The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the importance of communicating clearly and effectively with families, students, staff and school communities. 

That’s why we are excited to move forward with an effort to promote honest, transparent, equitable and public health-informed communication in response to COVID-19 resurgence and incidence in schools.

Today, the Donovan Group and Brooklyn Laboratory Charter Schools, together with several key partners, have launched www.EngageEquitably.org. This resource includes a robust set of communication templates to help educational leaders communicate about a variety of situations that may arise during these challenging times. 

The templates include emails to families and staff, website language, phone or robocall scripts, video scripts, and news releases that address topics like positive COVID-19 cases, health and prevention, school scheduling, instruction and school meals. They also cover specific situations, such as closing a classroom or section of a school and communicating instructional changes for students with special needs. Over time and as circumstances demand, these templates will grow and expand.

We encourage educational leaders, district and school administrators, and school board members to use these free resources and customize them for their school communities.