The current status of school crisis communication plans : a survey of Indiana public school districts

Through an online survey issued to 293 public school district superintendents on March 30, 2012, this study sought to understand the contents of Indiana public school district crisis communication plans. Survey questions revolved around school district size, district crisis teams, public relations professional employment within Indiana school districts and the contents of the districts’ crisis communication plan. The findings revealed a significant difference in the detail of crisis plans between school districts with a public relations professional and those that do not have one. Also, a significant difference in crisis planning was revealed between small school districts and bigger ones. In addition to the aforementioned differences, it was also revealed which crisis scenarios were most frequently covered in the Indiana public school district crisis plan. These findings may help improve crisis communication planning for public school districts in the future and add to the public relations body of literature.