Harmony Public Schools Guide to Communications & Marketing

GUIDE TO COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING 2021-2025

PURPOSE The purpose of the Harmony Public Schools Guide to Communications & Marketing is to provide structure and intent to the various forms of communication performed throughout the Harmony Public Schools system, as well as a vision for bringing those communications into alignment with the HPS Mission, Core Values, and Strategic Plan. Also included are HPS guidelines, recommendations, and best practices on a variety of communications-related topics, and an in-depth overview of our HPS marketing plan and key messages.

ISSUED BY:

Harmony Public Schools Department of Communications & Marketing

John Boyd Chief Communications & Marketing Officer

9321 W Sam Houston Pkwy S Houston, TX 77099 713-343-3333 ext. 1501 jboyd@harmonytx.org

TABLE OF CONTENTS

07

11

OUR NORTH STAR

REASONS TO BELIEVE

27

ENROLLMENT MARKETING

BY MONTH

PART ONE: CORE VALUES & MISSION..................................................................................

4

Who Is Harmony?......................................................................................................................

Core Values...............................................................................................................................

North Star..................................................................................................................................

Department Roles & Responsibilities...................................................................................

5 6 7 8

PART TWO: MEANINGFUL MESSAGING................................................................................ 9

Inspiring Futures........................................................................................................................

Reasons to Believe....................................................................................................................

Tactical Messages.....................................................................................................................

Sample Creatives......................................................................................................................

Timing of Messages..................................................................................................................

Monthly Themes........................................................................................................................

10 11 12 22 23 24

PART THREE: ENROLLMENT MARKETING............................................................................. 25

Opportunity for All.................................................................................................................... 26 Enrollment Marketing by Month............................................................................................ 27 Messaging Options................................................................................................................... 28

TABLE OF CONTENTS

37

STORIES THAT CONNECT

SOCIAL

50 MEDIA

PART FOUR: GUIDE TO MEDIA RELATIONS........................................................................

34

Telling Our Story...............................................................................................................

Harmony Media Markets...................................................................................................

Stories That Connect........................................................................................................

Big to Small, Small to Big..................................................................................................

Writing Press Releases.....................................................................................................

Media Policy......................................................................................................................

35 36 37 38 40 42

PART FIVE: DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA................................................................................

44

Building Connections......................................................................................................

Harmony Websites..........................................................................................................

Social Media....................................................................................................................

Facebook...................................................................................................................

Twitter.......................................................................................................................

Instagram..................................................................................................................

YouTube & Vimeo.....................................................................................................

LinkedIn.....................................................................................................................

Other Social Media....................................................................................................

45 46 50 51 53 55 57 59 60

PART SIX: CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS................................................................................

61

Critical Communications......................................................................................................

Crisis Communications Keys..............................................................................................

Recommended Tools..............................................................................................................

Information Flow.....................................................................................................................

62 63 64 66

PART SEVEN: VISUAL BRANDING........................................................................................

67

Logos........................................................................................................................................

Color Palette...........................................................................................................................

Mascot Guidelines.................................................................................................................

Exterior Signage.....................................................................................................................

Flags..........................................................................................................................................

68 71 72 73 74

PART 1: CORE VALUES & MISSION

HPS GUIDE TO COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING

WHO IS HARMONY?

Above all else, Harmony Public Schools' communications and marketing efforts must be consistent with the system's core values, mission statement, and broader strategic goals.

So before we go any further, who is Harmony Public Schools?

Harmony Public Schools is a statewide system of Texas public charter schools that provides rigorous, high-quality education focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

Through a caring and collaborative environment, Harmony provides students from traditionally underserved communities the opportunity to excel through projectbased learning where they learn the skills necessary to become a contributing global citizen.

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OUR VISION

Harmony’s vision is to lead our students from the classroom into the world as productive and responsible citizens.

MISSION STATEMENT

Harmony prepares each and every student for college and career by providing a safe, caring and collaborative atmosphere and a quality student-centered educational program with a strong emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

CORE VALUES & MISSION

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CORE VALUES & MISSION

OUR NORTH STAR

At Harmony Public Schools, our guiding principle known as our North Star - is the profile of a Harmony graduate. By graduation day, we have met our promise to our students if they are able to confidently believe five things about themselves.

I have a plan for my future.

I have something I’m passionate about.

I know how to work with others.

I can solve tough problems.

I am well-prepared to lead my life.

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CORE VALUES & MISSION

COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING DEPARTMENT ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Chief Communications & Marketing Officer - Develops departmental strategy & goals, oversees implementation, coordinates efforts across departments, and leads on media relations.

District Director of Communications & Marketing - Implements department strategic efforts at districtand campus-level, as well as serves a variety of other communication roles.

Graphic Designer - Creates graphic/visual design elements, maintains visual standards.

Communications Manager Develops and executes campaigns across a variety of communication platforms.

Webmaster - Responsible for development and quality control of all HPS-owned digital properties.

Media Manager - Responsible for photo and visual production.

Communications Coordinator - Leads social media efforts and serves as campus liaison for a variety of communications efforts.

CENTRAL OFFICE

Office of the Deputy Superintendent

Chief Communications & Marketing Officer

Communications Manager, Web Developer, Graphic Designer, Media Manager

DISTRICT OFFICE A

Area Superintendent*

Director of Communications & Marketing

CAMPUS

Principal*

Communications Coordinator or Principal Designee*

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*Denotes employee is not departmentally aligned within Communications & Marketing Department

PART 2: MEANINGFUL MESSAGING

HPS GUIDE TO COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING

'INSPIRING FUTURES'

What makes Harmony Public Schools a great school system for students, families, and employees?

It really depends on who you ask.

For families, the answer may be our superior academics which propel students into college and the career of their dreams.

For employees, it may be the leadership development programs that allow them to add skills to their repertoire while growing their careers.

And for others, it may be our more than 1,200 campus clubs, stand-out accountability ratings, or awardwinning Character Education program.

With such a variety of accomplishments and programs, sometimes it can be difficult to know where to start telling Harmony’s story.

In order to help tell Harmony’s story purposefully and with completeness, the Harmony Communications & Marketing Department has developed a Strategic Marketing Plan that takes the many individual items that make Harmony a great system and weaves them into a complex and consistent narrative that can be told throughout the school year.

At the heart of this strategy is a central theme: “Harmony Public Schools is Inspiring Futures.”

This message was chosen after seeking input from campuses, districts, and each department within Harmony to identify our unique selling points, or “reasons to believe.” Together, we created a comprehensive list of more than 100 items that make Harmony unique among school systems.

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MEANINGFUL MESSAGING

'Reasons to Believe' AUDIT Quality & Compliance Control

Organizational Health Systems Teacher of the Year Program

ENGAGEMENT Alumni Network Beyond Harmony Career Development Character Development College Visits Family Enagagement Opportunties Grow Your Own Teacher Program Home Visits In/Out of State/international Trips Industry Internship Opportunities Post Secondary Support Sports/Athletics Team Building Activities Student Activities Student Clubs Student Mentoring Programs Volunteer Management System

OPERATIONS Bullying-Free, Drug-Free, Gang-Free Schools Child Nutrition Program Customer Oriented Service Discipline and Behavior Management Inventory Management System Smart Snack Program Social/Behavioral/Emotional Health Uniforms

FINANCE Financial Audit Results Financial Internal Control Financial Transparency/ Efficiency FIRST rating Investments (impacts on budget) Local involvement in Budget Process Online Purchase Order System Online Reimbursment System Procurement Practices RevTrak Online Payments S&P rating TASBO award Websmart and JDox FINANCE Financial Audit Results Financial Internal Control Financial Transparency/ Efficiency FIRST rating Investments (impacts on budget) Local involvement in Budget Process Online Purchase Order System Online Reimbursement System Procurement Practices RevTrak Online Payments S&P rating TASBO award Websmart and JDox HUMAN RESOURCES Benefits & Perks Career Opportunities Within Organization Coaching/Mentorship for Admins Competitive Salaries, Bonuses & Stipends Comprehensive Background checks for staff Diverse Teaching Staff Effective Prescreening and Selection Process HEEP/ paid masters, certifications High %of Staff Members with Advanced Degrees Highly Qualified/dedicated staff Leadership Programs HALA Learning Opportunities Linkedin Learning

