As the war in Gaza continues, its wide-ranging impacts are being felt by students and families across the United States. For some school communities, those impacts may include student and staff demonstrations, walkouts and reports of feeling unsafe, similar to what has been seen on several college campuses around the nation. The National School Public Relations Association has compiled several samples and resources to assist members and other education leaders who are preparing to communicate on these difficult topics.

The following are messages and resources that have been shared by districts in response to such civic action that communicators may find helpful:

• Superintendent message (Portland Public Schools, Ore.)
• Leadership message (Chicago Public Schools, Ill.)
• Civic Engagement Activity Excused Absence Form (Seattle Public Schools, Wash.)

In addition, NSPRA shared the following resources for discussing the war with students in October, which may also be helpful when planning communications.

• How to Talk About the Israel-Hamas War: Resources for Educators (Education Week)
• Talking to Children About War (National Child Traumatic Stress Network)
• Helping Students in Troubling Times (American School Counselor Association)
• Responsible Media Coverage of Crisis Events Impacting Children and Youth (National Association of School Psychologists)
• Handle with Care: Supporting Young People During Crises (Learning for Justice)
• Communicating During a World Crisis Messaging Examples (NSPRA Samples and Resources)

NSPRA also provides members with samples and resources related to Supporting Democracy and Politics in Action and Demonstrations, Protests, Strikes and Walkouts. Resources on these pages include articles, webinars, school district examples and more.

NSPRA offers the following five strategies for school public relations professionals when preparing for communications during challenging times:

1. Check your mission.
2. Confer with your thought leaders.
3. Review past messaging on challenging issues.
4. Don’t go it alone if you don’t have to.
5. Be honest with yourself about what you don’t know.

View NSPRA's 5 Communication Strategies to Prepare for Challenging Times webpage to learn more.