Keeping students safe online: Dealing with cyberthreats and cyberbullying

Nothing frightens parents more than the possibility of their students being the victims of violence at school. In this age of electronic messaging, it is all too easy for a child who is angry to send an anonymous electronic message to another student threatening harm for some real or perceived slight.

Electronic messages for individual students are usually sent to students’ personal emails or cellphone texting accounts, but the threat may mention possible harm at school. Parents then turn to the school to protect their child, and the student often sounds the alarm to other students. Within moments, something that occurred off school ground has become an issue for the school administration.

Whether the threat is real or implied, word will spread like wildfire and, like the old game of “telephone,” the magnitude of the threat will grow with each telling.

Each threat incident is unique; however, there are general guidelines for dealing with this type of situation:

• Analyze the situation and act quickly. Find out what happened. Separate the fact from the emotion. Determine who needs to know and identify any outside agency that should be involved. Think through what you need to do and take action before gossip and speculation have obliterated your ability to control information.
• If it isn’t yours, don’t claim it. Although you care deeply about students and your top priority is their safety, a threatening email is a police matter. They hold primary responsibility for the investigation and communication around that investigation. Work with the family to immediately contact the appropriate law enforcement officials. If the police determine the incident is a police matter, your statement in all communications moving forward is that the police are in charge of the investigation. All communication about the crime and investigation will either come from them or be issued jointly with them. Information about school policies and actions will come from the school.
• Work cooperatively with the investigating agency but do not take over for them. Many who work with students have a deep-seated desire to take charge when those students are threatened in any way. The one time to avoid taking over all communications and management of the issue is when it involves a potential crime. All communications about the investigation should come from the police. If the police ask you to issue or work cooperatively on statements, be sure to clarify that the statement is a joint one. All phone calls, media requests and other contacts that deal only with the alleged crime should be referred to the agency conducting the investigation.
• Determine what you as a school will do to calm fears, beef up safety measures and ensure continued student learning. Depending on the incident, some families may keep their children home from school. Some high school students may take advantage of the situation to take a few days of unplanned vacation. To calm fears and/or protect students, you may need to add temporary security or counseling staff. The primary subject of your communications should be what the school is doing in response to the situation and what you always do to protect students. If the situation will cause undue student absences or similar problems, communicate information that parents and students need about potential repercussions.
• Expect the news media to descend. Word will spread quickly and news media are attracted to a potential or real threat. Use your standard procedures for responding quickly to media calls. If the police are in charge of the investigation, avoid the impulse to reveal what you know about it. Channel those questions to the police. Emphasize your concern for student safety, that you take all threats seriously and outline steps you are taking to try to assure student safety.
• Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Although you can promise to do everything in your power to keep students safe, there is no way you can guarantee student safety. No matter how much you cooperate with the proper authorities, you cannot promise the culprit will be caught.
• If it is a cyberthreat, the originator may never be identified. Sending an anonymous electronic message is easy; tracing its origin is very difficult. It is fairly easy for even the most unsophisticated user to hide the path of an electronic message, and most providers will not reveal the names of users or sources of messages without a subpoena.
• Assess what you need to do to increase parents’ level of trust in your school and their confidence that you are their partner in keeping students safe. There are many ways to do this. Most of them require face-to-face conversations. Parents need to feel that you share their concerns, and they need to know what you are doing to address their concerns and avoid future problems and threats. Some school districts have partnered with other community organizations to sponsor programs, seminars or community discussions about potential community problems such as substance abuse, bullying and teenage depression.
• Understand that there is no permanent solution. This era of instant messaging and the ability to remain anonymous means that students, parents or staff members may trigger, in a moment of despair or anger, a chain of explosive reactions. Establishing basic procedures for dealing with this or any negative situation gives you the tools you need for shortening the duration of the crisis and turning your attention to your main focus: student learning.