PROGRAMS 1-On-1 Academic Counseling Academic Competitions Academic Program Grants AdvancED Accreditation Coaching/Mentorship for Teachers College Pep Rally College Readiness Data Dual Credit Offering Dynamic Curriculum Gifted & Talented Program In-house Research Opportunities Innovation Lab Innovative Courses Instructional Data Analysis Intervention for College Readiness Interventions Microcredentials More Hours for Math/ELA P-TECH Personalized Learning PLTW Professional Learning Communities Rigorous Coursework Student Growth Data T-STEM Program Teacher Evaluation (Danielson model) Test Fee Free Schools PUBLIC RELATIONS & COMMUNICATIONS Comprehensive Media Relations Program Flexible Campus Website Options Harmony in the News Harmony on the Hill Legislative Event Harmony Partners in Education Harmony Main Website Graphic Design Newsletters Vibrant Social Media Community Video Production TECHNOLOGY Mobile App Access to Student Info Centalized Phone/Camera System Central Data Center Cyber Security (Filtering) Dashboard for KPI Metrics Instructional Materials Ordering System IT Help Desk One-on-One Devices for Students Single Sign-On Skyward

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MEANINGFUL MESSAGING

Tactical Messages

After establishing our reasons to believe, Harmony developed each item into a tactical message which resonates with our various stakeholders on both a practical and emotional level, and that speaks to our core message of inspiring futures.

These tactical messages can be broken into four categories: SUPERIOR ACADEMICS UNIQUE ENGAGEMENT EXPERIENCES

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE SOLID ORGANIZATIONAL GROWTH

EXAMPLES

Reason to Believe Harmony Has a 100% College Acceptance Rate Among Graduating Seniors.

Reason to Believe Tactical Message We’re Helping Graduates to Live Inspiring Lives With a 100% college acceptance rate, Harmony Public Schools enable students to gain post secondary educations that result in careers in sought after industries.

Reason to Believe Harmony Puts a Heavy Emphasis on STEM Within Its Curriculum.

Reason to Believe Tactical Message We’re Inspiring Academic Success through an Innovative STEM Curriculum Harmony’s STEM curriculum is student centered and inquiry based with three pillars: Project Based Learning, Professional Development, and STEM Culture. Within this, teachers actively engage students in new ways of learning.

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MEANINGFUL MESSAGING SUPERIOR ACADEMICS We Focus on Our Students, One Individual at a Time As opposed to other public schools, Harmony provides one on one academic counseling.

We are a Higher Level of Public Schools While Harmony is part of the public school system, it has created a culture and curriculum that is beyond what is offered at traditional public schools. We offer students a smaller school setting, a rigorous, challenging STEM curriculum to serve all students, a focus on formative assessment, and a culture of high expectations and support.

We’re 100% Supportive of Our Students Thanks to our teachers, learning approach and dedication, 100% of Harmony graduates are accepted to college every year.

We’re a Proven and Successful Educational Choice for K-12 For 20 years, Harmony has been a highquality choice where teachers have more say and more freedom to use alternate learning strategies and innovative techniques to help students excel.

We Help High Achievers Reach Higher, Too Harmony Schools offers a special Gifted & Talented program for students who perform at or show the potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age.

We’ve Been Part of the T-STEM Network Since the Beginning of the Initiative As a Texas Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (T-STEM) Academy, Harmony is focused on improving instruction and academic performance in science and mathematicsrelated subjects and increasing the number of students who study and enter STEM careers. T-STEM Academies are demonstration schools and learning labs that develop innovative methods to improve science and mathematics instructions. T-STEM campuses are designated based on a rigorous designation process.

We’re a Model for Student Success Harmony Instructional Framework is built on the principles of Danielson's Framework for Teaching and has five essential components. These are 1) Setting instructional outcomes 2) Managing classroom procedures 3) Using questioning /prompts and discussion 4) Engaging students in learning and 5) Using assessment in instruction.

We’re Advancing Education via AdvancED Accreditation Harmony Public Schools is one of a select number of school systems that has received performance accreditation from AdvancED. Using a set of rigorous research-based standards and evidencebased criteria, AdvancED Performance Accreditation examines the policies, programs, practices, learning conditions and cultural context to determine how well the parts work together to carry out the institution’s vision and meet the needs of every learner.

We’re Not Your Average Public School Harmony students consistently exceed state averages on the Texas Standardized Test. In 2018, we met or exceed standards on the annual State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exam.

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MEANINGFUL MESSAGING SUPERIOR ACADEMICS Readying for College Readiness All Harmony students graduate with college credit and at least one college acceptance letter. College planning starts in eighth grade and is informed by more than six college visits in high school. An 11th grade English class focuses on essay development while counselors and advisors help with college and scholarship applications.

We Provide Students With a Pathway to Fulfilling Work Through the P-TECH program (Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools) we provide students with work-based education. Students grade 9 through 12 have the opportunity to complete a course of study that combines high school and post-secondary courses. Within six years, we enable students to earn a high school diploma, an associate degree, a two-year post-secondary certificate or industry certification, and complete work-based training.

Students Can Get Twice the Credit for Their Work At Harmony, Dual Credit courses are offered for dual credit from agreements between high schools, universities and community colleges whereby a high school student enrolls in a college course and simultaneously earns college credit and high school credit for the course.

We Lead the Way in Helping students Realize their Futures Project Lead the Way (PLTW) empowers students to develop essential knowledge and skills while opening the door to opportunity for their futures. Pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science engage students in hands-on activities, projects, and problems; empower them to solve realworld challenges and inspire them to reimagine how they see themselves.

We Challenge our Students to be their Best Harmony Public Schools provide a rigorous, challenging STEM curriculum serving all students, a focus on formative assessment, and a culture of high expectations and support. The curriculum is inquiry-based and student-centered and matches the focus of the CCSS on rigor, depth, and higher-order skills such as conceptual understanding and application. Also, they emphasize mastery of 21st-century skills that all students will need to be successful in college and career. Harmony has a strong Advanced Placement (AP) program at each of the high schools and encourages students to begin taking AP courses as early as 10th grade.

We Develop the Best Teachers and Leaders High-quality professional development is our key strategy for ensuring excellence in teaching and school leadership and retaining staff. We provide extensive professional development for teachers and school leaders before and during the school year, including training all new teachers in their curriculum and datadriven approach and providing support structures for ongoing improvement through frequent collaboration meetings and a mentoring program.

We are a Test Fee Free School Harmony School of Ingenuity offers Credit

by Examination (CBE) testing at no cost to students that are taking credit for acceleration.

Time Learning With us is Time Well-Spent Harmony Public Schools dedicate more hours to math studies and English Language Arts in order to prepare them for higher learning.

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MEANINGFUL MESSAGING SUPERIOR ACADEMICS We Bring Big Change to Education by Thinking Small Micro-credentials are at the center of Harmony’s Human Capital Management System and enable us to promote educators based on demonstrated competency versus seat-time. Micro credentialing is the process of earning a microcredential, which are like minidegrees or certifications in a specific topic area.

We Celebrate Our Students’ Success At our annual College Pep Rally, family and friends come together to celebrate the senior class as the students announce their college destinations for the first time.

UNIQUE ENGAGEMENT EXPERIENCES We Do Our Homework By visiting students and their families at home, Harmony teachers help build strong communication and a caring classroom. Teachers talk about student progress, programs and planning while parents provide priceless feedback and input.

We Create Learning Experiences That Engage and Excite Our Students Through our Project-based Learning Program, students acquire a deeper knowledge via the exploration of realworld problems and challenges that are meaningful to them.

We Help Educate the Entire Student In addition to teaching important subjects, our teachers guide students to value integrity and help develop their character so they can become upstanding global citizens.

We’re with You Far Beyond High School Our engagement officers and college counselors provide Harmony students with the resources and support needed to successfully transition from high school to college. Harmony alumni organizations are ready and willing to provide the social and emotional support to help our high school graduates finish their college degrees.

