Administration takes on the responsibility to communicate with their staff and the student body on a variety of topics. Communication helps students feel comfortable in their environment as they are updated on new policies and events going on at the school. However, communication has not always been approached in an effective way.

When new policies are introduced to the school, the administration’s job is to update students and staff. These policies are sent through emails discussing the changes. This approach might be effective; however, some students do not check their emails and don’t see the new changes. Teachers may talk about the changes with their classes, but they might not know everything about the new changes themselves. When students ask questions about the policies, it’s plausible not all their questions will be answered. 

An example of this is when the bathroom policies were first changed. Some teachers talked to their students about it before students even received an email. As they discussed the new policy, some students asked questions. Not all of the questions could be answered by teachers, and it left the student body confused until more information was cleared up. Having students only be informed through teachers and emails is unhelpful and causes more confusion. 

When certain events are going on in the school, it’s necessary that students are informed. Students need to know what is happening inside the buildings in order to keep themselves and others safe around the school. If they are not told of current events, they could end up in serious danger.

When the lockdown was set in place on March 29, students were left unaware of the situation for a full class period. The staff and students had no idea what was going on inside the school and if they would be safe. Principal Andrew Neely admitted he didn’t know what was happening for only 10 minutes of that time. Administrators should have informed students and staff the lockdown was due to a hoax much sooner. Instead, they were left in the dark about the situation. 

Some people might think administrators shouldn’t be at fault for communications; however, they fail to realize that administrators are the ones making the rules for the staff and students to follow. They shouldn’t be the only ones working to make communication better, but they are the ones at the heart of enhancing it. Therefore, they should be the ones taking charge.

Everyone needs to work together towards the same goal to advance communication. Students need to listen to teachers and administrators more, and they need to check up on their emails to be informed about new information. Administrators and teachers need to properly communicate with each other and students as well. It would also be beneficial for administrators to have face to face connections with students such as having assemblies.

Communication is a goal that everyone in the building needs to work towards to make the school a more efficient environment.