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Crisis Communications Plan
Cleveland Metropolitan School District
External Affairs Department
January 13, 2009
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Table of Contents
1. Purpose
1.1 Why do we need this plan? 5
1.2 What are the objectives? 5
2. Scope
2.1 Who will use this plan? 6
2.2 How should this plan be used? 6
3. Definitions
3.1 Issue 7
3.2 Incident 7
3.3 Crisis 7
3.4 Situation 7
3.5 Crisis management 8
3.6 Crisis communications 8
4. Process Overview
4.1 Who is responsible for managing issues, incidents and crises for the
Cleveland Metropolitan School District? 9
4.2 What is the role of the Onsite Response Team? 9
4.3 What is the role of the Crisis Management Team? 9
4.4 What is the role of the Crisis Communications Team? 9
4.5 What are the core steps in managing crisis communications? 10
4.6 What are the first things I should do if I become aware of an issue,
incident or crisis? 11
4.7 What is the process for assessing the situation and its impact on
the District? 11
4.8 How will we initially assist the Onsite Response Team and determine the
immediate onsite communications actions? 11
4.9 What is the process for mobilizing the Crisis Communications Team? 11
4.10 How is the Crisis Communications Team organized? 12
4.11 Who can serve as a spokesperson for the District? 12
4.12 How will we secure approval of written communications material to be 12
released to the media and public?
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4.13 How will the Crisis Communications Team share information with and 12
coordinate activities with the Crisis Management Team?
4.14 How will the rest of the External Affairs staff stayed informed of the 12
crisis so they are prepared to become engaged if needed?
5. Approvals
5.1 Issuer 13
5.2 Approver 13
5.3 Date of approval 13
6. Communication and Publication
6.1 Electronic File 14
6.2 Hard Copies 14
6.3 Educational Purposes 14
7. Continuous Improvement Cycle
7.1 Review process 15
7.2 List of documented improvements 15
7.3 List of future improvements 15
8. Appendix
8.1 List of Key Stakeholders 16
8.2 Issue, Incident & Crisis Communications Philosophies and Principles 17
8.3 Media Inquiry Guidelines 19
8.4 Organizational Charts of Crisis Teams 21
8.5 External Affairs Contacts 22
8.6 Executive Cabinet Contacts 24
8.7 Other Key Contacts 25
8.8 Checklist for Crisis Management Team Liaison 26
8.9 Checklist for Crisis Communications Director 0-2 Hours 27
8.10 Checklist for Crisis Communications Director 2-6 Hours 28
8.11 Onsite Communications Coordinator Checklist 29
8.12 Internal Communications Coordinator Checklist 30
8.13 Call Center Supervisor Checklist 31
8.14 Incident Data Form 32
8.15 Message Framework 35
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8.16 Call Center Inquiry Form 36
8.17 Frequently Asked Questions 37
8.18 Sample Holding Statement 39
8.19 Sample Notification Letter #1 40
8.20 Sample Notification Letter #2 41
8.21 Sample Notification Letter #3 42
8.22 Sample Notification Letter #4 43
8.23 Sample News Release #1 44
8.24 Sample News Release #2 45
8.25 Sample News Release #3 46
8.26 Communications Aspects to Review Post-Incident Audit 47
8.27 Process Map for Approval of News Releases and Other Written Materials 48
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Purpose
1.1 Why do we need this plan?
Cleveland Metropolitan School District, herein after referred to as the District or CMSD, is
committed to providing a safe and secure school and office environment that protects its
students, teachers and staff. One of the key responsibilities is to ensure that the
Administration is prepared to identify, respond to, and manage crisis situations when they
occur. The reputation of the District is created through our operations (what we do) and
communications (what we say). In the event of a crisis, how we communicate about the
situation can be as important as how we manage it operationally. Through effective
communications, the District will be able to:
• Demonstrate concern for the people who are impacted
• Demonstrate commitment and capability to respond
• To educate media and the impacted publics
• To balance the view of people who are frightened or angered
This Crisis Communications Plan has been developed to support the External Affairs
Department in managing communications during a crisis. This comprehensive Crisis
Communications Plan provides guidance, procedures and tools needed to successfully and
effectively communicate in a crisis situation.