Contributed by Gay Campbell, communications consultant

Public records are public: How to handle requests for public information

Public record requests sometimes reveal scandals. The rest of the time they don’t reveal much. But sadly for school districts, they often reveal that nobody in the district office knows how to fulfill a public record request (PRR).

State and federal law make it clear that most of the documents produced and kept by public schools are public. There are processes for the public to request access to view the documents they have a right to read.

In basic terms, a PRR is simply someone formally asking to see some documents. The district then has to answer a few questions:

• Do we understand what they are asking for?
• Do we possess what they are asking for?
• If so, is it public information or does it contain protected information?
• What is our time line for completing the request?

Do we understand what they are asking for?

Large PRRs are time consuming. The files must be found and the documents must be reviewed and copied. The only thing worse than spending a week compiling public records that someone wants is spending time compiling records they don’t really want because you misunderstood the request.

Carpenters say measure twice, cut once. The point is not to force the media or citizen to jump through hoops. It is to have a record of what he or she is really looking for. Sometimes requests are vague or unclear. If a request is overbroad or ambiguous in a way that the public office or person responsible for the requested record cannot reasonably identify what public records are being requested, the public office or person responsible for the record may deny the request, but must provide the requester with an opportunity to revise the request by informing the requester of the manner in which the records are maintained by the public office and accessed in the ordinary course of duties. It is well worth the time to call the requestor and clarify the details of the request before starting in on the collection process. Nobody is going to simply accept that their request was not clear and take whatever you give them. They will ask you to go back and get what they really wanted in the first place.

Do we possess what they are asking for?

Public bodies are required to provide public documents, but not to create them. So it is critical to determine if you have the records being requested. It makes no sense to contact your attorney for advice about releasing documents that you don’t even have.

A school district is not required to create new or additional records in order to respond to a PRR. However, despite the lack of a legal requirement to do so, it is often a good idea to create the documents that are requested because the alternative would be to allow the media or public to peruse a large volume of records to find what they are looking for. That can be more of a hassle for staff and the requestor than simply taking the time to compile a list that does not yet exist. For instance, if someone requests an inventory of all district lawn mowers, weed eaters and leaf blowers, it might be best to make such a list rather than requiring a reporter to sort through a comprehensive inventory of all district assets to find the lawn equipment. Making them do it the hard way will not engender good will and could lead them to find interesting information they had not anticipated.

Sometimes there is no way to accommodate the request because the information does not exist in any form. For instance, a reporter might ask to see copies of all parent permission notes for excused absences for a school for the entire year. If the school does not keep them for more than a day or two, the answer is simply no. There is no requirement to begin keeping records merely to satisfy the desire of a reporter or citizen for information that is of no use to the district.

Is it public information or protected information?

In addition to the vast array of public documents, there are a small number of documents that must be protected from public viewing. Most personnel records are protected. All student academic records, including discipline records, are protected. And health records for students and staff are protected as well. There are a few other limited exemptions for information related to contracting and real estate transactions.

The tricky part is sorting the public information from the protected information if those types of records are mixed, as in the case of staff emails. If someone requests all of the emails from a certain teacher for a year, those emails would need to be reviewed to ensure they do not contain information related to a student’s academic performance, discipline records and health information. The district also would need to ensure there were no exempt records related to other staff. However, all of the emails that do not contain legally exempt records must be released to the media or public regardless of how embarrassing they may be to the teacher or the school.

What is our time line?

Upon request, a school district must promptly prepare public records and make them available for inspection at reasonable times during regular business hours. The law does not require a standard amount of time by which access to or copies of records must be provided. School districts should be cautious about setting time lines for requests to be satisfied because failure to meet a self-imposed time line could lead to statutory damages. In other words, if you take a long time to fulfill a request you better be prepared to defend yourself in court.

Two things can happen if you take too long to fulfill a PRR from the news media. First, they could file a formal legal complaint against you and possibly force you to honor their request. Second, and more likely, they will simply produce stories about your refusal to comply with their request in a timely fashion, thus indicating that you are committing a cover-up.

Where to go for help?

