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Highlights • Crisis team members at the P-12 level face challenges created by media interest in school crisis events. • Sensationalism, seeking alternative routes to information, and framing are key challenges school crisis team members face in working with the media. • Administrators focus on creating media plans and building relationships with the media pre-crisis. • Post-crisis, crisis team members develop messages focused on being accurate but guarded, and communicating reassurance and reunification. Abstract Schools at the P-12 level increasingly face crises related to school shootings, violence, and other tragedies. Understanding the communication challenges schools face is paramount to assisting schools with communication before, during, and after crisis events. The current study focuses on the challenges created by media interest in such crises and the strategies implemented to overcome these challenges and provide responsible information to stakeholders. Interviews conducted with 21 school crisis teams at the P-12 level revealed that sensationalism, seeking alternative routes to information, and framing were key challenges in working with the media. In light of these challenges, administrators focused on creating media plans, building relationships with the media, being accurate but guarded, and communicating reassurance and reunification. Implications are discussed for school districts nationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the need to understand and identify effective data-driven strategies for the communication challenges faced by schools associated with school shootings has become paramount. The current study reports findings from 10 face-to-face interviews conducted with school crisis team members at the P–12 level who experienced school shooting events. The findings, which extend discourse of renewal theory, identify six primary communication-related challenges that districts face postcrisis and offer effective strategies for overcoming these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In recent years, the need to study the communication challenges schools face during crises has become essential. The current study included semi-structured interviews with 56 crisis team members from 21 P–12 districts. Participants identified the social media challenges and strategies districts employ during crisis events. Implications for scholars and P–12 administrators are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Little is known about the effectiveness of social media in delivering information during active shooter incidents at the P-12 level. This study analyzed social media activity that occurred during and after two active shooter events on September 30, 2014. Over 5000 social media posts from Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and mainstream news outlets were analyzed. Social media analysis outlined the scope of online communication during the first week following the incidents, revealed social media frequency, increases in conversation, misinformation, and differences between parent and student posts. Results revealed spikes in social media chatter following the release of the identities of shooters and victims. Consistent with media dependency theory and the high levels of uncertainty characteristic of the incident, users’ social media posts contained more information than affect displays during the active shooter event. Implications for scholars and P-12 administrators are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]