Due: 30th May
Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini.
My strength is not that of a single warrior but that of many.
Fundamentally, we (GCLA) believe that Professional Learning and Development needs to be authentic and contextualised within the real world in which we interact. Aspiring NLP is committed to providing growth opportunities for aspiring leaders to solve problems and address issues to help equip delegates for 21st Century educational leadership positions. For some, this module and discussion might evoke anxiety. However, we hope that this discussion remains hypothetical and that no undue anxiety is caused.
Provocation:
This is a joint task, to be completed in collaboration with your learning partner(s). Have a conversation with your partner(s) then post on the forum. Please sign off your collective forum response with the names of the people in your learning partnership (i.e. only one response is required for all of the members of the learning partnership).
Scenario: You arrive at school to find yourself in the position of Acting Principal (indefinitely), at the request of your frazzled Board Chairperson. You oblige and soon after, you get a notification (via the media) that a neighbouring school has just reported an unauthorised intruder on the school premises which has forced the school into lockdown. Upon investigation, you learn that they have an accomplice who is on the run in the local area.
By 10:00am both staff and students are ablaze with concerns and speculation, following inaccurate social media posts.
Question: With the many layers of competitiveness and sensitivity, whose voices do you listen to and how do you respond (initially)?
- Who are your priorities to communicate this with?
- What would be your mode of communication with the various stakeholders?
Please take time to read and reflect on the attached links before responding to the ‘Voices and Drivers’ provocation.
Resources:
Rabbi Dr Abraham Twerski speaks about decision making.
Disclaimer: Rabbi Dr Abraham Twerski expresses his religious worldview which is his own and the thoughts and beliefs shared in the video and not necessarily the opinions and beliefs of Growth Culture.
Stakeholder Engagement.
Optional Extra: Best to watch if you are familiar with Daniel Kahneman’s work and ideas around the anchoring, priming, framing and cognitive bias effects.
- Daniel Kahneman: Thinking Fast and Thinking Slow (review by Swedish Investor)
8 Responses
With the many layers of competitiveness and sensitivity, whose voices do you listen to and how do you respond?
1. Listen to the police only and don’t listen to speculation from various sources.
2. Communicate with the Board Presiding Member.
3. Put school into lock down – Follow the school lock down policy. Only the principal and BOT presiding member are authorised to communicate with police, media, parents.
Gather more information during this time. Meet with the senior leadership team – Delegate tasks and discuss the highly confidential nature of the situation.
Senior Leadership team should have procedures in place and this should have been practiced by all staff.
4. Communicate with staff and students.
5. Maintain regular contact with the police – seek information.
6. Communicate to parents about procedures being followed and that the school has been in contact with the police and that the students are safe. Acknowledge that parents are seeking support, reassurance and guidance and that the school will keep them informed.
7. Put out a media statement if required.
8. Evaluate and debrief around effectiveness of lockdown (student, staff, community safety) and update procedures if required.
Who are your priorities to communicate this with?
1. Police
2. BOT
3. Staff and students
4. Parents
5. Ministry of Education
6. Media
What would be your mode of communication with the various stakeholders
1. Police – Telephone
2. Board Presiding Member – Telephone and email, video call
3. Staff and students – e.g., phone or class dojo school app, school intercom, bell system
4. Parents – class dojo school app, skool loop, school Facebook or Instagram pages
5. Ministry of Education – Senior Service Manager
6. Media (if necessary) – Telephone
Craig and Jacqui
Hey team, better late than never.
Fact Checking
Call the neighbouring school to ascertain whether a lockdown is in fact in action (the is part of our current plan)
If the school responds with confirmation proceed to lockdown
If the school responds negative, hold and check school perimeter
If the school is unable to be raised after 5 minutes, proceed to lockdown
Initial Response if a lockdown was deemed immediately necessary
Casey’s School
Management team and office staff: communicate the lockdown to students and staff. Office staff remain in office, locked doors and windows.
Management team are to circle buildings and double check doors are locked before returning to the main office. Use the phone, school intercom system, and walkie talkies to achieve this.
Once everyone is locked down – call the police to let them know we have locked down and ask for advice / updates on the situation. Office staff could be doing this while management confirms students and staff are locked away safely. Phone.
Parent community to be informed that the school is in lockdown and in contact with the police: Facebook page, potentially Edge. Facebook (do we have a prepared statement locked and loaded as a starting point for a communication such as this? Talk to Nic).
MoE: inform them of lockdown. Phone.
Learning Leaders: update on how their team is, class rolls and student count, etc. Phone.
BOT: call the Chairperson to update them on the situation. Phone/text.
Lud’s School
Lockdown is initiated through use of the fire bell, this sounds for all students to return indoors, and for teachers to lock all doors.