When in doubt, call your attorney. If they specialize in school law, they will easily recognize whether they need to review a records request for you. Also, the Ohio attorney general’s office created the 2015 Sunshine Law Manual, available at http://links.ohioschoolboards.org/50027, which includes information and recommended procedures.

Contributed by Jay Remy, communications director, Salem- Keizer Public Schools

For more on public records, visit OSBA’s public records Web page at www.ohioschoolboards.org/public-records.

Sample graduation speech

Thank you, (name of person who introduced you).

(Thank other appropriate presenters and dignitaries.)

Good (morning, afternoon, evening). I would like to welcome each of you here this (morning, afternoon, evening) to celebrate the graduation of the (insert high school name) class of 2015.

There are many here who have made it possible for these students to graduate today. I would like to start by introducing some of these individuals who are present on stage and who have had a positive influence in this district. (Name appropriate presenters and dignitaries.)

There is another group of individuals who cannot go unrecognized. Our teachers have had a great impact on these students. This team of educators spent many hours preparing and delivering lessons in class. They also have spent hours establishing relationships through extra instruction with our students outside of class time, as well as through coaching and advising groups.

Our support staff, secretaries, custodians and educational assistants also play a significant role in students’ education. I have a great amount of respect for all these groups and the work they do to make our students successful. Many of them have spent four years with these students. I would like to ask the teachers and support staff of (high school name) to please stand and be recognized.

Graduation is a time to recognize the special accomplishments of a class and to pay tribute to the contributions of all of these wonderful young men and women. At this time I would like to take a few moments to share with you the many successes of this outstanding class. (Recognize student awards.)

Not every one of our graduates tonight fit into the categories of outstanding academics, athletics or activities that we just introduced. However, those categories do not represent all the different achievements of our students. Many more of our students have contributed to such positive organizations such as (groups, associations or organizations).

Nothing has such a positive impact on a person as giving to others. That’s because giving is the highest level of living. Generous people focus their time and energy on what they can give to others rather than what they can get from them. Please join me in recognizing these students who gave of themselves, who have a heart for service, who are and will be some of our greatest leaders for tomorrow.

There is another group sitting here this evening that need to be congratulated as well. These are students whose accomplishments may not be transparent to most of you, but we know as a staff that they have had to overcome huge odds just to be graduating. Some of these obstacles are ones that many of us as adults have never had to experience. As a staff, we are in awe of these students who have had to persevere through tough challenges to be here tonight. We do not have a cord or a sash to honor you, but I applaud your courage and your accomplishments. You too are a success.

Every person graduating tonight deserves to be recognized. At this time I would like the entire (high school name) graduating class of 2015 to please stand so we can congratulate every one of you for this accomplishment.

We would be remiss not to include one more group who has had the greatest possible influence on these graduates in their journey to reach this moment. I would like to recognize the parents and guardians who are present tonight. Please stand and be recognized.

Men and women, class of 2015, life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you. What will you do for your career? Who will you marry? Where will you live? How much education will you get?

One of the most important choices you will make is who you will become. Life is not merely a matter of holding and playing a good hand as you would hope to do in a card game. What you start with is not always up to you. Life is playing the hand you have been dealt and playing it well.

I remember reading a Dr. Seuss book to my children when they were younger. In “Oh, The Places You’ll Go,” I found a wonderful truth that I would like to share with you.

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself

Any direction you choose.

I believe that for the class of 2015 with all my heart. I know I speak for our staff. It is our hope that we have helped steer you in the right direction

It is our hope that we at (high school name) have helped you make right choices. It is our hope that all of you will become all that you were meant to be.

Thank you again class of 2015. Your contributions to the culture and success of (high school name) have been significant. You will be missed.

Ladies and gentlemen, fellow staff members, superintendent and members of the school board, I proudly present to you the class of 2015.

Contributed by Bend-La Pine School District, Bend, Ore.

