The District is committed to ensuring all students, families, and staff are fully informed of the decisions and practices in place at our schools. Families play an essential role in the education of their children including whether students, ultimately, attend in-person instruction or learn in a remote setting. Only through frequent communication can we build and maintain the trust necessary for families to feel safe sending their students to school and for our staff to feel prepared to come to work. All direct family communication will continue to be translated into Spanish and Portuguese so that all families can engage with their school and support their student’s education. The District communication plan includes the following:

Website
Establish webpage(s) on the District website to serve as a hub of information for reopening schools. It will include contact information, next steps and opportunities for families/staff to learn more in real-time, protocols, and a series of answers to FAQs that will expand and change. There will be continuous updates that include, but are not limited to:

• Instructional Models (Remote, Hybrid, In-Person)
• Transportation
• PPE Policies
• Cleaning Protocol
• Food Services

Two-Way Communication Opportunities
Surveys

The District will continue to distribute surveys, as needed, to gather information and sentiments from FPS families and staff members. FPS will seek to understand concerns, intentions, and collect feedback on the District’s reopening plans. Surveys will be posted on the website, on social media, and shared directly via email. 

FPS Community Q&A Sessions

The District will hold live, virtual events via Zoom for the FPS Community. These events will provide a brief introduction and ongoing updates to the District’s reopening plans and allow attendees to ask questions and provide feedback. They will also be made accessible in Spanish and Portuguese through real-time interpretation.

Direct Communication via Email / Call / Text 
Framingham Public Schools will provide ongoing communication to families and staff via email, call, and/or text, with updates on the District’s planning process and specific plans as information becomes available, as well as any pertinent information provided by State and Local agencies. Staff and Family communication may include, but will not be limited to:

• Updates regarding the Back-to-School planning process
• Information on the various elements of the Back-to-School Plan, including notification if/when updates are made
• Specific updates regarding operations, athletics, arts, extra curricular activities, community engagement, and/or out of school time programs
• Updates to protocols (for example, anything job-related, the maintenance of buildings and grounds, or student expectations)
• Communication related to classroom, school-based, or District-wide impact associated with COVID-19 cases.
• Opportunities for viable Family-Student-School Engagement during any of the instructional models (Remote, Hybrid, or In-Person)

Social Media
FPS will create and post social media content containing copy, images, and/or videos that provide information to the community about the District’s plans to reopen schools in the fall.

• Posts will mirror website updates and direct communication as listed above.
• Posts will increase with frequency as updates are made.
• Posts should be created to drive to communication, surveys, video updates, website updates, fact sheets, etc.

Media Relations
In an effort to maximize visibility of the Back to School Plan, press releases will be created and shared with an established media list and posted to the District website.

Regular press conferences for news media will be scheduled to hear from the Superintendent directly and to ask questions in a designated time slot.

Family Engagement
The District takes its partnership with families very seriously.  To strengthen this partnership, the District will:

• Make a strong effort to collect and store updated parent/guardian/student/staff contact information that ensures they receive communication where they want it
• Ensure all written and oral communications are available in easily accessible formats and multiple languages
• Engage families to get a better understanding of their concerns regarding student needs and ways to collaborate to support a successful reentry plan
• Whenever feasible, provide activities to help families feel comfortable sending their children back to school
• Provide support for families in accessing instructional software and assistance with the use of technology
• Leverage existing partnerships with parent teacher organizations, parent advisory councils, Adult ESL, community partners, and school and District leaders to create school-family engagement opportunities through virtual means or in-person when proper social distancing measures can be followed

Student-Family-School Connection During Remote Learning
The District is committed to ensuring teachers and administrators regularly communicate with students’ parents and guardians, including providing interpretation and translation services to limited English proficient parents and guardians.  

Principals, Teachers, and Support Staff will have access to a variety of tools including Blackboard (mass notifications), Smore (newsletters), Remind (two-way communication app for parents and/or students) - all of which allow for ongoing communication to families and staff via push notifications, email, call, and/or text. Accessibility and message translation is a priority for all family communication. In addition to completing the outreach to families, teachers must log communication with families, for example, within the District’s Student Information System, to ease coordination, particularly in a virtual environment, with admin and support staff.

School-based Staff and Family communication may include, but will not be limited to:

• Updates regarding specific school-based procedures
• Classroom, Grade-level, Team, and/or School-based updates associated with all instructional models (Remote, Hybrid, In-Person)
• Information and feedback on student attendance, engagement, participation for parents, including advanced notice of any failing grades
• Updates regarding athletics, arts, extra curricular activities, community engagement, and/or out of school time programs
• Communication related to classroom or school-based impact associated with COVID-19 cases
• Opportunities for viable Family-Student-School Engagement during any of the instructional models (Remote, Hybrid, or In-Person)
• Direct and personal outreach to families that will help establish and/or continue to improve family engagement

Below are the various communication tools used by staff members at the District and School levels.