We Help Our Students Become Teachers Our Grow Your Own Teacher program provides a competitive financial opportunity – up to $20,000 for four years – for current HPS students and/or HPS graduates to pursue a bachelor's degree that leads to teacher certification.

We Travel with You To Your Future At Harmony, college visits start in ninth grade with at least two per year in grades 10, 11 and 12. Students meet with an advisor daily and a counselor on a regular basis.

We Help Make Dreams Come True Our Mentoring Programs aim to make our students' college and career dreams come true by connecting them with dedicated and caring Harmony mentors.

There are three different types of mentoring programs available, including: College Admission Mentoring, College Success Mentoring and Career Transition Mentoring.

Our Teachers Blend Learning With Caring Teachers at Harmony go beyond the norm of public schools to help students, doing whatever it takes to help students reach their goals.

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MEANINGFUL MESSAGING UNIQUE ENGAGEMENT EXPERIENCES Become a Volunteer in Just 3 Clicks Our VOLY (Volunteer Management System) gives parents a quick and easy way to sign up to be a volunteer at Harmony.

In just 3 simple steps online, you’ll be registered and ready to make a big difference to a student, a teacher, and everyone else at our school.

We’re Here for the Entire Family Family involvement is shown to improve student academic improvement, school attendance, and decrease discipline problems. At Harmony, we offer a number of ways to engage the family including “Parenting Can Be Fun” workshops, science fairs, and more.

Our Teachers Help Change the Status Quo Our teachers help ensure that students from traditionally underserved communities receive a high-quality, college preparatory education.

We Even Create Leaders During the Summer Harmony Summer Leadership STEM Camps provide high quality, programs that blend learning with fun. These 4-day/5night sessions include STEM courses, leadership talks, College Information Sessions, and recreation for both boys and girls. One fee covers all meals, housing, courses, and activities.

We Teach Lessons That Last a Lifetime At Harmony, we place a heavy emphasis on STEM to prepare students for college success and equip them with the skills needed for a successful career.

We Provide Practical Experience That Pays Off in the Future Harmony offers a range of internship opportunities for both current students and alumni, including roles in the Grow Your Own Teacher program, administrative responsibilities, the Engagement Department, and more.

Our Teachers are Here for the Whole Family Harmony teachers visit more than 7,000 homes each year to answer questions and help with the college applications process.

Your Child is Unique. Their Education Should Be Too. Harmony isn’t a cookie-cutter school.

Instead, we provide your child with personalized learning and innovative instructional methods based on their goals – all in a smaller learning environment.

We Exercise Our Brains and Our Bodies Healthy mind. Healthy Body. At Harmony, boys and girls are offered a wide choice of athletics and sports activities, including soccer, basketball, tennis, track, and cross-country athletics.

We Believe in Teamwork From student clubs such as Math Count Club, Chess, Karate, and Art Club, to performing arts activities such as dance, singing and glee club, and team building activities, Harmony Schools offers students the opportunity to learn and build friends through teamwork.

Because Travel is a Good Educator Our students travel both in-state and outof-state to participate in a variety of competitions such as MathCounts, First Lego League, and Quiz Bowl as well as take part in international trips such as studying aboard.

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MEANINGFUL MESSAGING ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION We Equip Every Student With What They Need to Succeed – One at a Time Each and every Harmony student is provided with his/her own Chromebook or other device to ensure their learning opportunity is not limited by their level of access to technology.

We Create 21st Century Leaders by Teaching Meaningful Technology Harmony Public Schools provides students with the opportunity to learn about technology in a hands-on way, such as our FAA Drone Class, Coding, Underwater Robotics, and Innovation Lab courses, as well as through academic competitions.

We Keep Students Safe in Cyberspace To provide an online experience that keeps students focused on their schoolwork and safe from a variety of online risks, we partner with an education-focused cyber security firm to filter the online content students are allowed to view while at school.

We Teach With Tools Students will use in Their Future Working Environments In addition to providing every student in grades 6 through 12 with a Chromebook computer, we use Google apps to enhance collaboration while all classrooms are equipped with projectors and document cameras to allow for visual learning.

Our IT Help Desk Helps Get It Done Our IT Help Desk allows employees to quickly request assistance from any department in the organization or search for an answer to commonly-asked questions so they can resolve their issue themselves. The system was designed to automatically assign new requests to the “agent” most likely to be able to solve the specific request, regardless if it is at a campus, district, or central level. Once a request is fulfilled, users can rate their level of support.

And We Connect Parents to Their Child’s Progress From any Mobile Device Available from mobile devices, with "Skyward Access" parents can view their child's schedule, daily attendance, quarter/semester grades, and grade books, as well as access general and emergency information.

We are Singularly Easy Harmony’s Single Sign-On (SSO) portal integrates more than 40 on-premise and SaaS applications into one screen. The one-click, SSO solution gives students, parents, and staff access to everything they need to learn, from anywhere, with just one password.

We’re Driving Change with a Dashboard for KPI Metrics Harmony has created a detailed system of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each department to create a shared, consistent vision for our organization with quantifiable, metric-driven goals, and transparent accountability for results.

The dashboard takes this matrix of scores and simplifies them into a “report card” for departments that can be displayed by district, at a system level, and by the department.

Pay Online in Virtually No Time Introduced in 2019, our online payment option allows parents to order uniforms and pay activity fees online with no additional cost.

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MEANINGFUL MESSAGING OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE We’re Educational Pioneers Harmony schools are Texas Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (T-STEM) pioneer schools. There are currently 104 TEA designated T-STEM Academies across the state of Texas, and 23 of them are Harmony Schools.

Our Students Concentrate on Their Studies, not the Latest Styles Our school uniform policy helps to ensure that all students feel part of the school and are not distracted by choosing what to wear every day. In fact, our students voted on choosing Harmony’s school uniforms.

We’ve Created an Environment That’s as Safe as it is Smart With the best interests of our students at heart, we have established discipline and behavior management procedures that are tough on bullying and other negative behaviors.

Our Students Are Safe and Secure With Us To ensure our students are secure, we conduct comprehensive background criminal checks for all volunteers and visitors to our schools against a national registered sex offender database.

We’ve Built Our Solutions Around Our Parents and Kids From our Skyward Family Access to VOLY.org volunteering online, school café access and our Let’s Talk online communication tool, we are customeroriented and always available to help.

Studying with Harmony is a Capital Idea Every two years, Harmony brings students and parents from across the state to Austin for “Harmony on the Hill” at the Texas State capitol. At this event, attendees have the opportunity to meet their elected officials in their office and show off some of their latest school projects. We also have an all-day STEM showcase in the capitol concourse.

We Teach Life Skills as well as Academic Skills Our behavioral counselors work with students to develop appropriate behavior and social skills that allow them to benefit from their educational experience and be emotionally healthy as well.

You Belong Here, but Bullying, Gangs, and Drugs Don’t Harmony Public Schools have an expulsion prerogative and will use it when student safety or well-being is threatened and when otherwise appropriate. In addition, we do not tolerate gangs or drugs on any of our campuses.

Working at Harmony is Life-Changing More than offering teachers a competitive salary, including bonuses and stipends, as well as great benefits, professional support and opportunities for advancement, at Harmony we change lives for the better.

We Take a Healthy Approach to Education Our Child Nutrition program and the Smart Snack program ensure students benefit from healthy foods throughout the day.

We’ll Counsel You on the Best Way Forward Our engagement officers and college counselors provide our students with the resources and support needed to successfully transition from high school to college.

We Create Leaders in Education Harmony Aspiring Leaders Academy (HALA) supports Harmony teachers as they seek to take on leadership roles within the Harmony system.

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MEANINGFUL MESSAGING OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE We Benefit our Employees and their Families In addition to the life insurance provided to eligible TRS employees by Harmony, employees benefit from short-term disability and free after school care for their children.

We Appreciate Our Teachers Teacher Appreciation Week is a special time for the recognition of our teachers, including celebrations to honor teachers for their exceptional contributions.

We’re Experts at Selecting the Best Our prescreening and selection process helps ensure we hire the best teachers and support staff in education today.

Candidates must upload all required documentation online, take the Gallup assessment if applicable, and be evaluated by a hiring manager for future steps. In addition, they must also undergo comprehensive background checks.

