacy of the infected individual. During the event of a class or building closure, employees will be asked to tele-work, where appropriate, to continue to provide a rigorous, high quality education to students.
StarkvilleSD.com/COVID19
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APPENDIX C - RESOURCES FROM DISTRICTS
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT
STARKVILLE OKTIBBEHA SCHOOL DISTRICT
RESOURCES
Return to School Guidance AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS Covid-19 Planning Considerations: Guidance for School Re-entry U.S. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL Considerations for Schools MISSISSIPPI STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH Covid-19 Guidance and Prevention for Individuals and the Community MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Updates and Information in Response to Covid-19 (Coronavirus)
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