ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS

Comprehensive Crisis Communications Planning for Schools, Colleges & Universities

Today’s educational institutions face an unprecedented range of crises, from cybersecurity incidents and safety threats to reputational challenges and operational disruptions. When something goes wrong, your ability to communicate clearly, quickly and confidently determines whether your community stays informed or loses trust.

Resolute Strategic Services helps schools, colleges & universities prepare for the unexpected. We develop actionable crisis communications playbooks and conduct tailored tabletop exercises so your team is ready to respond to any scenario that may impact learning, safety or credibility.

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Safety-related incidents schools experience per day nationwide
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Increase in conduct related investigations over the past three years
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Parents who expect immediate communication during an emergency or major incident
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Increase in ransomware attacks against schools & higher ed compared to 2024

Issues Schools Must Be Prepared to Manage

Safety & Security

Active shooter

Violent threat

Building lockdowns

Bomb threats

Missing student incidents

Operational Disruption

Cybersecurity incident 

Technology outages 

Transportation incidents

Weather emergencies 

Legal & Conduct Issues

Title IX investigations

Staff/student misconduct

Sexual harassment 

Athletics misconduct 

Reputational & Community Issues

Leadership changes

Financial controversies

Critical media investigations

Social media crises

Health & Wellness

Student mental health emergencies

Communicable disease outbreaks

On-campus injuries or fatalities

Why Crisis Communications Planning Matters in Education 

Schools, colleges and universities operate in environments where expectations are high, timelines are short and community pressure is immediate. During a crisis:

  • Students expect consistency.

  • Parents expect transparency.

  • Staff expect guidance.

  • Media expects answers.

  • Boards expect leadership.

A well-designed crisis communications plan ensures you meet these expectations with clarity and confidence.

Customized Playbooks for Your Incident Response Team

Every campus is different and your crisis communications plan should reflect those differences. Resolute develops customized, scenario-specific playbooks that provide your leadership, staff, faculty and board  with clear, actionable steps when the unexpected occurs.

With a tailored playbook, your team won’t be guessing. Your team will be prepared, aligned and ready to communicate with confidence.

Each playbook includes

  • Scenario-specific messaging for parents, staff, students, board and media

  • Holding statements and rapid initial response templates

  • Escalation and decision-making workflows

  • Defined roles and responsibilities for all response team members

  • Internal and external communication protocols

  • Templates for notifications, alerts and ongoing updates
  • Step-by-step guidance for the first 60 minutes, 2 hours and 24 hours

Why Schools and Universities Trust Resolute

  • Decades of experience supporting school districts, higher-education and public agencies

  • Deep expertise in crisis communications, incident response, cyber preparedness and reputation management

  • Ability to support both proactive planning and real-time response

  • Proven approach grounded in clarity, speed, accuracy and stakeholder trust

  • Fully customized playbooks, no templates, no one-size-fits-all binders

Be Prepared Before a Crisis Ever Occurs 

When a crisis hits, preparation is everything.

Your ability to respond effectively and maintain trust depends on the strength of your plan and the readiness of your team.

Contact Resolute for a Free Consultation

Learn about customized crisis playbook development.

Request a tabletop exercise proposal tailored to your district or campus.

Building and Sustaining Your Crisis Communications Programs

Risk Audit and Stakeholder Interviews

Resolute will collaborate with your team to evaluate existing preparedness plans and conduct structured interviews with key leaders across departments to identify your institution’s highest-risk scenarios, uncover gaps in readiness and capture diverse perspectives on the issues most likely to impact your campus.

Playbook Development

Building on insights from the audit and interviews, Resolute will develop a comprehensive crisis communications playbooks tailored to your campus. The plan will include communication guidelines, clearly defined crisis team roles and responsibilities, escalation and decision-making workflows and scenario-specific communication plans to guide your response during any crisis.

Plan Maintenance and Tabletop Exercises

An incident response plan is only effective if its up to date, has been recently reviewed and tested. Resolute partners with your organization to keep the plan updated, validated and fully actionable. This includes conducting tabletop exercises that test your team’s readiness, identify gaps in the plan and ensure the plan performs under real-world pressure, so you’re prepared when a crisis occurs.