We Provide a Ladder to Elevate Careers To help advance the careers of our employees, we provide coaching for administrative personnel as well as professional development sessions for staff members leading to career opportunities within Harmony.

We Hire for Quality & Commitment We hire a diverse teaching staff supported by highly qualified administrators and other professionals with advanced degrees that do whatever it takes to help our students reach their goals.

We’re Strengthening Futures & the Economy By opening schools across Texas, we are creating new jobs for educators and new employment opportunities for support staff to run our schools.

We Recognize Our People for Being the Best Through our “Teacher of the Year Program” teachers are recognized for their unwavering dedication and commitment to helping students achieve their goals.

We’re Helping Our Employees Graduate to the Next Level Our Harmony Employee Education Program (HEEP) provides financial support for eligible employees through tuition assistance and assistance with tuition related expenses incurred by employees seeking a certification or graduate degree, such as a Masters degree.

SOLID ORGANIZATIONAL GROWTH We Have Top Grades in Financial Stability Harmony is the first Charter School in Texas to be rated highly (“AAA”) by both Moody’s and S&P with participation in Texas Permanent School Fund Bond Guarantee Program.

We Think Locally When Creating Budgets To ensure we do what is best for each of our communities, we involve local entities in the budgeting process.

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MEANINGFUL MESSAGING SOLID ORGANIZATIONAL GROWTH We’re Technologically Smart Harmony Schools uses JR3’s WebSmart software and JDox records management to track students and business office functions, and to satisfy all TEA compliance expectations. The software was written and tested by experienced Texas school business office personnel to fulfill the requirements set by Texas law and administrative needs to economically and efficiently manage and govern Texas Schools.

We’re Known for Being Financially Responsible In 2019, the Texas Association of School Business Officials (TASBO) bestowed its highest recognition for school financial responsibility, the Award of Merit for Purchasing Operations, to Harmony Public Schools. The designation recognizes Harmony for its exemplary purchasing practices for its 58 campuses statewide.

We’ve Earned A’s in Accountability In 2019, five districts in the Harmony Public Schools system received A-ratings in the Texas Education Agency’s 2019 FIRST Accountability Ratings and two others received B-Ratings. The FIRST ratings are calculated using 15 financial indicators, such as administrative cost expenditures; the accuracy of a district or charter's financial information submitted to TEA and any financial vulnerabilities or material weaknesses in internal controls as determined by an external auditor.

We are Financially Transparent All our financial information including financial audit results and budget information is available on our website for anyone to view, anytime.

We are Compliant and Quality-Driven Harmony Public Schools complies with all local, state, and federal rules and regulations set by the U.S. Department of Education regarding transparency, accountability, reporting, and other obligations. Harmony publishes the following information on its public website: Organizational chart, Policies and procedures, School handbooks, 990 Forms, Organization-wide budget, Site-based budgets (curriculum and instruction, library, school leadership, health services, transportation, food services, extracurricular activities, administration, maintenance, security, data processing, debt service).

We Utilize Online Power to Conduct Business with Vendors The Harmony Schools Purchasing Department requires that all prospective vendors register on our e-bid site to be notified of upcoming bids and to submit bids in their respective fields. Additionally, we utilize an online reimbursement system for greater efficiency and reporting accuracy.

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MEANINGFUL MESSAGING SOLID ORGANIZATIONAL GROWTH Our Media Relations has Great Relationships with Local Media Harmony works proactively with local media to tell stories that shine a spotlight on our students and staff while bringing more opportunities to our campuses. In the first half of 2019-2020, Harmony was included in more than 170 positive news stories. Many questions posed to Harmony are already answered in our One Pager and Closing the Gap infographic of what we do. For media requests, interested parties can simply email us at media@harmonytx.org with details of the request.

We’re Driving Change & Getting Superior Results We are dedicated to changing the conversation on educational possibilities and are committed to changing lives for the better. We have a 98% graduation rate and 100% of our grads go onto college.

We Make a Point of Keeping Everyone in the Loop Through “Harmony in the News” on our website as well as our Newsletters, parents, students and their extended families, as well as government officials, can stay up-to-date on the latest news, innovations and events at Harmony.

Because every Campus is Unique, Each has Control of their Website While Harmony has a central office website where interested parties can get pertinent information about the Harmony School System, each Harmony campus has the freedom to control their own school website and social media programs.

We Make Paying Any School-related Fees Easy Harmony uses the RevTrak online system to provide parents with a convenient and trackable way to pay for any school club fees or uniforms.

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MEANINGFUL MESSAGING

Sample Creatives

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MEANINGFUL MESSAGING

Timing of Messages

While some messages are relevant at any time they are shared, certain messages have time-sensitive elements which require them to be shared within specific timeframes so that the audience has the appropriate time to make a decision or form an opinion.

Before making decisions, audiences to need to be informed about the decision on multiple levels.

What is being asked?

Who is asking?

Reasons for responding?

When to respond?

How to respond?

Benefits of responding?

We have used this “Educate to Activate” model to schedule key messages around relevant timeframes that allow stakeholders time to be informed early on about the decision prior to the time needed to make the decision.

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KEY MESSAGING TIMELINES

OPEN ENROLLMENT Initial Push: Early October Heavy Push: Late October, Early December Support Messages: December-January Final Push: Early February RE-ENROLLMENT Initial Push: Early DecemberDecember Heavy Push: Early January Support Messages: MidJanuary Final Push: Late January STAFF RECRUITMENT Initial Push: February (prior to Job Fairs) Heavy Push: March-April Support Messages: Late Spring Final Push: June

MEANINGFUL MESSAGING AAUGUST UGUST 'Inspiring Futures' Broad spectrum Harmony messaging in the two weeks before and after the start of the school year.

(Orientation, Tools for Parents, Financial & Academic Excellence, Working for Harmony, Tools for Employees, Alumni Support, Advanced Placement)

SE PTEMBER SEPTEMBER 'Inspiring Connections' Connecting students, parents and staff members to one another, as well as the resources and opportunities that HPS has to offer.

(Clubs & Extracurriculars, Home Visits, Tools for Parents, Tools for Employees)

OCTOBER OCTOBER 'Inspiring Achievement' Success stories and how HPS helps achieve them, as a groundsetter for upcoming enrollment/reenrollment periods.

(Open Enrollment, College Readiness, Tools for Parents, Technology)

NOVEMBER NOVEMBER 'Inspiring Change' Broad spectrum messaging regarding what makes HPS a different kind of public school.

(Open Enrollment, Technology, Graduate Success, STEM, Project-Based Learning Academic Achievement, Alumni Success, Open Enrollment, Re-Enrollment)

DECEMBER DECEM BER 'Inspiring Success' Proof-points about the success of HPS academic model, timed to open enrollment and a preface to re-enrollment.

(Academic Achievement, Academic Success, Alumni Success, Open Enrollment, Re-Enrollment)

JJANUARY ANUARY 'Inspiring New Beginnings' A new year/new semester is the perfect time to reconnect at HPS through re-enrollment, volunteering at your school, or trying a new club or activity.

(Re-Enrollment, Open Enrollment, Volunteering, Tools for Parents, Clubs & Extracurriculars, Tools for Employees)

FEBRUARY FEBRUARY 'Inspiring Opportunities' Programs at Harmony that help prepare students for the opportunities that await them ahead.

(College Readiness, Academic Counseling, Career Training)

MARCH MARCH 'Inspired Teachers Inspire Students' Timed for Job Fairs and as teachers start making plans for the following year, a focus on our teaching methods, growth opportunities and benefits of HPS. (Professional Development, Working at Harmony, Teaching Model)

APRIL APRIL 'Inspiring Greatness' The hard work put in by students and staff pays off with personal and academic success for our students.

(College Readiness & Pep Rally, College Counseling, Academic Achievement)

MAY A Y Lives' 'Leading M Inspired Equipping our graduates and other students with the tools they need to succeed and live positive lives beyond HPS. (Graduate Success, Alumni Success, Alumni Support, Teacher Appreciation, GYOT)

JJUNE UNE 'Inspiring New BeginningsGrowth' For both students and staff, summer is a time to take on a new challenge to grow your knowledge or skill set.

