CSBA has partnered with the Donovan Group to offer around-the-clock urgent and crisis communication services to public schools and districts across the state. Through this service, school leaders and board members gain access to school communication experts to help them quickly respond to difficult situations that may affect their schools, students, staff and families throughout the year.
“As any education leader knows, an urgent or crisis situation can arise at any moment. While this has always been the case, it has never been more true than now, during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said CSBA CEO & Executive Director Vernon M. Billy. “When your school or district is dealing with one of these situations, you must communicate quickly and accurately to address the situation and keep your stakeholders informed. That’s why we are so excited to partner with the Donovan Group to offer this new service to our members, giving them a much-needed resource to help them communicate when time is a key factor.”
The Donovan Group is a communication, public relations and marketing firm that focuses exclusively on public K-12 education. Its team consists of education communication experts who have worked on thousands of crisis situations large and small, including those that impact a small group of people and those affecting entire school district communities.
The urgent and crisis communication service includes live counsel over the phone, with the Donovan Group team helping school leaders gather the facts, determine who they need to reach first and identify the best communication channels. The firm will also provide custom talking points, parent letters, news releases, social media posts and other written content, working with school leaders to revise or fine-tune it as needed.
“We are thrilled to partner with the CSBA to make these urgent and crisis communication services available to schools, districts and boards throughout the state of California,” said Joe Donovan, president of the Donovan Group. “We have offered this service in several other states and have become known as a critical resource for education leaders facing a variety of difficult situations in their school communities. We look forward to expanding this service as we move forward.”
To learn more about the new crisis communication service available to California schools and districts, visit our product page here.