Time is running out to register for the New Jersey School Boards Association’s annual School Public Relations Forum, which will be held virtually, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., June 10. The session offers two Board Member Academy credits.
The theme for this year’s event is Proactive PR: Get Ahead of the Controversy.
The forum will include a panel discussion on effectively communicating about curriculum decisions.
Cherie Adams, a founding member of Adams Gutierrez & Lattiboudere, LLC, a law firm that represents school districts around the state on education and employment-related matters and president of the Belmar Board of Education in Monmouth County, will be joined on the panel by John Mooney, founding editor of NJ Spotlight News; Gwen Thornton, a field service representative with NJSBA, and Vincent DeLucia, the Association’s educator-in-residence.
The panelists will highlight how school districts garner attention for their decisions — one way or another — on book title selections, diversity/equity programs, sex education and gender identity curriculum, confusion over culturally responsive teaching versus law school critical race theory instruction and more. Janet Bamford, chief public affairs officer at NJSBA, will serve as moderator.
Other sessions include “How to Become More Effective in your Leadership Role,” featuring Glenn Proctor, the founder of REDDjobb, a crisis communications and public relations firm. Proctor is also a certified professional coach, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, retired newspaper editor, mental health advocate and instructor, author, former Marine Corps gunnery sergeant and Vietnam veteran.
“Crisis Communications: A Primer for School Officials,” will feature Rosa Cirianni, an award-winning journalist and NJSBA consultant, and Chanta L. Jackson, an award-winning veteran journalist and editor, who now serves as the Asbury Park School District’s communications chief.
“Words Matter: What to Say in Specific Situations,” will feature Bamford, Thornton and Michael Kvidahl, manager of digital communications and marketing at NJSBA. The trio will highlight several topics, including body language, facial expressions and legal and ethical obligations concerning transparency in governance.
The NJSBA 2022 PR Forum sessions will be recorded and available to registrants for viewing for 30 days after the program ends.
Registration The member rate for this program is $75 per person. The school business administrator must handle registration. Register here.