(Staff Recruitment, Tools for Parents, Summer Learning, Working for Harmony)

JJULY ULY 'Sparks of Inspiration' Laying the groundwork for a successful school year ahead for parents, students, and staff members.

(Tools for Parents, Driving Change, Professional Development, Individual Learning, Leadership)

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PART 3: ENROLLMENT MARKETING

HPS GUIDE TO COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING

OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL While some Harmony Public Schools campuses may have the availability to accept students year-round, the primary method through which new families discover Harmony and apply to one of our campuses is during a threemonth period each fall and winter known as Open Enrollment.

During this time, families can apply to one or multiple Harmony campuses for the following fall semester. If enough openings are available for all applicants, then all applicants are accepted for fall enrollment. If the number of applicants outnumbers the amount of available seats, then all applicants are placed in a computerized blind lottery, and students are chosen based on randomized selection to ensure fairness for all student families who apply.

Enrollment Marketing also includes a shorter season – generally in early January – during which Harmony asks current families to let their campus know if they intend to re-enroll for the following school year. This period is known as Re-Enrollment. All current students who submit their ReEnrollment notifications during this time period automatically are guaranteed a seat for the following school year.

Because our number of students enrolled directly impacts the level of funding available to operate our schools, educating both prospective and current families about the benefits of a Harmony education throughout the year, then mobilizing them during each fall and winter are paramount to overall operational success of Harmony Public Schools.

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ENROLLMENT MARKETING

Enrollment Marketing,

by Month While the actual Open Enrollment and Re-Enrollment periods are only a relatively short few months of the school year, a year-long effort is needed in order to properly educate prospective parents about Harmony's programs and benefits, effectively activate them during the Open Enrollment and ReEnrollment periods, and make sure they complete enrollment once selected. Certain times of the school year will naturally require more effort, and necessitate a greater expenditure of both time and budget. While the schedule below does not include all activities related to enrollment, it is a good general guide to typical tasks and level of activity for each period of the enrollment calendar.

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER

Finalize annual marketing budget.

Produce campaign creatives and key messaging.

Finalize plans, contracts, and budgets with external marketing agencies.

Begin early messaging through paid and organic social media, e-blasts, campus signage, Search Engine Optimization; website optimization.

NOVEMBER-JANUARY

Open Enrollment begins November 1. Update active campaign creatives to reflect beginning of enrollment period.

Strong push of multiplatform campaigns.

Weekly monitoring of enrollment applications, traffic sources, and web analytics.

Biweekly adjustment of budget and creative, as needed.

Send follow-up messaging to early applicants FEBRUARY

Open Enrollment ends February 10. Strong, multiplatform final push for Open Enrollment applications.

Distribute educational materials families regarding lottery process.

Direct messaging to lottery selectees regarding next-steps and deadlines for enrollment confirmation.

Direct messaging to lottery non-selectees regarding wait list potential and possible open seats in neighboring schools.

Additional enrollment messaging to fill empty seats (if needed).

MARCH-JULY Additional enrollment messaging to fill empty seats (if needed).

Analyze effectiveness and cost-efficiency of enrollment marketing efforts.

Periodic “check-in” messaging with all families to remind of registration deadlines for coming school year and share program highlights.

AUGUST Strong multi-platform push to remind families of need to register and program highlights.

Begin preparation of upcoming marketing budget.

Contact potential agencies and vendors regarding upcoming enrollment efforts.

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ENROLLMENT MARKETING

Messaging Options

Harmony Public Schools uses a number of messaging mediums to make sure families stay informed about our system's programs, highlights, and opportunities.

Each medium has its unique strengths and weaknesses.

Digital messaging, for example, allows instantaneous reach and immediate feedback from a wide audience at a relatively low price (if not for free).

However, some families may not have access to digital devices or internet, or may choose to avoid popular sites like Facebook where digital messaging options are most plentiful.

Good, old-fashioned brochures and fliers, on the other hand, can be distributed almost anywhere and read on the recipient's own schedule. They also offer the ability to tell longer messages with multiple talking points.

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However, they can be expensive to produce, grow dated relatively quickly, and many people just flat out won't take the time to read them.

That's why consistent, simultaneous messaging across a variety of platforms is key to making an impression that sticks.

In the next session, we'll discuss several of the common messaging mediums used by Harmony to promote enrollment and other efforts, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each method.

These strengths and weaknesses should be neither interpreted as an endorsement nor a rejection of any one method. They are solely factors to consider when creating, budgeting for, and executing a broad-based messaging campaign for multiple audiences.

ENROLLMENT MARKETING FACEBOOK ORGANIC POST

Free, Reaches Internal Audience, Ads to Social Engagement.

FACEBOOK SPONSORED POST

Does Not Reach External Audience Well (i.e. posting to people who already follow you), Not All Families Are On Facebook, Limited Reach Without Paying to Boost.

Reach External Audience, Able to Target Audience, Flexible Budgeting, Facebook Ads Appear On a Variety of Other Websites and Mobile Applications (Including Instagram), Data & Analytics.

GOOGLE ADS (Search or Display)

Reach External Audience, Able to Target Audience, Flexible Budgeting, Google Ads Appear On a Variety of Other Websites and Mobile Applications, Data & Analytics.

YOUTUBE ORGANIC POST

Costs Money, Google May Not Fulfill the Requested Reach, Complex Billing and Invoicing.

Free, Easy to Share.

Limited Views and Engagement.

NEWSLETTER

YOUTUBE SPONSORED POST/AD

Reach External Audience, Able to Target Audience, Flexible Budgeting, Only Pay For Videos That Users Have Watched Most Of, Data & Analytics.

Costs Money, Facebook May Not Fulfill the Requested Reach, Complex Billing and Invoicing.

Free, Delivered Where Parents Already Are Expecting to Receive Information.

Costs Money, Many Users May Skip or Ignore Ads.

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Internal Audience Only, Not All Parents Active On Email.

ENROLLMENT MARKETING E-Blast (Internal)

Great At Reaching Current Audience, Free, Lots of Messaging Options.

TWITTER

Poor at Reaching External Audience, Not All Parents Are Active on Email, Messages Can Be Blocked or Unsubscribed To If Used Too Often.

Free, Easy.

OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA

Message to Niche Audience.

Audience Size May Be Too Small to Be Effective/Efficient.

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Not A Place Where Our Audience Typically Engages.

ENROLLMENT MARKETING DOOR HANGERS

Effective Way to Blanket a Neighborhood, Provides a Lot of Information in a Small Package, Recipients Can Read On Their Own Schedule.

BROCHURE/FLIER/'ONE PAGER'

Expensive to Print/Produce, Requires Manpower to Distribute, Many Homeowners Don't Like People Coming to Their Door.

Provides a Lot of Information in a Small Package, Can Create Multiple Options to Tell Complex Message, Recipients Can Read On Their Own Schedule.

CAMPUS OUTDOOR SIGNAGE (Banners, 'Falcon Flags,' Etc.)

POSTERS

Visually EyeCatching, Can Create Multiple Options to Tell Complex Message.

Attracts Attention in Neighborhood.

Expensive to Print/Produce, Generally Only Reaches Internal Audience.

BACKPACK STUFFERS/ PICK-UP LINE HANDOUTS

Cheap, Easy, Direct Messaging to Parents Who May Not Receive Messaging Through Digital Methods (ex. email).

Expensive to Print/Produce, Passive Information Sharing, Often Quickly Out-of-Date, Often Requires Manpower to Distribute

Can Be Expensive to Produce, Often Have Short Life Cycle Due to Environmental Conditions.

DIRECT MAIL

Provides a Lot of Information in a Small Package, Effective Way to Blanket a Neighborhood.

Students May Not Always Share With Parents.

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Expensive to Print/Distribute, People Ignore "Junk Mail," Unsophisticated Demographic Targeting.

ENROLLMENT MARKETING NEWSPAPER AD

Broad Distribution, Newspapers Still Carry Prestige.

TV AD

Does Not Target Audiences Well, Expensive.

Repeat Messaging, Broad Distribution.

OVER-THE-TOP (OTT) STREAMING AD

PAID E-BLAST

Reaches New Customers, Flexible Messaging, Data & Analytics.

