COVID-19 Communications Tool Kit

The National School Public Relations Association offers a variety of resources to assist public school leaders and school PR professionals during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Those resources include virtual professional development for school communicators; communication examples, templates, tip sheets and plans from a variety of school systems, including on the use of emergency relief funds; and free consultations with NSPRA staff who are accredited in public relations (APR). 

NSPRA members, access your COVID-19 Communications Digital Tool Kit below or email info@nspra.org to schedule a 30-minute crisis communications consultation with an accredited member of your NSPRA staff.

Not an NSPRA member? Learn more about the benefits of NSPRA membership.

 Virtual Professional Development for School Communicators

NSPRA Webinars

The following NSPRA webinars feature virtual panel discussions and presentations on challenges for school communicators during the COVID-19 pandemic. They are available free to all association members in the On-Demand Professional Development webinar library under "Crisis Communication."

• School Communication Best Practices and Challenges in a Pandemic panel discussion (September 2021)
• Maintaining Trust in Controversial Times panel discussion (November 2020)
• Communicating Constant Change in the COVID-19 Era webinar (September 2020)
• Proving the Value of Communication in the Next Era of Budget Reductions panel discussion (May 2020)
• Coronavirus Crisis Communications Best Practices panel discussion (March 2020)

NSPRA Articles

The following coronavirus communications-related articles appeared in the Elevation member e-newsletter. View past issues of the e-newsletter, which are available free to all association members.

• "Talking About ESSER: Ways to Build Community Trust and Keep the Focus on Results for Students" (February 2022 issue)
• "Staying Strategic in Times of Crisis" (December 2021 issue)
• "Moving the Needle on Parental Vaccine Hesitancy" (November 2021 issue)

Communicate About In-Person Learning, Temporary Returns to Virtual Learning, COVID-19 Testing and Masking Protocols

The following resources were curated for NSPRA members to aid in the development of strategic communication plans and the identification of strategies and tactics related to a return to in-person learning, temporary returns to virtual learning due to rising cases, COVID-19 testing and masking protocols. 

School District Communications

• Communication Plans and Campaigns 
• Dashboards
• Fact Sheets and Infographics
• Handbooks
• Notifications to Families and Staff
• Social Media
• Videos

Vaccine and Testing Communication Resources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• What You Should Know About COVID-19 Testing in Schools (Jan. 6, 2022)
• School Testing for COVID-19 Communication Toolkit for Schools (August 2021)

• COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit for School Settings and Childcare Programs (March 2021)
• Teachers, School Staff, and Childcare Workers: How to Get Vaccinated (March 2021)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services:

• Guide to Hosting COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics at School (November 2021)
• Resources About COVID-19 Vaccinations for Children Ages 5+ outreach materials (November 2021)

American Academy of Pediatrics:

• COVID-19 Vaccine Campaign Toolkit (November 2021)
• Video: Why vaccination is the best way to protect your child from COVID-19 (October 2021)
• Video: How mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were developed (October 2021)

Other organizations:

• Communicating About Vaccination in the United States: A FrameWorks Strategic Brief—Frameworks Institute (September 2021)
• A Communicator's Guide to Covid-19 Vaccination—Institute for Public Relations (fall 2021)
• COVID-19 Testing in K-12 Settings: A Playbook for Educators and Leaders—Rockefeller Foundation (February 2021) 
• "COVID vaccine – How to communicate reliably and combat disinformation" panel discussion—National Press Club (January 2021)

​Communicate the Use of Emergency Relief Funds​

Beginning in 2020, the federal government awarded grant funds to state educational agencies to provide emergency relief to local schools during the ongoing pandemic. Following are resources and sample communications about schools' use of the various Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds.

NSPRA Resources

• "Using ESSER Funds to Bolster District Communications" featured in Elevation member e-newsletter (November 2021 issue)

School District Communications

• American Rescue Plan (ARP) ESSER III website—Adams 12 Five Star Schools, Thornton, Colo.
• ARP funds video (posted on Twitter by U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona)—Highline Public Schools, Burien, Wash.
• ESSER: Reimagining 901 website—Shelby County Schools, Memphis, Tenn.
• ESSER plan website—Putnam County School System, Cookeville, Tenn.
• ESSER plan update—Omaha (Neb.) Public Schools
• ESSER information—Grand Forks (N.D.) Public Schools

Other Organizations

• Investment in Action: Telling the Story of How Federal Pandemic Recovery Funds are Supporting Students (Chiefs for Change)

U.S Department of Education:

• #ARPStars Communications Toolkit—Resources to help educators, schools and communities tell their stories of recovery efforts using American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding.

• Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund 
• American Rescue Plan Partnership, Assistance, Transformation and Heightened Support Tool—A resource to help states share their progress deploying ARP ESSER funds
• Webinars:
  • Using American Rescue Plan Funds and Other Federal Supports to Address State and Local Teacher Labor Shortages (November 2021)
  • Using American Rescue Plan Funds and Other Federal Supports to Address State and Local School Staff Labor Shortages (November 2021)

Communicate the Start of the School Year

As public schools prepared for the start of the  school year, NSPRA compiled resources on the reopening of schools following COVID-19 shutdowns. Sample communications in the following areas still may be helpful today:

• Guides for Parents, Staff - School Districts
• Reopening Plans - School Districts

Here is  CDC's Operational Strategy for Reopening Schools. 

Communicate Your Coronavirus Crisis Response

In the early days of the crisis,  many school systems were scrambling to prepare themselves for the unknown. NSPRA compiled members' sample communications about coronavirus-related emergencies to help those not yet affected gear up for the challenge. Sample communications in the following areas still may be helpful today:

• Celebrations for district employees and senior high school students
• Childcare services at schools for healthcare and emergency providers
• Communication plans and campaigns
• Graphic resources
• Positive test results or death within school community
• Surveys