A boy opened
fire in the Chardon High School cafeteria in Chardon, Ohio on Monday morning.
Three students were killed and two were injured when the shooter fired
indiscriminately into the crowd of students gathered around the tables at
breakfast time.
Unfortunately,
school shootings are not unheard of in our country. We have had to witness all
too many tragedies exactly like this one. It’s hard enough hearing about them
in states far removed from where they took place - but imagine being there.
Imagine being a high school student whose life is threatened one morning before
first period. Imagine being the teenager who witnesses another student being
shot in the head. Imagine being a parent of a child who is trapped in a
building with a rampaging gunman. Imagine being a teacher who has to take
control somehow.
In a
crisis like this, police and school administrators have the difficult
responsibility of handling the situation best for all involved. Communication
has to take place quickly, and saying the right thing the right way is
paramount. Luckily, the Chardon Local School District had a crisis plan in
place.
Since
the Columbine massacre in 1999, more and more public schools throughout the
nation are training for school shooting incidents, much like they do for fire
drills. Lockdown drills are required for Ohio public schools, and Chardon
schools had been practicing for a few years. Parents were notified in a mass
message on Monday morning as to the details of the situation and the location
of the evacuation site where they could pick up their kids. Law enforcement officials
communicated with the press as updates on the case became available.
We’ve
learned in our PR classes that appointing the head honcho of a company or
organization as the spokesperson in a crisis situation is a bad idea. Usually
the bigwigs lack the social finesse needed to communicate directly to the
public. This was not the case in Chardon.
Chardon
Local School District’s superintendent Joe Bergant was the perfect spokesperson
to handle this crisis. He met the press on Monday afternoon to communicate the
details of what Chardon schools were going to do in response to the tragedy. In
his presentation to our social media strategies class, Chief Pathfinder Steve
Lee of QuickSilver Interactive Group said, “The first thing you need to talk
about in crisis management is people.”
Bergant did just that, and with touching sincerity. First he thanked the local
law enforcement officers for their quick response to the emergency, then he
expressed pride in the teaching staff for handling the situation as well as
they did. Next he offered condolences to the families of the victims, and
informed the public that there would be a candlelight vigil held for anyone who
wished to come on the following evening. He announced that grief counselors
would be available to anyone who needed them, be they students, teachers,
staff, parent or community member, and gave them the times and places that they
would be available. He then invited parents to join their children on Thursday
to walk around the school and reacclimate before classes resumed on Friday.
“Hug
your kids,” Bergant said. “Kids, hug your parents. You news media, when you get
the chance to get home, do the same. We’re not just any old place, Chardon.
This is every place. As you’ve seen in the past, this can happen anywhere.”
Bergant
was the perfect spokesperson. He was collected, well-spoken and genuine. Great
crisis management. Excellent PR.
Sources:
“Ohio
high schoolers head back to class after fatal shooting,” by CNN Wire Staff via
CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/02/justice/ohio-school-shooting/index.html?iref=allsearch
“Chardon
High School shooting shows value of school security, crisis planning,” by Ken
Trump via newsnet5.com. Retrieved from http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/oh_geauga/chardon-high-school-shooting-shows-value-of-school-security-crisis-planning
“Video:
Chardon shooting: Supt Joe Bergant at press conference,” via irishcentral.com.
Retrieved from http://www.irishcentral.com/video/?videoTitle=Video%3A+Chardon+shooting%3A+Supt+Joe+Bergant+at+press+conference&clipSynID=3309512
“Chardon
superintendent: ‘Hug your kids,’” via cnn.com. Video retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2012/02/28/bts-chardon-reopens-presser.cnn
“Latest
Chardon School Shootings Press Conference,” via myfox28columbus.com. Retrieved
from http://myfox28columbus.com/shared/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wtte_vid_16365.shtml
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