Often Requires Multiple Rounds of Messaging to Be Successful, Sending Unsolicited Emails May Be Illegal in Some Circumstances.

Audience Targeting, Captive Audience (i.e. audience will sit through ad because there is something specific they want to watch)

Ad-Based Streaming Networks Are Lesser Used Than Subscription (Netflix, Disney+)

OFF-CAMPUS OUTDOOR SIGNAGE (Billboards, Bus Stops, Etc.)

DIGITAL AD

Displayed On a Variety of Websites, Brings Users Directly to Desired Landing Page, Can Mix-nMatch Messaging, Retargeting Capability, Data & Analytics.

Expensive, Price Varies Based on External Events (ex. election year), Often Only Reaches Audience On One Network, High CostPer-Viewing.

Ad Clutter Can Be Ignored or Blocked

by Web Users.

Receives a Large Audience Over Extended Amount of Time.

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Expensive In Some Markets, Inflexible Messaging.

ENROLLMENT MARKETING OPEN HOUSE

Brings New Families Into School, Allows Families to Meet & Engage With Staff.

COMMUNITY EVENT BOOTH

Requires Manpower to Staff, Other Marketing Efforts Needed to Draw Attendance, Other Marketing Materials Needed as Handouts.

RETAIL LOCATION BOOTH (Mall, Grocery Store, Etc.)

Allows Families to Meet & Engage With Staff, Puts Schools System In Front of Families Who Might Not Have Otherwise Been Looking For Information About a School

Requires Manpower to Staff, Weather and Attendance Dependent, Other Marketing Efforts Needed to Draw Attendance, Other Marketing Materials Needed as Handouts, Usually Costs Money to Have a Booth.

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Allows Families to Meet & Engage With Staff, Puts Schools System In Front of Families Who Might Not Have Otherwise Been Looking For Information About a School

Requires Manpower to Staff, Weather and Attendance Dependent, Other Marketing Efforts Needed to Draw Attendance, Other Marketing Materials Needed as Handouts, Usually Costs Money to Have a Booth.

PART 4: GUIDE TO MEDIA RELATIONS

HPS GUIDE TO COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING

TELLING OUR STORY In the age of 24-hour news operations and viral stories, few messaging mediums have the same potential for large-scale impact (both positive and negative) as the media.

Regular updates and maintenance of databases of media contacts; Close monitoring of media trends and movements in our communities; Recognition and utilization of unique media structures and practices that provide the opportunity for viral spread of news or strengthen positive impact of news (ex. recognizing and pitching to multi-newsroom media groups, embedding links within press releases for digital publications).

Accordingly, maintaining a friendly but professional relationship with local journalists and newsrooms is critical to securing free, positive attention for our schools and mitigating the potential effects of any negative attention.

This is done through a variety of ongoing activities and tactics, including: Direct and regular outreach to campuses for potential story ideas that can be pitched to the media; Writing of press releases and other media pitching; Direct and regular outreach to local journalists and newsrooms for relationship building and story pitching;

All contact with the media should be coordinated through the Chief Communications & Marketing Officer at the HPS Central Office and the corresponding District Director of Communications & Marketing prior to any communications with the media.

Campuses and other district personnel should not communicate with the media under any circumstances without prior authorization.

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MEDIA RELATIONS

Media Markets Media Markets can't always be easily defined by traditional geographic boundaries, or even by Harmony district. For our purposes, we choose to group them based on their ability to have a positive impact on the public perception of our schools.

AUSTIN Austin American-Statesman El Mundo Community Impact Daily Texan (Univ. Texas) KVUE (ABC) KEYE (CBS/Tele) KNVA (CW) KTBC (FOX) KXAN (NBC) KAKW (UNI) Spectrum BEAUMONT Beaumont Enterprise KBMT (ABC) KFDM (CBS) BROWNSVILLE-EDINBURGMcALLEN-WESLACO Brownsville Herald El Nuevo Heraldo McAllen Monitor KRGV (ABC) KGBT (CBS) KVEO (CBS/NBC) KFXV (FOX/CW) KTLM (TELE) KNVO (UNI) BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION Bryan Eagle The Batt (Texas A&M) KBTX (CBS) KAGS (NBC) DALLAS-FORT WORTH Dallas Morning News Star-Telegram Al Dia Community Impact Star Local Media WFAA (ABC) KTXA (CBS) KDAF (CW) KDFW (FOX) KDFI (FOX) KXAS (NBC) KXTX (TELE) KUVN (UNI)

Lubbock Midland-Odessa El Paso

Dallas-Fort Worth

Waco Bryan-College Station Houston Beaumont

Austin San Antonio Laredo Brownsville-Edinburg-McAllen-Weslaco

EL PASO El Paso Times El Paso Herald-Post El Diario de El Paso El Paso, Inc. The Prospector (UTEP) KVIA (ABC) KDBC (CBS) KFOX (FOX) KTSM (NBC) KTDO (TELE) KTFN (UNI)

LUBBOCK Lubbock Avalanche-Journal Daily Toreador (Texas Tech) KAMC (ABC) KLBK (CBS) KJTV (FOX KCBD (NBC) KXTQ (Tele) KBZO (Uni) MIDLAND-ODESSA Odessa American Midland Reporter-Telegram KMID (ABC) KOSA (CBS) KPEJ (FOX) KWES (NBC) KUPB (Uni)

HOUSTON Houston Chronicle Community Impact KTRK (ABC) KHOU (CBS) KIAH (CW) KRIV (FOX) KPRC (NBC) KXLN (UNI) KTMD (TELE)

SAN ANTONIO San Antonio Express-News La Prensa The Paisano (UTSA) KSAT (ABC) KENS (CBS) KMYZ (CW) KABB (FOX) WOAI (NBC) KVDA (TELE) KWEX (UNI)

LAREDO Laredo Morning Times KGNS (ABC/NBC/TELE) KVTV (CBS) KNEX (CW) KLDO (UNI)

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WACO Waco Tribune Herald The Lariat (Baylor) KXXV (ABC) KWTX (CBS/TELE) KWKT (FOX) KCEN (NBC) STATEWIDE Texas Monthly Texas Standard Texas Tribune

MEDIA RELATIONS

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MEDIA RELATIONS

'Big-to-Small, Small-to-Big' Any opportunity to tell an individual story about Harmony Public Schools should be taken as an opportunity to tell a bigger, more in-depth story about the school system. In doing so, we maximize the impact of media coverage, while also helping the news organizations who cover our schools by supplying the context and color that make stories interesting to their audience. An easy way to expand the message of a potential story pitch is by adding context from big-to-small, or from small-to-big.

BIG-TO-SMALL If a story is about a large organizational effort or achievement, look for ways to connect this “big picture” story to how it connects to an actual person down the line by asking the following questions: How does this big story about a system-wide achievement connect to an actual person somewhere down the chain?

Is there a person, class, or club that exemplifies this achievement?

Is there someone who benefits more than others?

Is there someone who worked particularly hard for this achievement?

EXAMPLE TEA Principal Certification Grant

EXAMPLE Campus celebrating 10th anniversary

BIG PICTURE Harmony received a grant for principal certification.

MEDIUM PICTURE Five assistant principals in my district will receive a free master’s degree in school administration.

SMALL PICTURE A working mom who joined Harmony as a P.E. coach right out of college worked her way up to a principal.

In this example, a big picture story about a state grant becomes a more personal story about an individual journey. It also opens up opportunities for reporters outside of a normal education beat to cover the story (ex. Business reporter, features reporter)

BIG PICTURE Harmony Science Academy is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

MEDIUM PICTURE Five-hundred students have graduated from HSA.

SMALL PICTURE Five-hundred graduates have contributed 50,000 community service hours in the past 10 years thanks to Harmony’s volunteerism requirement.

EVEN SMALLER PICTURE Specific student volunteer projects that have made their community better for everyone in the community over the course of the past 10 years.

In this example, a minor anniversary helps share how the school has made an impact in the community.

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MEDIA RELATIONS Additionally, this story development model also works in the reverse order: from small-tobig.

SMALL-TO-BIG If a story is about an individual person or campus, expanding it from small-to-big can help illustrate how a small success is tied to a larger organizational effort or typifies the kind of success the school is known for.

