5 Ways Schools Can Use Communication as an Effective Risk Management Tool

Election Day 2024 may be over, but it is clear that the climate on many campuses remains highly charged. As debate and demonstrations concerning volatile political, social, and economic issues continue, some school leaders might be wary of entering into the conversation, fearing it might expose them and their institution to scrutiny, criticism, controversy, or worse.

But keeping a low profile would be the wrong move, says a panel of educational thought leaders featured in the webinar “The 2024 Presidential Election: Navigating Physical and Psychological Safety on Campus,” which was hosted by AssuredPartners and moderated by Becky Donovan, Risk Management Consultant.

The experts hailed from a wide variety of specialties, including school finance, civil law, operations, and diversity and inclusion. However, they all agreed that frequent, proactive, and two-way communication with all key internal and external stakeholders is one of the most effective risk management tools for colleges and universities to use before, during, and after challenging times.

Our panelists shared their personal experiences with educational institutions that employ and invite regular, clear, timely, and supportive dialogue with all campus constituents. Without question, these are the schools that have been most successful in making the people in their care feel heard, supported, and protected, not just when intense moments arose, but all year round.

Is your school tapping into all its campus communication opportunities? Below, we share five ideas that our panelists discussed on how to make the most of this powerful, long-term risk management tool:

1. Form a policymaking process that is inclusive of all stakeholders.

Whether you’re developing, evaluating, or enhancing a policy on campus free speech, student protests, invited speakers, recognizing student organizations, or something else, the conversation should include many campus voices. Any department, function, or group that might be impacted by this new or evolving policy should have a seat at the table to help make sure policies will address an issue fairly, are articulated clearly, and can be applied consistently.

Per the experts, you may want to set up a policy work group or task force that includes a variety of constituents, from the head of campus safety to representatives from your faculty, student body, student affairs, and Title IX and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) offices. When you give people the opportunity to weigh in on the development of a policy or procedure that affects them, it improves their understanding of what they can expect from the school and what the school expects of them, as well as increases their buy-in of the potential outcomes if expectations are not met.

2. Invite campus conversations rather than scrambling to react to them.

One of the main objectives of a campus protest or similar act of expression is that people want to be heard. Once this type of demonstration occurs, school leaders can certainly offer to meet with the constituents involved and discuss their issues. However, this reactive response may make campus community members feel they always have to use force to get your ear and attention. Instead, our experts recommend that you create many opportunities throughout the year to engage with, listen to, and get feedback from your community, from hosting online/offline open campus forums to establishing formal/informal spaces for gathering and sharing perspectives, experiences, and hopes for the future.

3. Integrate opportunities for campus conversation into your curriculum.

While the educational experience is aimed at creating extraordinary scholars, it is also dedicated to preparing students to enter, navigate, and contribute to the real world. To be exceptional at this, they will require many skills, including the ability to communicate with and respectfully listen to a diverse group of people while also feeling comfortable stating their own position on an issue.

Some of the innovative programs schools may want to consider include school-wide book readings and discussions to ignite connection and enrichment; quarterly no-class/community days when everyone comes together to address a specific timely issue or idea; and inviting civic-minded, cross-partisan organizations to campus, like Braver Angels, to teach and facilitate civil discourse of polarizing topics.

4. Nurture a stronger, more comfortable rapport between security staff and your school community.

The presence of security staff, especially if armed, can raise tensions in even the most benign situations. But through communication, our experts believe school leaders can help cultivate a more trusting relationship between students/staff and campus/local law enforcement. One tip from our experts is to encourage school security staff to be active members in the life of the campus. For example, when they are off duty and out of uniform, invite them to show up at school sporting events or faculty presentations, where they can have informal chats with the campus community and learn more about what is important to them.

In addition, a comprehensive conversation should happen any time a campus event is being planned that may require school safety officers or another form of law enforcement. All stakeholders should come together for a discussion of the specific roles and responsibilities of security personnel, what your school’s de-escalation protocol is, who on your team makes the decision to bring in local police, what the potential outcomes may be for participants if the tenure of an event escalates for any reason, and more. The experts believe this type of concrete and transparent dialogue helps eliminate the feelings of fear and intimidation that a security presence often unintentionally elicits. Instead, everyone involved in this conversation should leave feeling more supported and safer, and confident they will be in a protected environment to express themselves.

5. Convey what’s happening on campus to the broader community, and, most importantly, to families.

Today, there are many turnkey communication options for keeping students’ families tapped into school happenings. But while some school leaders may worry about inundating them with too much information, our panelists say if you’re going to err one way, do it on the side of overcommunicating and utilize all platforms you have available, like email, newsletter, social media, a text app, and more.

What should you be regularly talking to families about? Consider sharing updates on the current campus climate and how you’re preparing for any potential challenges on the horizon; clearly explaining policies and procedures, and the potential ramifications to students if these are not followed; and reporting on steps you are taking to keep your community and their students safe not just after an incident but all year round. As with your other campus stakeholders, make sure families have an avenue to engage you in conversation and provide that all-important feedback.

In addition to their emphasis on using communication as a risk management tool, our panelists offered many other insights to help school leaders build more resilient campuses for years to come. Please watch and share the full webinar.

If you have any questions related to best communication practices for risk management, reach out to our Education Practice Group. As an experienced risk resource and insurance broker, our team is always available to have a conversation and offer guidance, whether it’s about a challenging issue you’re facing on your campus today or how to better protect and support the people in your community every day.