Critical Incident Communication Framework

West Fargo Public Schools is committed to communicating with learners, families, staff, and the community in a transparent, accurate, and timely manner when critical incidents occur.

This framework is intended to help stakeholders understand how communication decisions are made and what they can generally expect when a critical incident impacts a school, learners, or staff.

What Families Can Expect
When a significant incident occurs, families can expect the district to:

• Prioritize the safety and wellbeing of learners and staff.
• Coordinate with law enforcement and emergency responders when appropriate.
• Verify information before communicating.
• Communicate as quickly as circumstances allow.
• Protect the privacy rights of learners and staff.
• Provide additional updates when new information can be shared.
• Communicate via email. Phone calls, text messages, and other communication methods may be used when urgent notification is warranted and/or action needs to be taken by the recipients of the message.

 Why Communication Decisions Can Vary
When determining whether communication is necessary and appropriate, the district must balance several factors, including:

• Learner and staff privacy requirements.
• Active law enforcement investigations.
• School safety considerations.
• The credibility of a threat.
• Information accuracy and verification.
• Family notification obligations.
• The scope of awareness among learners and staff.
• Potential disruption to the learning environment.
• The need to avoid unnecessary alarm or desensitization to district communications.
• Recommendations from law enforcement and emergency responders.

As a result, two incidents that may appear similar can require different communication approaches.

Example Scenarios
While some situations clearly require communication, others require careful evaluation before information can be shared. Every incident is unique, and communication decisions are based on the specific circumstances of each event. The examples and guidelines below are intended to establish expectations, but no two situations are exactly alike, and the district may adjust its communication approach as circumstances require.

Situation	Communication Expected?	Timing
Drills	No	N/A
Hallway closures	Case-by-case	As appropriate
Medical situations	Case-by-case	As appropriate
Non-credible threats of violence	Case-by-case	As appropriate
Credible threats of violence (not imminent)	Case-by-case	As appropriate
General national threats discredited by law enforcement	Case-by-case	As appropriate
False alarms (alarm activations, fire extinguisher usage, etc.)	Case-by-case	As appropriate
Community situations near school property	Case-by-case	As appropriate
Arrest, charges, or investigation involving a former staff member	Case-by-case	As appropriate
Building maintenance issues not requiring evacuation	Case-by-case	As appropriate
Arrest, charges, or investigation involving a current staff member	Yes	Following appropriate review and consultation*
Serious injury or death of a learner or staff member	Yes	Following family notification and appropriate review*
Lockdown (human threat)	Yes	As soon as safely possible**
Shelter-in-Place (weather or hazardous materials event)	Yes	As soon as safely possible**
Building evacuation	Yes	As soon as safely possible**
Credible imminent threat of violence	Yes	As soon as safely possible**

* Information will be distributed after necessary fact-finding, family notification, legal review, law enforcement consultation, and/or privacy considerations have been addressed. The timing of these communications depends on the district's ability to verify information and determine what can legally and appropriately be shared.

**Information will be distributed while an incident is occurring or shortly after the situation has been stabilized. During these situations, the district's priority is ensuring the safety of learners and staff. Communication will occur as soon as possible once safety has been established and accurate information is available.

Determining the Audience
For any critical incident, the district will determine the appropriate audience based on who is directly impacted by the situation. Potential audiences include the School Board, district leadership, staff, learners, families, the media, and the broader community.

Not every audience will receive communication regarding every incident. Depending on the circumstances, communication may be scoped to a classroom, grade level, school, multiple schools, or the entire district.

When communication is necessary for multiple audiences, the district will determine the most appropriate notification sequence based on the nature of the incident and the audiences impacted.

Communication Considerations
Before communicating about an incident, district leaders may consider:

• What information can legally be shared?
• Who is authorized to receive the information?
• What information has been verified?
• Is law enforcement involved?
• Is there an active investigation by the district and/or law enforcement?
• Does the situation impact school operations, staffing, programs, or activities?
• Is there a safety concern stakeholders need to know about?
• Was there a policy violation? Is a policy reference necessary?
• Is there a call to action for families or staff?
• Are support resources available that should be communicated?
• Should outside agencies, responders, or individuals be acknowledged?

Additional considerations when the situation involves charges against or the arrest of a staff member:

• Does the investigating agency believe the legal issue/matter of investigation is connected in any way to the district?
• Is there a person or agency that should be called if someone has information regarding the legal issue/matter of investigation?
• What is the nature of the charges?
• Does the situation present any known risk to current or former learners, families, or staff?
• Has a decision already been made regarding the employment of the staff member (terminated, resigned, administrative leave, discharge for cause)?
• What is the individual’s employment history with the district?
  • Where does the individual work now? What position do they hold? How long have they been there?
  • Has the individual held other positions or been at other buildings previously? If yes, what, when, and where?

Commitment to Transparency
The district's communication goal is not to communicate first, but to communicate responsibly. Decisions regarding when, how, and with whom information is shared will always be guided by the safety of learners and staff, the accuracy of information, privacy requirements, the integrity of any ongoing investigation or response, and the unique circumstances of the situation.

Because of these considerations, official district communication may occur after information has already begun circulating through traditional media outlets, social media, or other sources. The district will prioritize sharing accurate, verified information rather than speculation or incomplete information.