1.2 What are the objectives?
Through effective crisis communications management, we are able to meet the following
objectives:
• Ensure that the actions taken follow according to District policies and values
• Protect the reputation, credibility and image of the District
• Maintain positive relationships with key stakeholders
• Communicate the District’s position quickly and accurately with key stakeholders
• Reduce the potential duration of the situation and its impact on our image and
reputation
• Minimize potential negative attention on the District by working with key partners
• Keep accurate records of issues, responses and outcomes
• Reduce total cost of the issue, incident or crisis
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Scope
2.1 Who will use this plan?
This plan has been prepared by the External Affairs Department for its own use and for
others who may be involved in managing the communications of an issue, incident or crisis.
2.2 How should this plan be used?
This process is prescriptive and must be followed by members of the External Affairs staff
when managing the communications of an issue, incident or crisis.
The manual has been designed for two main purposes:
• As an educational tool to be used in training the External Affairs staff
• As a reference tool to be used as needed in the event of an actual issue, incident or
crisis
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Definitions
For the purposes of this plan, critical standard terminology and definitions from which to operate
include:
3.1 Issue
An issue is generally a controversial and unsolved topic or situation that has two or more
“sides” and has the potential to create or exacerbate conflict between two or more parties.
Issues left unaddressed or improperly addressed have a greater potential to become crisis
situations. Unlike a sudden incident, an issue may arise slowly and smolder.
3.2 Incident
An incident is any unexpected isolated event that impacts the District’s students, teachers,
staff, facilities, environment, and/or community. Often having physical components,
incidents are likely to involve response by external partners including police, fire,
emergency medical, etc. Incidents have the potential to attract media attention. Poorly
managed incidents have the potential to become crisis situations.
3.3 Crisis
A crisis can be described as anything that may significantly impact the District or its
students, teachers, staff, services, community, facilities, financial condition, image,
reputation or environment. It may be sudden and unexpected, such as an incident of
violence in the schools. It may also be a smoldering problem that slowly develops into a
crisis if not properly addressed, such as a serious conflict with the teachers’ union. Both
kinds of crises can trigger significant media interest and public scrutiny.
The Chinese word for a crisis is “weij-ji”, which literally means “danger and opportunity”.
How the District manages a crisis situation may determine its future image, reputation and
ability to garner community support.
3.4 Situation
Throughout this document, the word “situation” is used as a generic term to refer to an
issue, incident or crisis.
3.5 Crisis Management
Crisis management is a strategic and proactive management process, which preserves and
advances an organization’s reputation in the face of developments that threaten the entity.
Effective crisis management is achieved through planning, preparation and training, as well
as through execution during an actual crisis. It enables an organization to take effective
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action before, during and after a crisis in order to maintain balance between its own
interests and those of its stakeholders.
3.6 Crisis Management Team
The Crisis Management Team is mobilized in the event of a crisis that threatens the
District. The role of the Crisis Management Team is to determine and drive overall strategy
and management of the situation. It is comprised of a small group of District personnel,
local government officials and may be augmented by outside resources such as
consultants or subject matter experts who have the resources, ability and authority to take
necessary action to revolve a crisis.
3.7 Crisis Communications
Crisis communications is a planned and systematic capability, designed to protect an
organization's image, reputation and credibility. It enables an organization to rapidly
release factually accurate and timely information to all internal and external stakeholders
when confronted with an issue, incident or crisis.
3.8 Crisis Communications Team
The Crisis Communications Team is mobilized in the event of a crisis that threatens the
District. The role of the Crisis Communications Team is to provide strategic counsel on
communications issues; develop and disseminate information to internal and external
stakeholders; and coordinate all contacts with the media. It is comprised of staff members
from the External Affairs Department and may be augmented by outside resources or
subject matter experts.
3.9 Onsite Emergency Response Team
The Onsite Response Team is mobilized in the event of an emergency at a school or other
District facility to manage all emergency response activities at the site of the incident. It is
primarily tactical in nature and focuses on the physical response to an incident, issue or
crisis situation. This team partners with external government agencies including police, fire
and elected officials as appropriate and seeks to define and address potential impact of the
situation on students, teachers, staff, facilities, surrounding communities and/or
environment. It is comprised of local and/or District-level personnel, including a
representative of the External Affairs Department, and is typically headed by the Principal
or Campus Administrator.
3.10 Incident Command Center
The Incident Command Center is the onsite facility from which initial recovery efforts are
staffed and managed, and initial media activities are initiated. The Onsite Emergency
Response Team uses this facility temporarily to begin coordinating the recovery process.
The location of the Incident Command Center is determined by each CMSD facility.
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3.11 Crisis Control Center
When the Crisis Management Team is activated, the Crisis Control Center is established as
the primary meeting place from which the team conducts its work to manage the overall
impact on the District. The Crisis Control Center is usually located in a meeting room at the
Administration Building. If the Administration Building is not accessible, the Crisis Control
Center will be established at an alternate location.