Why a printed newsletter is a useful tool

There are many effective arguments against printing a newsletter. The cost of printing and mailing is high, the use of paper is wasteful, the process is slow and the old-school tool can make you seem out-of-touch and behind the times.

But there are some compelling reasons for reaching people through their mailboxes. One of the main reasons to keep mailing — if it fits your budget — is that it gives you another way to reach your community. In most communities, an average of only 20% to 25% of voters have a direct connection to schools. Printed materials may help you reach more of your non-parents, an important tax-paying audience.

Mailing a newsletter can help spread or reinforce your messages by adding another platform for your messages. A regular mail plan also can support your communication efforts during a bond or levy campaign. Regular communication with non-parents keeps them informed and helps show the need for the levy campaign.

Tell them and then tell them you told them

Messages must be repeated before they resonate. The recommended number of repetition ranges from seven to 20 times in various ways.

Although social media is a great tool for reaching people, it isn’t comprehensive and omits members of your audience who have not embraced it. Direct mail can help you get people who are not a social media audience, do not visit your Web page and are not paying attention to schools.

An argument for print

Your mailer may not be read longer than the time it takes to travel from the mailbox to the recycling bin, but people may remember that you made an effort to communicate with them, which can improve your credibility and trustworthiness. The minority of readers who read newsletters from start to finish will have something new to discuss with their families and friends.

Unless the content is date-specific, your newsletter can have a shelf life as a source of information about your school district for several weeks or months. Be sure to display copies in your district and school offices and deliver copies to community groups with kiosks for local information. Your chamber of commerce may be interested in copies for its lobby. You also can leave copies with local realtors who may want to share news about schools with clients.

Newsletter tips

An effective print newsletter should contain your primary messages, your positive stories and upcoming events that are open to the public. Try not to think of it as extra work. It can simply be a new format for the same messages you use on other platforms.

There are several best practices for layout and design (http://companynewsletters.com/mistakes.htm).

• Publish regularly. Keeping on schedule helps your credibility. It is common to underestimate production time for a newsletter. Be sure to account for enough time to write, design and edit your publication.
• Repeat your messages. Don’t be afraid to use material you used elsewhere. The same content, adjusted for different outlets can and should be repeated. Use it in your newsletter, on your website and in social media. Repetition will help your messages stick and will make your newsletter project less burdensome.
• Use descriptive headlines. Effective headlines are complete sentences with verbs.
• Mix up the size of your headlines. Vary headline length to increase reader interest. Use larger headlines for higher priority articles.
• Write a strong lead. Start with the important information that helps readers understand the point of the article. If they know what the story is about, they may be more likely to continue reading.
• Vary column width for a more interesting layout. There is nothing wrong with the standard three- column design; however, varying the layout will make your publication more interesting.
• Use photos. Photos draw readers in and make the content more memorable. They have been shown to dramatically increase readership — in print or on social media. Omitting photos is a sure way to lower readership of your publication.

Design tips: Type

Many design practices work for printed and electronic content. The following typography tips are from Canva, a free online design tool that offers design tutorials and templates for digital and print media (www.canva.com).

• Don’t crowd your type. If you are short on space, decreasing your tracking — letter spacing — decreases readability. Use this tool sparingly.
• Don’t crowd your lines. The same rule applies to leading, which is the space between lines. Lines that are too tight or too loose reduce readability.
• Pay attention to readability when using reverse type. Large blocks of text in a light font against a dark background are difficult to read. Avoid text against a busy background, too.
• Watch for orphans and widows. A widow is a word or line that is separated from the rest of the text at the beginning of a new page or column. An orphan is a word or line that starts a new paragraph at the bottom of a page or column. Avoid both.
• Don’t double space after a period. This rule is contrary to the typing lessons many people learned. Double spaces create visual breaks in the text that affect readability. A useful tool for checking your spacing in a text document is Find and Replace in MS Word.
• Limit your typefaces to two or three in a publication. Too many fonts can be distracting and look unprofessional.
• Choose your typefaces carefully. Some fonts don’t work well together. A good rule of thumb is to combine a serif and a sans serif. Also, try to match the font with the tone of the text. Comic Sans may be a favorite for student or parent communications, but it doesn’t work as well in a business report.
• Don’t over emphasize. Overuse of underlines, italics and bold can water down the key points in your message. Used too frequently or multiple times in a block of text makes the content look messy and may cause the reader to overlook the emphasis.
• Be careful of all caps. Text in all caps is difficult to read, and many people think you are screaming at them when you use all caps.
• Avoid special effects in most publications. If you choose to use tools like WordArt in MS Word, treat the text like a display head that calls attention to the story and is used sparingly.
• Be sure to review your publication again before finalizing. Unintentional errors are common. Before you send to print, do a final check for typos and errors.

