School Board Members, Superintendents, Principals: Reopen Your Schools Without Community Outrage.

In early March, most school systems across the country closed their doors and converted themselves into virtual learning institutions in response to COVID-19. In the coming weeks, as phased reopening strategies are launched throughout the country, a central component to the success of such efforts will be the reopening of schools. America’s return to “normalcy,” is simply unattainable until k-12 schools are back to business as usual. That’s right, local school boards, superintendents, and principals will determine when life is routine again for many Americans. Certainly, federal and state governments will determine the broad operational framework that local leaders will adhere to; however local leaders can also expect these broad frameworks to be inadequate at addressing nuanced needs within counties, cities, and townships. Questions in need of answers include, but are not limited to:

• Will masks/gloves requirements be applied to all staff and students?
• Will some classes be taught in gymnasiums, cafeterias, and auditoriums to accommodate social distancing? What about regularly scheduled activities in those locations?
• Will extracurricular activities resume a regular schedule?
• Will students be allowed to go on field trips?
• Will students return fully to face-to-face instruction or will virtual education remain a part of the learning plan?
• Will face-to-face versus virtual instruction differ by grade level or subject matter?
• Will some students come to campus in the morning so that other students could occupy the campus in the afternoon?
• Will some students occupy the campus on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, while other students occupy the campus on Tuesdays and Thursdays?
• Will high-risk students and staff be given alternative attendance requirements 

Having led schools and school systems for the better part of the last two decades, I know that these questions represent just the tip of the decision-making iceberg. Responses to all of these questions will need to consider the uniqueness of each state, county, city, and each school within each state, county, and city. To say the least, there will be very few “one-size-fits-all” answers to these questions.

In the face of such uncertainty and the consequences of poor decisions, school board members, superintendents, and principals will need to get one thing VERY right in all of this… Effective community engagement. Keyword being “effective.” Effective community engagement, as a vehicle to land on the answers to all of the questions surrounding the reopening of schools, will stand on the following five pillars: (1) Listen & Learn; (2) Organize & Prioritize; (3) Create Strategy; (4) Execute Strategy; and (5) Communicate & Repeat.

• Listen & Learn. Start today… Get out into all areas of your community, engage with your people, and listen twice as much as you talk. Give a brief outline of the challenges and types of questions that require answers. Do not give your opinion(s). Instead, ask questions. Ask pointed questions. What is most important to you when we reopen schools? What is your non-negotiable for a successful reopening? What do you want me to know about your family’s experience during the pandemic? Social distancing rules make community engagement challenging, but far from impossible. Use every form of media (print, television, radio, social) and every form of technology (website, automated-calls, emails) at your disposal to get these questions circulated. Gather the feedback via email responses, website surveys, social media comments, etc.
• Organize & Prioritize. Categorize each response that you obtain by functional area (instruction, facilities, finance, personnel). Note the perspective of each respondent (student, teacher, parent, homeowner, elected official). Identify the frequency of each comment (heard once or heard multiple times). Differentiate fact from fiction. Discuss internally and organize into 3-5 overarching themes. Use your communicative devices to inform your constituents on this progress and ask for feedback. Why feedback? You want to have a general sense that you adequately heard their input and are about to proceed down an agreeable path.
• Create Strategy. Within each theme, assign a member of your leadership team to assemble a cross-functional work group, inclusive of community members, to ponder the data collected. Ask the work group to brainstorm and determine 2-4 action steps for every theme. To accomplish this, and adhere to social distancing requirements, use large meeting spaces (auditoriums, churches, community centers), outdoor facilities (parks, parking lots), or video conferencing. These action steps should be specific and easy to explain. Where possible, timelines for execution of each action step should be established. Again, leverage all of your communicative devices to inform the greater community of what they can expect and by when. Ask for feedback.
• Execute Strategy. Do exactly what you said you would do within the timeline that you previously articulated. If conditions change and/or execution becomes problematic, let your people know about it along with any/all course corrections. Note… It is not good enough to simply execute the strategies that were promised; you need to communicate broadly that you have actually executed the strategies promised.
• Communicate & Repeat. Get back out into the community using each and every communicative device in your arsenal to let people know that you listened, created a plan heavily based on what was heard, delivered on the promises of the plan, and are returning to ask what else you should focus on in the next phase of reopening. Yes, reopening will more than likely happen in multiple phases.

If this seems like a lot of work, it is. I will offer two perspectives. One, under normal conditions, system-wide efforts require significant buy-in from stakeholders. The need for engagement is exacerbated as a result of the unprecedented time that we are living through and the uniqueness of each person’s experience. Two, you can invest time now, in a proactive manner, or spend twice as much time later reacting/responding to the plethora of disgruntled stakeholders who are dismayed by your decisions. There is no better time in your tenure as a school board member, superintendent, or principal to work collaboratively with the greater community.

About the Author. Desmond K. Blackburn, Ph.D, is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of New Teacher Center (NTC). NTC is a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving student learning by guiding a new generation of classroom teachers, school leaders, and district leaders. Prior to joining NTC in 2018, he spent twenty-two years as a Math Teacher, Assistant Principal, Principal, Director of School Improvement, Area Superintendent, Chief of School Performance & Accountability, and Superintendent. To find out how he and NTC can support you in your school reopening plans, he can be reached at [email protected].