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Process Overview
4.1 Who is responsible for managing issues, incidents and crises for the Cleveland
Metropolitan School District?
Ultimately, the CEO is accountable for the overall management of a major issue, incident or
crisis, but he/she will rely on a large support team to ensure that the response and
communications are properly and professionally handled. There are typically three key
teams that are mobilized to support a crisis: Onsite Response Team, Crisis Management
Team and Crisis Communications Team.
4.2 What is the role of the Onsite Response Team?
The Onsite Emergency Response Team is comprised of local and/or District-level
personnel, including a representative of the External Affairs Department. This team is
typically headed by the Principal or Campus Administrator. The Onsite Response Team is
primarily tactical in nature and focuses on the physical response to an incident, issue or
crisis situation. This team partners with external government agencies including police, fire
and government officials as appropriate and seeks to define and address potential impact
of the issue, incident or crisis on students, teachers, staff, facilities, surrounding
communities and/or environment.
4.3 What is the role of the Crisis Management Team?
The role of the Crisis Management Team is to determine and drive overall strategy and
management of the situation. The Crisis Management Team is comprised of a small group
of District personnel, local government officials and perhaps outside resources such as
consultants or subject matter experts who have the resources, ability and authority to take
action necessary to resolve a crisis. The team is headed by the CEO or his/her designee.
The Crisis Management Team is strategic in nature, unlike the Onsite Emergency
Response Team which is largely tactical. The Crisis Management Team provides direction
to the Onsite Emergency Response Team and the Crisis Communications Team. It is
responsible for communicating with the members of the Board of Education and
government officials. It designates spokespersons on behalf of the District and approves
all written communication about the crisis. It also reaches out to third-party partners who
can assist the district by providing resources or expertise.
4.4 What is the role of the Crisis Communications Team?
The Crisis Communications Team is composed of members of the External Affairs
Department and may include external contractor resources. The Crisis Communications
Team gathers information; prepares Holding Statements while verifying facts; develops and
disseminates information to internal and external stakeholders; and coordinates all contacts
with the media. The team provides strategic counsel on communications issues to
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leaders at all levels in the District. Members of the Crisis Communications Team may be
assigned to the Onsite Response Team. The team is mobilized and led by the Chief
Communications Officer, who also serves on the Crisis Management Team.
4.5 What are the core steps in managing crisis communications?
The basic steps in preparing to manage the communications of an issue, incident or crisis
are as follows:
• Gather information about the situation using a series of questions and document the
findings
• Contact Safety and Security to share your findings and to verify information.
Separate factual information from speculation.
• Alert Chief of Communications or his/her deputy
• Mobilize the Crisis Communications Team and agree on key roles:
- Liaison to the Crisis Management Team
- Crisis Communications Director
- Onsite Communications Director
- Internal Communications Director
- Call Center Supervisor
• Coordinate and manage information
- Prepare Holding Statement to buy time if needed
- Develop tactical plan to reach all internal and external stakeholders
- Write formal written statements (news releases, internal memos, letters) that
include both facts and key messages
- Disseminate the information to all key internal and external stakeholders across
multiple communications channels
- Monitor the media, the web and other channels of stakeholder feedback
- Provide updated information to stakeholders as it becomes available
• Participate in post-incident audit to identify areas for improvement
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4.6 What are the first things I should do if I become aware of an issue, incident or crisis?
When anyone in the External Affairs Department is contacted about an issue, incident or
crisis, the following steps must be followed:
• Attempt to transfer the call directly to one of the Crisis Communications
Directors
• If this is not possible, gather as much information as possible using the Incident
Data Form (See Appendix 8.14)
• Agree on the time of the next information update with your contact
• Notify one of the people who have been trained to serve as the Crisis
Communications Team Director (See Appendix 8.3)
4.7 What is the process for assessing the situation and its impact on the District?
The first Crisis Communications Director who is reached must assess the situation and the
potential impact on the District. This will be achieved through a review of available
information, contact with persons at the site of the incident and others who may have
knowledge of the situation.
4.8 How will we initially assist the Onsite Response Team and determine immediate
onsite communications actions?
• Inform the Principal or Campus Administrator that a representative of the External Affairs
Department is in route to provide onsite support
• Explain the communications strategy that will be employed during the first few hours
• Provide a copy of the Holding Statement (see Appendix) and explain how it will be used
to buy time with the media
• Review with them what to and what not to say (cause, cost, liability, duration)
• Ask what other kinds of support are urgently needed to support communications
4.9 What is the process for mobilizing the Crisis Communications team?
After assessing the situation and incident potential, the Crisis Communications Director will
determine the need to activate some or all members of the Crisis Communications Team,
including external contractors. The responsibility for contacting individuals needed for the
team may be delegated.
