HOUSTON – Due to its crisis communication before, during and after Hurricane Harvey, the Houston Independent School District Communications Team received a national award.
HISD officials said the communications team worked day and night to keep families, staff and the community informed, as well as facilitating the dissemination of information on a local and national level.
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“Harvey did not stop us, but it made us stronger,” said chief communications officer Rebecca Suarez. “Despite the difficulties from the hurricane, we found creative ways to communicate critical and timely information to our students, parents, employees and the community during one of the worst disasters in local history."
The team was honored with five Golden Achievement awards from the National School Public Relations Association for its exemplary work in:
- Harvey Communications, which kept families, staff, and the general public informed about district operations and community resources before, during, and after the storm through the media, website, email blasts, social media and video.
- Recapture communications campaign, which helped HISD voters understand a complex ballot issue with one-pagers, FAQs, video, social media, and a toolkit for principals.
- Grade-by-Grade Parent Guides, which offer parents a detailed look at what their child should be learning throughout the school year.
- Achieve 180, which includes a website and videos explaining the district’s initiative to strengthen and empower historically underserved schools.
- 2018 State of the Schools, including the “Rebuild + Reimagine” branding, profiles, event signage and program.
“I’m very proud of my team for the hard work and commitment to putting students first in everything we do.”
In addition, HISD received five excellence awards, six merit awards and six honorable mentions from NSPRA.