During this time, an office member will contact the police, advising them we are on lockdown and staying on the line for updates
Staff will be contacted by email advising them to maintain the lockdown and to respond with their location, and what class they have with them
Parents will be made contact with using pre-scripted messages. Mediums used will be:
School App
Website
Facebook
Text Service
Once informed by police that lockdown can be broken staff will be contacted by email to call a class roll and then return to work.
SLT will then proceed around the school to ensure classes are fine.
Parents will be contacted using the same mediums, advising of a successful lockdown.
Sorry – posted yesterday afternoon into the wrong group!
Who are your priorities to communicate with?
As a leadership team, our first priority is following the lockdown procedure put in place by the school. The principal would first make contact with the police, to get the official line and more information about the situation. Whilst this is happening, the other SLT members are making contact and briefing classroom teachers, in whichever communication system they have set up with their lockdown policy. From this, we will communicate with the parents, letting them know what is happening, that the children are safe and we are in contact with the police. At all times during the process, communication with parents needs to be factual information and reassuring them that their children are safe. We would also advise parents to not make contact with teachers directly as they will not be able to respond.
What would be your mode of communication with the various stakeholders?
Each school uses different communication systems which are put in place for lockdowns. From our discussions, we use the following:
Communication with Police:
– Phone communication
Communication with staff:
– Bell or intercom system, especially for those outside in the playground
– Phone communication
– Phone through laptop system (3CX)
– Email if needed and in school policy
Communication with families:
– School Facebook page
– Text message from eTap
– Email from office
Updates for parents would be inline with what the police are advise and the situation unfolding. When the situation is over, communication with parents will be had, letting them know their children are safe.
At the end of a lockdown, communication with staff is also important. This is done via the bell system or phone call (depending on the school system they use). Once the situation is safe and secure, later on a debrief with the school team.
Jane, Zeta and Kristy
Scenario Response:
As the Acting Principal, our primary objective is to ensure the safety and well-being of all students, staff, and visitors on our premises. Given the report of an unauthorised intruder at a neighbouring school and an accomplice on the run, it is crucial to act swiftly and decisively.
1. Whose voices to listen to and initial response:
Authorities (Police and Emergency Services): Their guidance is paramount as they provide the most accurate and up-to-date information on the situation.
Senior Leadership Team (SLT): They will assist in executing the lockdown procedures and managing communications.
Neighbouring School Principal: If further investigation results in a recognised threat
Initial response:
Activate our lockdown procedures immediately. This includes securing all doors and windows, turning off lights, and crisis team moving to the designated Incident Control Room (ICR).
Use the lockdown alarm to inform everyone in the school to initiate lockdown protocols.
Contact the authorities (police) to confirm our lockdown status and obtain any additional information about the intruder and accomplice.
Assign roles to the Incident Control Team (keeping in mind that not all members of the SLT may be onsite)
2. Priorities for Communication:
Internal Communication:
Senior Leadership Team: Coordinate actions and responsibilities.
Administration/Log Taker: Maintain a detailed log of all events and communications during the lockdown.
Staff and Students: Ensure everyone is in lockdown, providing relevant information that you have at the time
External Communication:
Parents and Guardians: Provide them with accurate information to prevent panic and reassure them that their children are safe.
Neighbouring Schools and Early Childhood Education (ECE) Centers: Inform them of our lockdown status and share any relevant information.
Where appropriate, contact the Presiding Member of the Board: Keep them informed of the situation
3. Mode of Communication with various stakeholders:
Staff and Students:
Intercom Announcements: Immediate instructions and updates (if available)
Emails/Google Doc: Detailed information and updates.
Classroom Communication: Teachers relay information to students to keep them calm and informed.
Parents and Guardians:
School Website: Post updates and information regarding the lockdown.
Student Management System (SMS): Send out messages and alerts.
Social Media: Use official school accounts to provide updates and dispel rumours.
Neighbouring Schools and ECE Centers:
Phone Calls: Direct communication to share the lockdown status and relevant information.
Board:
Emails and Phone Calls: Regular updates on the situation and actions taken.
Communication should be clear, consistent, and compassionate, addressing the concerns of all stakeholders while maintaining calm and order. By following our lockdown procedures and maintaining open lines of communication, we can ensure the safety and well-being of everyone involved and manage the situation effectively.
Dylan, Jonathan & Kev
Question: With the many layers of competitiveness and sensitivity, whose voices do you listen to and how do you respond (initially)?
As Acting Principal your first job is to verify the threat with emergency services and keep the site safe by locking the school gates. The Acting Principal would become the Incident Controller. The Incident Controller needs to be decisive and give clear instructions.
1.Who are your priorities to communicate this with?
-The Acting Principal would be the Incident Controller and would gather the SLT team and appoint the following roles:
i, Admin/Log taker – takes log of actions
ii, Operations – contacts Police and maintain contact
iii, Welfare – sends emails to staff and begin account of replies
iv, Communications – update website and then send messages to student and staff families
v, Intelligence – Monitor external sources of information
The Acting Principal (Incident Controller role) would communicate with SLT.
