New resource helps districts respond to emergencies with ready-to-use tools and multilingual communication support
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.—Nov. 20, 2025—ParentSquare, the trusted leader in school-home engagement, has released A Crisis Communications Guide: How Districts Can Prepare, Respond, and Rebuild with Confidence, a practical resource designed to help K–12 district and school leaders strengthen their readiness and communication practices before, during, and after a crisis.
Districts today face increasing disruptions—from severe weather and cyber incidents to misinformation, transportation issues, and on-campus safety concerns. In these moments, families look to their schools for calm, accurate, and timely updates. Clear communication is essential not only for keeping communities informed but also for preserving trust.
“District teams juggle so much during a crisis,” said Anupama Vaid, President and Founder of ParentSquare. “They want to keep families informed without adding more stress or uncertainty. This guide gives them a clear roadmap, along with tools that help ensure every family receives important information when it matters most.”
Developed with insights from superintendents, communications directors, and school safety leaders, the guide outlines how districts can set up strong communication plans well before an incident occurs—and how to maintain clarity, consistency, and compassion throughout a crisis. In addition to best-practice guidance, the guide also includes a bonus set of crisis communication message templates that districts can adapt for common scenarios.
Key guide topics include:
- Building a crisis communications team: Defining roles for district leaders, site administrators, PIOs, and first responders
- Preparing ahead of time: Creating a communications “go kit,” establishing templates, reviewing procedures, and setting expectations with staff and families
- Communicating during a crisis: Sharing verified updates early and often, using accessible language, and reaching families across multiple channels and languages
- Supporting recovery: Providing follow-up communication, counseling information, staff debriefs, and processes to strengthen long-term readiness
The guide also highlights how districts nationwide use ParentSquare to operationalize these best practices and deliver consistent, multi-channel, multilingual updates to families during urgent situations.
To download A Crisis Communications Guide: How Districts Can Prepare, Respond, and Rebuild with Confidence, click here.
About ParentSquare
ParentSquare is the trusted leader in school-home engagement, helping K-12 districts nationwide reach every family with an award-winning, all-in-one communication platform. Reaching over 20 million students across the country, ParentSquare helps districts consolidate disconnected tools and outdated communication systems with personalized messaging, websites, forms, payments, and more—in one easy-to-use platform. With powerful features for achieving 100% contactability, two-way translation into 190+ languages, and purpose-built AI enhancements, ParentSquare empowers districts to invite every family to be involved in their student’s education, no matter their home language or the device they use.
Recognized for growth and innovation by Inc. 5000, GSV 150, and more, ParentSquare was founded in 2011 in Santa Barbara, California. Learn more at parentsquare.com.