Connecting with Stakeholders During a Pandemic: School is Out, but Crisis Communication is In

Abstract

Connecting with Stakeholders During a Pandemic: School is Out, but Crisis communication is In. Houston Baptist University, Houston, Texas. Doctor of Executive Educational Leadership, March 2022, Rebecca Suarez. Silently, and without much warning, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) swiftly spread around the globe causing a worldwide pandemic. The deadly virus shut down thousands of public schools, sending home millions of students, teachers, and staff to keep them safe during an unprecedented calamity. When public school districts closed their physical buildings, superintendents and school public relations experts scrambled to find innovative ways to communicate and engage with stakeholders effectively and efficiently amid a pandemic. Schools were out, but crisis communication was in. This research explored how superintendents and communication executives in seven public school districts in different parts of the United States communicated with their stakeholders during the initial shutdown of schools from March 2020 through June 2020, due to the spread of COVID-19. Specifically, this multi-case study focused on understanding how these public school district leaders disseminated information with their stakeholders in the face of a crisis as well as on understanding how communication is fundamental to school leaders in engaging with staff, students, parents, and the community during a crisis. Keywords: coronavirus, pandemic, stakeholders, crisis, public perception, school district