The SLT member with the Operations role would communicate with Police.
The SLT member with the Welfare role would communicate with staff.
The SLT member with the Communications role would communicate with families of students and staff.
2.What would be your mode of communication with the various stakeholders?
-Lockdown siren/bell to alert staff and students of lockdown procedures.
-All communication with Police would be by phone by the SLT member with the Operations role.
-All communication with staff will be done by the SLT member with the Welfare role through email and possibly Whatsapp.
-All communication with students and staff families will be done by the SLT member with the Communications role through emails, text message and social media (e.g. Facebook).
Andre, Anna and Resh
With the many layers of competitiveness and sensitivity, whose voices do you listen to and how do you respond (initially)? If parents/students/staff have heard about the incident via the media, there is bound to be some anxiety and panic. SLT’s job is to manage the situation – this includes taking care of the well-being of those involved, but the focus must be on getting the most up-to-date information and deciding what needs to be shared (sharing too much without context can be counterproductive)
1. Who are your priorities to communicate this with?
i. Be in touch with emergency services to get latest updates
ii. Gather SLT group to assign responsibilities
iii. Communicate with staff (teaching & operations) and students onsite
iv. Advise parent community
v. Liaise with SLT at nearby schools?
vi. Keep an eye on the media for new updates (also gives awareness of what parents might be seeing/hearing)
2. What would be your mode of communication with the various stakeholders?
i. Lockdown (bell/siren) – staff and students to follow protocols – safest thing to do until more information can be gathered
ii. Acting Principal (me!) makes phone contact with emergency services – establish a connection with a specific person, seek guidance from them on safest course of action
iii. Emails to staff onsite with initial update and reassurance, and clear guidelines on what to share with students in their care – assign this to one member of SLT
iv. Text alert to parent community, place message on website – another member of SLT to oversee this
v. Update board chair (the frazzled one!) on the situation
vi. Regular check-ins with SLT group – establish a ‘hub’ in principal’s office
Kerry, Brieta
With the many layers of competitiveness and sensitivity, whose voices do you listen to and how do you respond (initially)?
The source of information influences the speed of our decision-making process. Consultation with the other senior leadership team members and discussion of all information available will influence the final decision. As Acting Principal, I need to be confident in the call I make. Once the information was verified, the decision to go into lockdown would be made by the acting principal. The decision-making process won’t be a simple one-and-done. It will constantly evolve as new details come in, so we’ll need to adapt and adjust our response accordingly.
Who are your priorities to communicate this with?
Quickly consult nearby senior staff to decide the initial response.
Inform all students and staff, initiate lockdown procedures if required
Follow lockdown procedure which will guide the following:
Staff and students
Emergency services
Board Chair, Parent Association leader
Parents and community
Media communication
What would be your mode of communication with the various stakeholders?
School policy will guide communication. Such as the examples below.
Staff:
Mode: In-person meeting for key staff, followed by email and internal messaging systems for all staff.
Students:
Mode: In-class announcements by teachers.
Message: Communicate the lockdown procedure as stated in the policy.
Parents:
Mode: School app notification, email, social media and automated phone message.
Mode: Email and phone call.
Message: Detailed update on the situation, actions taken, and current status.
MOE and Neighbouring Schools:
Mode: Direct phone line for constant updates.
Message: Open lines
Chantelle and Hannah
Depending on the SOURCE of the information depends on the time frame of our decision making process. Actual evidence from internal stakeholders rather than external stakeholders would quicken the process.
In order to go with ACTION you have to go with ONE voice – there should be a pre agreed member of the SLT member that makes the decision even if there is disagreement at the moment.
It is important to seek points of views from the stakeholders and then make that judgement and decision, putting aside any sense of doubt – being assertive in your decision making.
We think it is important to say – that the decision making process is not just linear it is cyclical, it just doesn’t get made once it may require additional information and then another decision.
Who are your priorities to communicate this with?
Fellow nearby SLT member to consult in the initial decision making
Students via Staff – Lockdown procedure stated in policy
Staff – via email sent from another slt with current details
Triage Team to various locations – guidance counsellor, emergency worker, property manager, HR, executive manager
Local Authorities and Emergency Services – call from another SLT
School Board Chairperson/Parent Association Leader
Parents and Guardians
Media and Public
What would be your mode of communication with the various stakeholders?
Quick phone calls with Chair of Board Member “Board Members to handle media correspondence”
Sending messages to staff would be through school emails or mass text alerts.
Face to face with emergency services onsite & nearby SLT group for initial situation execution.
Emergency lockdown procedures – sound of siren/bell.
Continuously analysing who needs to know what information they need and when – it is cyclical.
Use of whatsapp groups in current use or a bespoke group that is used in this situation.
Internal stakeholders need to be communicated with first to clarify, to analyse to ensure well being of all team members are ok.
Jake, Mark and Angela