You have to have good images

Photos and other images are an essential part of any publication. Research on social media content shows that images drastically increase views: “Content with relevant images gets 94% more views than content without” (http://links.ohioschoolboards.org/97018).

Images are photos, of course, but they are also charts, graphs, screenshots and icons. Break up the gray of the text and grab attention with something visually interesting. But remember, not just any image will do. Plan your publication with enough time to obtain or develop high-quality images. In general, avoid overused stock photos and boring or irrelevant images. Keep in mind, however, it is far better to use a professional stock photo than a poor quality amateur one.

Schools are fortunate when it comes to great photos. There are cute subjects at the elementary school level and subjects doing interesting things in secondary schools. Just be sure these students are approved for photos.

Students are the best photo subjects, but they don’t always suit the topic of your story. If you are reporting an important district staff or community meeting, avoid the scattershot photo of meeting attendees sitting around a table. It makes a boring photo and, often, the back of someone’s head is a focal point. If you must shoot a meeting photo, come in close to one or two members, seek a different angle or use a chart from the meeting instead.

Learn to be aggressive when taking photos. If you aren’t close enough or in the right spot, you won’t get a useful photo. Be sure your subject is well lit, and use a camera that has reasonable resolution. All but the earliest iPads can take great pictures in good light, but they are horrible in low light. Pay attention to your camera capabilities and your subject to ensure that you get a photo with sufficient quality for publication.

You don’t have to give up on printed materials. Print can extend the reach of your message to help you reach your audiences. The cost of printing and mailing is higher than digital media, but it may catch the attention of another segment of your community.

Contributed by Marcia Latta, communications consultant

Working with the media: Tell your story and tell it well

Today’s print, television and radio media provides 24/7 coverage via social media as well as through traditional channels. They have more deadline pressure than ever before and don’t have the time to reach out seeking story ideas as they once did.

This can work to your advantage. You have a greater opportunity to provide story ideas. Less is more in this case. You won’t be heard if your approach is constant bombardment of their inboxes. You will get attention — and build rapport with reporters — if you suggest story ideas that tell your story well and provide the details to help them tell it.

Brainstorming story ideas: Where to start

• What is the story you want publicized? A special event, annual occurrence, person or a more complex educational topic like state testing requirements?
• What is the purpose of the story — the bottom line takeaway you’d envision for the reader, listener or viewer?
• Is it a time-sensitive, hard news story or a feel-good feature that could run at any time during the month or school year?
• What facts about your story make it unique or special? What sets it apart from events or activities in other schools or districts?
• How much lead time can you give the media about this story? The less advance notice you give, the less likely they will have staff available to cover it.

What to do before contacting the media

The story will likely involve students at your school, a classroom, activity or event. Do you have parent permission or media release forms on file for those who might be involved? If you are successful in getting the media to cover your story, make sure they understand which students do not have parent approval for photos or video.

Is the teacher or staff person willing to have camera crews or reporters in the classroom? Don’t invite the media and then have a staff member refuse them access to a room or activity.

Before suggesting a story about an individual student, teacher or parent, make sure that person is willing to be the focus of a story.

