Today’s Rundown

• Welcome school communicators

• Today’s Crisis Headlines

• Balancing a school district’s legal response with public opinion in a crisis

• Spotlight on gratitude: sharing stories that strengthen school-community ties

• Flipping the switch from reactive to proactive

• The Softer Side: Finding fun (and followers): Lessons from a viral choir teacher

• Coming next month

• How can we help?

Welcome School Communicators

As communicators, the job can sometimes feel a bit like conducting an orchestra— balancing messages, timing and tone so everything comes together just right. (If only…!) This month’s edition is all about finding the harmony, whether you’re navigating tricky situations or celebrating everyday wins.

First up, we dive into the trickiest of challenges: during a crisis, walking the line between what you can legally say versus being transparent and genuinely empathetic. Check out our video interview with a school attorney who has walked that line for years.

As the season of gratitude approaches, we're also spotlighting the power of storytelling to make community connections. We’ve created a step-by-step guide to sharing authentic school stories of thankfulness.

We also offer some insights on how to turn your communication from reactive to proactive. Because when you work to build trust over the long- term, it’s much easier to navigate a crisis through the short-term.

Finally, it doesn’t take a big idea to go viral on social media. But it does take harmony. Meet a choir teacher who didn’t roll her eyes at her students’ slang talk. Instead, she rolled with it (and got over 400k views!)

We hope you enjoy the November Newsletter. As always, we aim to provide insight without overload. If you find this useful, we hope you’ll ask your colleagues to subscribe. Happy Thanksgiving. 🦃

Today’s Crisis Headlines

Building a formal crisis communications plan requires an awareness of the challenges other school districts are facing. What is your risk? Here are some recent news headlines from around the country. Click the link to read the article.

SC teacher, coach accused of groping student on school property

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22-year-old man accused of posing as teen to enroll in MN high school

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KY teacher convicted of sexual abuse of student, acquitted of murder plot

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TN school board gets in debate over saying ‘Christmas’ or ‘winter’ break in academic calendar

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VA school district under fire after students post anti-Semitic video

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How endorsements from a conservative PAC have sparked controversy in suburban PA school board races

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TX principal temporarily replaced after parents say she singled out Black students in a meeting about the school’s performance rating

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MD school controversy after AI monitoring system mistook a student’s bag of chips for a firearm

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CO school district at the center of a first amendment debate over a student parking spot

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FL school district backs down after Charlie Kirk post controversy

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NJ Superintendent suspended, but board won’t disclose reason

Balancing a school district’s legal response with public opinion in a crisis

What your school district’s attorney wants you to say is often not what the public wants to hear. In a crisis, responding with too much legal mumbo jumbo comes off as inauthentic and deteriorates public trust. Can you keep your district safe from legal liability without hurting its reputation? A veteran school solicitor offers some insight …

Spotlight on gratitude: sharing stories that strengthen school-community ties 

As the season of gratitude approaches, November offers a powerful opportunity for school leaders to highlight the people, programs and moments that make our school communities thrive. Here’s how to get started …

Click here to read the full article.

Flipping the switch from reactive to proactive

In school communications, it’s easy to feel like every week brings another urgent issue to manage — a viral rumor, a board controversy, a facilities mishap, or an unexpected safety concern. But the school districts that truly stand out are the ones that don’t just communicate during a crisis. They communicate long before one ever happens. 

Click here to read the full article.

THE SOFTER SIDE: Finding fun (and followers): Lessons from a viral choir teacher

Teachers pull off amazing feats every single day — and sometimes, those everyday moments deserve a little spotlight. The trick to going viral isn’t always about big, polished productions. Often, it’s the small, genuine moments that hit home — the ones that spark laughter, inspiration, or just plain joy, like this one …

Click here to read the full article.

Coming Next Month

How well is your district using social media to share its success stories and celebrate the great things happening in your schools? We recently reviewed the social media presence of 18 Pennsylvania school districts—and one stood out above the rest. In next month’s newsletter, we’ll feature an interview with that district’s communications team to uncover their strategies and tips for elevating your own social media impact.

HOW CAN WE HELP?

We offer a variety of in-person and virtual school district training curriculums for the 2025-2026 school year that work with your schedule and budget. 

Topics include:

▷ The Case for Media & Crisis Communications Training in Schools

▷ Controlling Your Narrative: Getting Positive Publicity

▷ Managing Your Stakeholders, the Media (and Your Expectations)

▷ Preparing Effective Messaging and Talking Points

▷ Building a Crisis Communications Plan Before You Need It

▷ Navigating a Crisis When It Hits

▷ Video Performance: Looking & Sounding Your Best

▷ On-Camera Media Training: One-on-One with Veteran Reporters

Our Media and Crisis Communications training may count toward professional development hours with the PA Department of Education and in other states.

Focus Media Services has been awarded a contract with PCA, the Purchasing Cooperative of America. If your school district is a PCA member, we already have a contract with you.