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Crisis Response Report

Crisis Response Report. Scott Holland, Karen Schaeffer, Kathleen Souder, Jimmy Whited, Kate Wolfe, and Barbara Wood. Details of the Incident. When: May 16, 2003 Where: Waller Mill Elementary (Fine Arts Magnet) Who: Fran Spady, Principal

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Crisis Response Report

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  1. Crisis Response Report Scott Holland, Karen Schaeffer, Kathleen Souder, Jimmy Whited, Kate Wolfe, and Barbara Wood

  2. Details of the Incident • When: May 16, 2003 • Where: Waller Mill Elementary (Fine Arts Magnet) • Who: Fran Spady, Principal • What: Breach of testing security (followed by a resignation of the principal)

  3. Timeline of the Incident May 16, 2003 May 19, 2003 May 21, 2003 Superintendent discovered guidelines violated & reported to VDOE Superintendent informed VDOE official what actions would be taken by school system Principal conducted small group SOL test Possible violation reported; Investigation began

  4. Timeline of the Incident (con’t) Between May 16 and May 20 May 22, 2003 During week of May 26, 2003 Dr. Staples: *called parents of 3 students involved *sent a letter home to all WME parents Fran Spady resigned as WME principal School retested 3 students involved Interim principal took over

  5. The Virginia Gazette • Reported no reason for the principal’s departure • Quoted Dr. Staples, Superintendent: • three students would have to retake the test • security measures not properly followed

  6. The Virginia Gazette • Quoted Betsy Overkamp-Smith, Community Spokesman, “Guidelines have been violated.” • Described the positive side… • Dr. Staples: Waller Mill has been fully accredited for three years

  7. The Daily Press • Reported on May 24, 2003 • Testing guidelines violated 3 times; principal resigns—doesn’t report a connection however • Dr. Staples: what is a breach? • Doesn’t necessarily mean the answers were given

  8. The Daily Press • Many other violations in the area: • Gloucester: 80 students had to retake • Culpepper: 67 students • 17 local violations from 1999 to 2003

  9. The Daily Press • Discussed Dr. Staples apology • Discussed school’s response briefly • Named interim principal

  10. The School’s Response • According to Betsy Overkamp-Smith: • Level of trust exists between York County Schools, community, and the media • Tried to keep it quiet as much as possible • Once the story broke, gave immediate response to media

  11. Stages of Crisis Control Prevention Crisis Control Recovery Preparedness Response

  12. Prevention • Staff received training • Signed security agreement regarding testing procedures

  13. Preparedness • Had a process of reporting testing irregularities • Had plans for communicating with media • Established trust between York County and the community

  14. Response • Called parents of involved students to inform of situation • Gave notice to all parents • Described incident • Apologized to parents • Explained that affected students would be retested

  15. Recovery • Announced principal resignation • Appointed interim principal • Initiated new principal search • Sealed investigated records

  16. Effectiveness of the PR response • Managed to diffuse the situation • Focused on previous accreditation • Assured the community that this was not a principal who was worried about scores • Kept much of the information out of the media

  17. Effectiveness of PR • The Director of Testing administered retests the next week • Diffused the Rumor Mill • If you don’t hear from us, your student wasn’t involved • Got information out quickly to parents • Announced tentative principal quickly • School officials already in process of appointing new principal

  18. Effectiveness of PR • Gave possible explanation: Educators spend the entire year giving information to help students succeed; for the SOLs, we can’t tell them anything • Human error • Not an overt attempt at cheating • Gave rationale while still admitting that it was wrong

  19. Reasons for Effectiveness • Many other similar stories going around at this time • News not as interesting when it’s not new • The Tap-Dancing Superintendent

  20. Suggestions for Improvement • Overall, successful PR response • Swift action • Severe consequences • Quick communication • Conducted an informal investigation afterwards • Would a formal investigation have been better? • More training for staff to prevent future problems?

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