Russ Fletcher is school/community relations liaison for DeKalb School District 428; Tony Sanders is chief communications officer for School District U-46 in Elgin.

February 14 was a sunny, wintry day this year, like many other Midwest winter days, until shortly after 3 p.m. That's when an individual slipped through the back door of a lecture hall, set down a bag and began firing at the faculty member and students at Cole Hall of Northern Illinois University.

Likewise, nothing seemed out of the ordinary at mid-day on a Friday at Elgin High School as students were just completing their end-of-semester exams. While most students had departed for a long three-day weekend, one 16-year-old student entered the room of one of his former teachers. After engaging in a few minutes of small talk, the student suddenly began stabbing the teacher with a steak knife.

These events, and others across the country, are having dramatic repercussions far beyond the campuses where they occur, transforming the way educational leaders strategically plan for building security, as well as train staff and students for crisis situations, communications and integrated response. Most educational organizations have or are quickly coming to the realization that it is not a matter of if, merely when, a significant crisis situation will occur at their school. Believing "it won't happen here" can no longer be accepted.

In DeKalb, the shootings occurred about a mile from two of DeKalb CUSD 428's elementary schools and less than 30 minutes prior to the scheduled release of nearly 3,000 elementary students. Fortunately, the district's director of safety and security is a retired DeKalb Police Department detective, who was able to communicate directly with personnel on scene.

This information was a key component in providing the opportunity for the district crisis team to determine it was safe to release students. The district is now working to establish lines of communication directly with the university police department.

Communities with higher learning institutions would be encouraged to include college and university police and security administrators in crisis communication planning.

One of the outcomes of the overwhelmingly positive community response in DeKalb was the formation of what is now being referred to as the Communiversity Cares Initiative. The initiative joins together people from Northern Illinois University, Kishwaukee College, District 428, businesses and individuals from throughout the county in an ongoing series of events and programs that provide opportunities to connect and support each other. One upcoming event is Huskies on Parade. This fall, local artists will decorate dozens of 40-inch tall ceramic Huskies that will be on display throughout the downtown and campus areas for community members and students alike to enjoy as the campus comes to life again this fall.

Many heroes emerged at Elgin High School that day: A teacher from a nearby classroom who heard the struggle and responded quickly; co-workers who aided the victim; the principal and school administrators who kept the scene under control; and the victim herself.

In the hours and days following the attack, U-46, Illinois' second largest district, followed its crisis response and communication plan, which has straightforward components:

• Determine your audiences and how to best reach them. For example, when the incident at Elgin High occurred, the principal used the district's rapid notification system to first call all teachers and staff members, then placed a separate call to all parents. The principal was able to reassure families and staff members that everything was under control. At the same time, a press release with very basic information was sent to all local media.

• Communicate as quickly as possible. In this case, the phone message to all staff and parents was delivered within two hours of the incident. All media inquiries were handled by one spokesperson.

• Develop talking points for press briefings and stick to them. Provide all press releases and talking points to your key communicators, such as board members, principals, administrators, union leaders and — most importantly — anyone who answers the phone for the school and district.

• Do not go off the record. Do not answer questions for which you do not know the answer. If you are unable to answer, explain why. For example, during the Elgin High incident, the district was limited in the amount of information that could be shared regarding the employee, and we remain unable to publicly identify the student pursuant to state law.

• Choose the location of any press briefing wisely. While circumstances may vary, it is typically best to get the media to a neutral location.

• Take time to anticipate what questions may be asked during a press briefing. If you think it may be asked, then it probably will be.

• Always tell the truth.

Normalcy will return. In fact, a glimpse at Elgin High on the day students returned found a typical attendance day, students trying to find their second semester courses, and teachers who took inspiration from a teacher who asked, while lying in a hospital bed, when she could return to work.

The most important thing a district can do is to have a plan to both respond and communicate in a timely manner in the event of a crisis.

Good communication alone will not make a crisis go away. However, developing a plan of action — like ensuring all parents hear the facts from the principal before seeing it in the news — goes a long way toward building public confidence.

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