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4.10 How is the Crisis Communications Team organized?
Based on the situational assessment and incident potential, the Crisis Communications
Director identifies necessary roles and makes individual assignments. (See the Appendix
for details of the various roles on the teams.) The members of the team report to the Crisis
Communications Director. The team may expand or contract depending on the evolution of
the situation. Normal day-to-day job responsibilities may be suspended or reassigned to
allow the members of the Crisis Communications Team to focus attention on the situation
at hand. If the incident results in telephone call volumes that exceed the capability of the
existing staff, an external call center should be established with an external partner or a
vendor. Should the central office be inaccessible, the Crisis Communications Team
should meet offsite at a location to be (pre) determined by the Crisis Communications
Team.
4.11 Who can serve as a spokesperson for the District?
The District’s policy is to maintain an open and proactive relationship with the media. At
the same time, all communication with the media must be carefully managed in order to
build the brand and to protect the District’s reputation. In the event of a crisis, a Crisis
Communications Team will be mobilized and will have primary responsibility for all contacts
with the media. All written information to be released to the media will be developed by the
Crisis Communications Team and approved by the Crisis Management Team. See
Appendix 14 for an overview of the approval process of press releases and other written
materials.
The primary spokespersons for the CMSD during the crisis are the CEO and the Chief
Communications Officer. The majority of media inquiries will be responded to by the Chief
Communications Officer or his designee. The CEO will assume the role of spokesperson
only for the most highly visible and important media events, such as live press conferences
and inquiries from national news media.
4.12 How will we secure approval of written communications material to be released to
the media and public?
All materials developed for use with the media and public must be approved by the Director
of the Crisis Management Team. A member of the Crisis Communications Team, typically
the Chief of Communications, will serve as a liaison between the two teams.
4.13 How will the Crisis Communications Team share information and coordinate
activities with the Crisis Management Team?
A member of the Crisis Communications Team, typically the Chief of Communications, will
serve as a liaison between the two teams. He/she will ensure that regular updates are held
for the two teams to ensure seamless collaboration.
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4.14 How will the rest of the External Affairs staff stay informed of the crisis so they are
prepared to become engaged if needed?
The Crisis Communications Director is responsible for providing the staff with periodic
updates on the situation.
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Approvals
5.1 Issuer
This plan was developed by the leadership of the External Affairs Department in
collaboration with The Fairmount Group LLC, a communications consulting firm. The Chief
of Communications is ultimately responsible for this plan and is responsible for maintaining
this document.
5.2 Approver
The first edition of this plan was approved by Benjamin I. Holbert III, Chief of
Communications, and published on April 18, 2008
The second edition of this plan was approved by John Hairston, Chief of Communications,
and published on January 13, 2009.
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Communication and Publication
6.1 This plan is available electronically in the External Affairs Department shared computer
drive.
6.2 Hard copies of this plan have been provided to members of the External Affairs Department
staff. It is recommended that the staff members keep three copies of the plan to be kept at
the office, at home, and in the car for easy access.
6.3 This plan is also designed to be used for professional development purposes, including
crisis communications training and simulation exercises with the staff.
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Continuous Improvement Cycle
7.1 This process is reviewed on an annual basis by members of the External Affairs staff. Any
improvements to the process will be noted in the next edition of this manual as appropriate.
7.2 Edition 1: Published on April 18, 2008. A training session was held with staff members of
the External Affairs Department, the Department of Safety and Security, and the Executive
Leadership Team.
7.3 Edition 2: Published on January 13, 2009. Suggestions for improvement for consideration
in the next edition include:
• Explore options for establishing a call center to handle large volumes of
telephone inquiries (as described in Appendix 8.13)
• Request portable laptop PCs and wireless Internet cards for External Affairs staff
members who are trained to serve on the Crisis Communications Team
• Develop media kits for Principals that outline basic communications tools and processes
(including a wallet card with External Affairs Department contact information)
• Create a “dark site” for the District web site to be populated and published as a one-stop
resource for all stakeholders during a crisis situation
• Identify other leading edge technologies and innovations that can be used to improve the
effectiveness of communications with stakeholders during a crisis situation
• Hold practice exercises to test the readiness of the Crisis Communications Team to
implement this plan
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