When the school is in crisis, the head of school expects and needs their board chair to be a partner and provide strategic guidance. While schools excel at preparing for weather and fire, crisis preparation is often a footnote. Crisis planning and training should be at the top of school and board leadership’s to do list. The board should be familiar with the school’s crisis plan and know their roles, boundaries and guiding principles of good conduct. In this hour, we will focus on the “pain points” that board chairs face which include information sharing, who should the chair bring in at the onset, if anyone, when to inform the full board, managing the leaks, confidentiality and more.  We will also look at the five major mistakes a board can make.

Jim Hulbert, J.D., is the managing partner at The Jane Group, an international crisis communications consulting firm in Chicago.  Jim is the lead consultant on governance and board matters and complex legal matters in the US and internationally.  Jim works closely with Board Chairs and their executive committees to manage leadership challenges and best practices in governance.  He trains school leadership in crisis management on highly sensitive matters, including sexual misconduct issues.