When you are ready to sell your story, add the ‘wow’ factor

You are competing for valuable print space and air time, so you’ve got to sell your story with an enthusiastic approach. You also are competing with other school buildings in your district and community organizations for media coverage when it comes to celebrations such as assemblies, community service activities and commemorations surrounding holidays such as Thanksgiving, Presidents Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and other holidays.

What makes your celebration different? Special? You’ve got to sell the media on the idea. What gives your story idea the “wow” factor?

When the media likes your idea

Make it easy to cover the story. Include the date, time and location, including directions for parking and entering the building, and a contact person once they arrive.

If the story involves an interview, suggest a variety of backdrops and times. Be aware of reporters’ deadlines and make sure the times you suggest accommodate the reporter as well as the school staff and students.

Prepare a one-page set of talking points for the reporter. It may save time in answering basic questions from the reporter and gives you a quick review of the information you want to share. Include a description of the activity or class, the cost, participation numbers and success statistics. Include a contact name and phone number or email for more information. Provide a brief biography sheet if the story is about an individual.

Media coverage versus disruption of the educational process

A television crew, radio microphone or newspaper photographer is likely to cause a bit of a stir when they appear at your school. There are certain stories that have the potential for disrupting a classroom. Think of ways to minimize that disruption.

The story, for example, might focus on a new standardized test being taken by your students. Television reporters will want visuals of students taking the test. If the potential disruption is a major concern, offer to stage the test taking outside the real test period. Engage a drama class to enact it or ask for student volunteers to help set up a test scene.

When the media come calling

There will be times that reporters will call you about a story they want to do. They will likely have the angle and point of the story in mind, for example, putting a local spin on a national event or following up on claims by disgruntled students and/or parents.

In a perfect world, they would discuss it with you, set up a mutually agreeable time and begin reporting. That isn’t always the case these days. They may just show up or call and want a comment. There are ways to work with them to get the story you want in print or on the air.

Often the media is localizing a national story about issues such as school bus safety. They call with a tight deadline, but need a comment from you. You know you need statistics that will take time to access. Be honest and tell them you would be glad to provide the information they requested, but you won’t have it within their time frame. Ask if they could give you a few hours or, better, the next day. You could get the information and perhaps line up an interview with the transportation director and a student or two.

If they do call in advance to set up an interview, ask what questions or types of questions they may want answered. You can gather some data and give some thought to the answers you will provide and not be caught on camera saying, “I don’t know.”

Dos and don’ts of telling your story well

• Don’t tell the media how or when to use the material you’ve provided them or how to tell the story.
  Do point out the most important part of the material and why it is important.
• Don’t get defensive or antagonistic if the reporter asks the same question repeatedly or in different ways. Keep in mind that person may have covered a trial, a land-use issue, a crime and then your story. General assignment reporters are expected to cover many topics and not be specialists in any one area.
  Do have patience. Try explaining the topic a different way. Remember, if they don’t understand what you are talking about, it is likely the reader, viewer or listener won’t either.
• Don’t speak in alphabet soup talk. Explain terms like NCLB (No Child Left Behind Act) or ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act) and other acronyms that are specific to education.
  Do watch out for educational jargon.
• Don’t use the phrase, “No comment.”
  Do give them an honest answer: “I don’t have all the specifics now and will answer your question when I do.” Or, “I am not the best person to answer this question.” Suggest a person to contact. If you cannot legally answer the question, say so.
• Don’t ever say, “This is off the record.” Also watch how much you say. The reporter is there to gather a news story, and nothing you say is “off the record.”
  Do stay on topic. Don’t wander into a different topic that might have more interest for the reporter than the one at hand.
• Don’t ask the reporter to call and read the story to you prior to printing or airing it.
  Do ask them to read back a quote of yours to make sure you said what you intended to say, but do so at the time you are talking with the reporter, not after the story is written.
• Don’t purposefully wait until after a reporter’s deadline to call them back, especially if it is a story that you convinced them to do.
  Do respect their deadlines. Ask when their deadline is and make sure you get the information to them before their deadline.

Contributed by Jackie Smith, communications consultant