The Virginia Association of School Superintendents has partnered with the Donovan Group to offer around-the-clock urgent and crisis communication services to public schools and districts throughout Virginia.

Through the service, district and school leaders 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.

“A crisis situation can arise at any moment in a school or district, requiring the need for quick and effective communication with parents, staff, students, community members and other stakeholders,” said Ben Kiser, Executive Director of VASS. “This is more true than ever as we continue to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. By working with the Donovan Group to deliver this service, we are giving school district leaders a much-needed resource to help them communicate when time is of the essence.”

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 also provides custom talking points, parent letters, news releases, social media posts and other written content, working with school leaders to revise or fine-tune this content as needed.

“We are incredibly excited to partner with VASS to provide these urgent and crisis communication services available to public schools and districts in Virginia,” said Joe Donovan, Founding Partner of the Donovan Group. “In doing so, we are building on our experience delivering these services in several other states. We look forward to providing this resource to Virginia’s superintendents and educational leaders as we move forward.”

For more information on the service, visit https://www.vassonline.org.