Don't Let Your PR Get Ahead of Your Facts

A story from Connecticut illustrates a principle we continually tell our clients – don't let the pressure of putting out a public statement get ahead of your investigation. A parent reported a bus driver to police for manhandling her son, and the police have charged the bus driver with assault. The important lesson for youth organizations, however, is in the subsequent public statements.

The school system sent a letter to parents saying that it had suspended the bus driver. The letter also said that the school had notified the Department of Children and Families the same day as the suspension. Journalists, however, noticed that according to the arrest warrant, the school principal did not report the incident to DCF until several days later.

Journalists, of course, started tracking down the detail. DCF told reporters that the principal didn't make a report until several days after the parent's call to the school. The school system then issued a public statement that saying that “information supplied to the Superintendent” confirmed an early report to the police. The statement didn't say who supplied that information, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the next statement directly blame the school principal.

More important, the school system's statement said that “DCF has confirmed that all mandated reporter duties were handled appropriately.”  According to journalists, however, DCF “has declined to verify that mandated reporter duties were adequately addressed by the school district.”

In other words, a statement that attempted to reassure parents and dispel a growing controversy has simply added more fuel. Local reporters no doubt are circling the situation and parents almost certainly are asking questions on social media. The lesson here for youth organizations is to (1) never put facts in a press release until you have triple-checked them and can prove them with documentation, and (2) never repeat what someone else has told you unless you have it in writing, preferably with signatures and witnesses. Even when you are under pressure to reassure the public about what happened, you have to be sure that you actually know exactly what happened. Saying that you are still investigating may not be emotionally satisfying, but it is better than having to continually issue “clarifying” statements.