EXAMPLE Harmony student graduates at age 16

EXAMPLE Harmony senior accepted to 23 colleges

SMALL PICTURE A 16-year-old Harmony grad is now attending UT two years ahead of her classmates.

MEDIUM PICTURE The student wasn’t challenged by her old school, but at Harmony was allowed to advance at a faster pace to find courses that fit her learning level.

BIG PICTURE Harmony offers personalized-learning tracts that are more flexible to students of all learning levels.

EVEN BIGGER PICTURE Charter schools offer parents a true choice in deciding what's best for their child's education.

In that case, we take a story of one amazing girl, and use it as an opportunity to talk more broadly about the Harmony culture/curriculum and charter schools.

SMALL PICTURE One Harmony student was accepted to every college to which he applied.

MEDIUM PICTURE Harmony helps students prepare for their college and career goals.

BIG PICTURE Harmony is debuting a new College & Career Access Department designed to put students on the path to college graduation as early as elementary school.

In this example, one student's success is used as an entry point to tell a n important larger story about how Harmony is helping all students with an entirely new department specifically designed to help them on their college journey.

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MEDIA RELATIONS

Writing Press Releases A well-crafted press release allows the sender to set the tone for how the school will be covered. In almost all cases, you will be more knowledgeable about the subject than the reporters who will potentially cover the story, so your release will be a primary source of initial information. In many cases, the reporter will even copy your release directly for print and digital uses, or read from the release verbatim for broadcast uses. Because of this, it is important that your release be written in a news story format, preferably in AP Style, be stuffed with positive messaging about our schools, and contain links that bring the reader (either the journalist or his/her audience) back to the Harmony website to learn more about our schools.

When possible, releases should also include highresolution photos or links to video which the media can use to improve its coverage of the topic.

Finally, press releases should also always answer what is known by journalists as the "5 W's & An H": Who, What, When, Where , Why and How

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MEDIA RELATIONS

1 2

Elements of a Good Press Release

4

(1) Prominent Harmony logo. (2) Date when information can be released to public. (3) Direct contact information for Communications Department team member. (4) Attractive photo - preferably horizontal - that can be used by print, digital, or broadcast outlets. (5) Headline containing school's full name, city name, if possible, and specific major details of story. (6) Secondary headline with additional details to add interest. (7) Informational first paragraph that gives reader a basic idea of story. (8) Embedded hyperlinks that draw recipient to Harmony website and will be embedded on news sites that copy-paste press release. (9) Positive, informational description of school. (10) Primary information about current story being pitched. (11) Relevant background information that adds context, and promotes other positive aspects of school. (12) Additional information about school system that promotes overall excellence. (13) "About" biographical section. (15) End line to signal completion of information.

7

8

5 6

9 12 13

10

13

11 12

3

(continued next page)

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MEDIA RELATIONS

Media Policy & Guidelines

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MEDIA RELATIONS

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PART 5: DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA

HPS GUIDE TO COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING

BUILDING CONNECTIONS

Apart from the face-to-face interactions had at our Harmony campuses each day , our digital presence has the greatest capacity for consistent information-sharing and community-building with our various Harmony stakeholders.

Establishes and fosters a positive digital community through social media engagement and responsive digital customer service.

Brings in potential new members of the Harmony family, including prospective families and job applicants.

A strong web strategy emphasizes a number of priorities:

Increases positive digital exposure through best practices in search engine optimization (SEO), inbound and content marketing, and other digital marketing principles.

Provides a more expansive way to share Harmony's story with the public and employees.

Provides complete and easilyfound information for students, team members, families, and other communities.

Connects stakeholders to resources and opportunities, including events, programs, career opportunities, support services, and more.

Successfully meets all requirements related to accessibility and public transparency.

To implement this strategy, Harmony undertakes a number of web and social media efforts, which are outlined in the following section.

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DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA

Harmony Websites MAIN WEBSITE www.HarmonyTX.org Harmony's main website is the primary information source for all Harmony programs, policies, and resources, as well as the principle entry point for prospective student and employee applicants. It is maintained primarily by the HPS Webmaster and Chief Communications & Marketing Officer, who are responsible for its content and upkeep. Key Pages include: HOMEPAGE: www.HarmonyTX.org About Us: www.harmonytx.org/about Academics: www.harmonytx.org/academics Apply (Students) www.harmonytx.org/apply Apply (Job Openings) www.harmonytx.org/careers Benefits: www.harmonytx.org/benefits Employees: www.harmonytx.org/employees Find A School: www.harmonytx.org/schools Harmony Times: www.harmonytx.org/news Health Services: www.harmonytx.org/health-services Parents: www.harmonytx.org/parents Safety: www.harmonytx.org/safety Sitemap: www.harmonytx.org/sitemap - 46 -

DISTRICT WEBSITES Technically subsections of the main Harmony website, each district website contains primary information about our districts, including campus location, enrollment, contact information, letter from the superintendent, newsletters, employment opportunities, and any required postings. It is maintained primarily by the HPS Webmaster with assistance from the corresponding District Director of Communications & Marketing.

Austin www.harmonytx.org/harmonyaustin-district Dallas-Fort Worth-Waco www.harmonytx.org/harmonydfw-district Houston North www.harmonytx.org/harmonyhouston-north-district Houston South www.harmonytx.org/harmonyhouston-south-district Houston West www.harmonytx.org/harmonyhouston-west-district San Antonio www.harmonytx.org/harmony-sanantonio-district West Texas www.harmonytx.org/harmonywest-Texas-district

DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA Campus Websites (Full list next page) Each Harmony Public Schools campus has a unique website, offering a hub for information for students, families, and the community, as a whole. Each site is collectively managed by campus staff, the corresponding District Director of Communications & Marketing, and the HPS Webmaster.

Features include campus video tour, Harmony highlights, recent campus news, campus quick links, cafeteria information, enrollment information, campus and district calendars, and contact information.

Campuses are primarily responsible for updating campus news, calendars and meal information (i.e. breakfast and lunch menus) on a weekly or monthly basis, while the majority of all other sections are collaboratively updated as needed by the HPS Webmaster and District Director of Communications and Marketing.

As of 2021, all HPS campus websites are hosted through the popular content management system Wordpress.

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DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPUS

Harmony Science Academy - Austin Harmony School of Innovation - Austin Harmony School of Excellence - Austin Harmony Science Academy - Pflugerville Harmony School of Science - Austin Harmony School of Endeavor - Austin Harmony Science Academy - Cedar Park Harmony Science Academy - Fort Worth Harmony School of Innovation - Fort Worth Harmony Science Academy - Grand Prairie Harmony School of Excellence - Dallas Harmony School of Innovation - Euless Harmony Science Academy - Euless Harmony Science Academy - Dallas (Elem) Harmony Science Academy - Dallas (Middle) Harmony Science Academy - Dallas (High) Harmony School of Innovation - Carrollton Harmony Science Academy - Carrollton Harmony Science Academy - Garland Harmony School of Innovation - Garland Harmony School of Innovation Dallas Harmony Science Academy - Waco Harmony School of Innovation - Waco Harmony Science Academy - Plano Harmony School of Innovation - Grand Prairie Harmony School of Excellence - Houston Harmony School of Endeavor - Houston Harmony School of Discovery - Houston Harmony School of Achievement - Houston Harmony Science Academy - Bryan Harmony School of Technology - Houston Harmony School of Advancement - Houston Harmony School of Enrichment - Houston Harmony Science Academy - Cypress Harmony Science Academy - Beaumont Harmony Science Academy - Katy Harmony School of Innovation - Katy Harmony School of Innovation - Sugar Land Harmony Science Academy - Sugar Land Harmony Science Academy - Houston Harmony School of Ingenuity - Houston Harmony School of Exploration - Houston Harmony School of Innovation - Houston Harmony School of Science - Houston Harmony School of Fine Arts and Tech - Houston Harmony School of Excellence - Sugar Land Harmony Science Academy - Brownsville Harmony School of Innovation - Brownsville Harmony Science Academy - Laredo Harmony School of Innovation - Laredo Harmony School of Excellence - Laredo Harmony Science Academy - San Antonio Harmony School of Innovation - San Antonio Harmony School of Excellence - San Antonio Harmony Science Academy - El Paso Harmony School of Excellence - El Paso Harmony School of Innovation - El Paso Harmony Science Academy - Lubbock Harmony Science Academy - Odessa Harmony School of Science - El Paso

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WEBSITE

www.hsaaustin.harmonytx.org www.hsiaustin.harmonytx.org www.hseaustin.harmonytx.org www.hsapflugerville.harmonytx.org www.hssaustin.harmonytx.org www.hspaustin.harmonytx.org www.hsacp.harmonytx.org www.hsafortworth.harmonytx.org www.hsifortworth.harmonytx.org www.hsagp.harmonytx.org www.hsedallas.harmonytx.org www.hsieuless.harmonytx.org www.hsaeuless.harmonytx.org www.hsaedallas.harmonytx.org www.hsamdallas.harmonytx.org www.hsadallas.harmonytx.org www.hsicarrollton.harmonytx.org www.hsacarrollton.harmonytx.org www.hsagarland.harmonytx.org www.hsigarland.harmonytx.org www.hsidallas.harmonytx.org www.hsawaco.harmonytx.org www.hsiwaco.harmonytx.org www.hsaplano.harmonytx.org www.hsigp.harmonytx.org www.hsehouston.harmonytx.org www.hsendeavor.harmonytx.org www.hsdhouston.harmonytx.org www.hsachievement.harmonytx.org www.hsabryan.harmonytx.org www.hsthouston.harmonytx.org www.hsadvancement.harmonytx.org www.hsenrichment.harmonytx.org www.hsacypress.harmonytx.org www.hsabeaumont.harmonytx.org www.hsakaty.harmonytx.org www.hsikaty.harmonytx.org www.hsisl.harmonytx.org www.hsasl.harmonytx.org www.hsahouston.harmonytx.org www.hsingenuity.harmonytx.org www.hehouston.harmonytx.org www.hsihouston.harmonytx.org www.hsshouston.harmonytx.org www.hsart.harmonytx.org www.hsesl.harmonytx.org www.hsabrownsville.harmonytx.org www.hsibrownsville.harmonytx.org www.hsalaredo.harmonytx.org www.hsilaredo.harmonytx.org www.hselaredo.harmonytx.org www.hsasa.harmonytx.org www.hsisa.harmonytx.org www.hsesanantonio.harmonytx.org www.hsaelpaso.harmonytx.org www.hseelpaso.harmonytx.org www.hsielpaso.harmonytx.org www.hsalubbock.harmonytx.org www.hsaodessa.harmonytx.org www.hsselpaso.harmonytx.org

DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA

In addition to the number of websites and online tools hosted and maintained by the Harmony Communications & Marketing Department, HPS and its various departments work with a variety of third-party vendors to add increased functionality to the web for students, parents, and community members. Generally, these are hosted offsite, and maintained by one or more HPS departments.

Alumni Engagement (via Almabase) Provides connections, resources, and career opportunities for former Harmony students. Maintained by College & Career Department. https://alumni.harmonytx.org/ Let's Talk (via K12 Insight) Staff and community feedback forum.

Maintained by Superintendent's Office. www.k12insight.com/LetsTalk/embed.aspx?k=WY2D3DlT RevTrak Online portal and payment system for purchasing school uniforms, paying activity fees, collecting donations, and other e-commerce activities. Maintained

by Finance Department. www.harmonytx.revtrak.net School Cafe Online portal for student meal payments.

Maintained by Operations Department. www.schoolcafe.com Schoology Online portal for all academic activities, including assignments, grading, schedules, and virtual instruction (as needed). Maintained by Programs Department. www.harmonytx.schoology.com/login

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Skyward In addition to other internal uses, Skyward is a parent data center and messaging system. Maintained by Operations. www.skyward.iscorp.com/Harmony TXStuSTS

Student Applications (School Mint) Online portal for student applications and registration.

Maintained by Operations Department. www.apply.harmonytx.org

Relatrix Portal for volunteer opportunities and applications. Maintained by Public Relations Department. https://www.harmonytx.org/comm unity-partners/

*Note: Because of the commercial nature of these vendors and projects, they are subject to change as functionality or budget needs change.

DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA

Social Media Social media always has been a rapidly-evolving corner of the digital ecosystem. The information below includes the most widely-used social media platforms as of January 2021.

Consult the Department of Communications & Marketing for more information on these and other social media platforms.

CREATING NEW PAGES/ACCOUNTS New social media accounts and pages should be created solely by the District Director of Communications & Marketing, or by the Chief Communications & Marketing Officer. Neither campuses, school groups, clubs, or employees are allowed to create Harmony-branded accounts independently. This ensures that best practices are followed, including in the naming of pages and use of Harmony intellectual property, and account access is preserved throughout the lifetime of the page or account.

Photo/Media Permission status in Skyward prior to sharing their photo, video, or other likeness on HPS social media accounts.

STUDENT MESSAGING RESTRICTIONS Admins should never communicate privately (ex. Facebook Messenger) with a student using an HPS social media account. This is in violation of the HPS Social Media Use Policy, which can be found in the HPS Employee Handbook. Students are expressly prohibited from using HPS-branded social media accounts in any capacity, unless express permission is granted by the campus principal, District Director of Communications & Marketing, and Chief Communications & Marketing Officer.

AGE RESTRICTIONS FOR STUDENTS Most, if not all, social media platforms limit the minimum age at which users can sign up for an account (in most cases, age 13). Accordingly, social media accounts should refrain from messaging and other content material that is aimed directly at users under this age group. Instead, content material should be aimed at parents or older students, where appropriate. If participation from a younger student is needed (ex. social media contest), they should be encouraged to do so with a parent using the parent’s account.

REQUIREMENTS FOR USE Persons assigned or given permission to campus social media accounts must be well-versed in the platform assigned, have a strong command of the English language in written form, and have a strong foundation in customer service skills. All users will be held responsible for the quality of the content they contribute, including but not limited to posts, photos/videos, comments, shares, “likes,” photos, and other reactions

PHOTO USE POLICY Students must have an approved

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DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook Facebook is the social media industry leader in terms of users and engagement. It is a primary source for community-building and information sharing for our Harmony communities.

CAMPUS-LEVEL RESPONSIBILITIES Each campus is required to own and frequently update a campus-level Facebook page.

Facebook Posts should be focused on informing community members about campus activities, successes, initiatives, personalities, and important dates; as well as engaging followers with posts that invite comments, shares, reactions and other participation.

Campuses should also respond to inbound messages from users within one business day (even if only to inform the sender that a full response to a more complicated message may take a little longer).

DISTRICT-LEVEL RESPONSIBILITIES Each district is required to operate a district-level Facebook account. Facebook Posts should be focused on informing community members about campus activities, successes, initiatives, personalities, and important dates; as well as engaging followers with posts that invite comments, shares, reactions and other participation. Districts should also monitor all campus-level accounts for suitability of content and responsible use, and provide support, if needed. Districts may create posts on behalf of campuses, if needed.

CENTRAL-LEVEL RESPONSIBILITIES The Central Office should maintain the primary HPS Facebook account. Facebook Posts should be focused on informing community members about campus activities, successes, initiatives, personalities, and important dates; as well as engaging followers with posts that invite comments, shares, reactions and other participation. Central should also monitor all campus-level and district-level accounts for suitability of content and responsible use, and provide support, if needed. Central may also post on behalf of campuses or districts, if necessary.

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DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA USER ROLES Campuses are required to designate 1-2 persons each year to be responsible for these updates. These individuals are typically either a principal, assistant principal, or an engagement coordinator, though the ultimate selection is up to the campus principal.

Each user will be given access to administer the campus Facebook page by the District Director of Communications & Marketing or campus principal. Should a Facebook admin be removed from the duties for any reason (ex. Change in work responsibilities, leave school), their access to the campus Facebook page should be removed immediately. In addition to these personnel, Page Admin-level access to the page must be given at all times to the campus principal, District Director of Communications & Marketing, and Chief Communications & Marketing Officer.

ORGANIC/PAID POSTS Campuses may “boost” posts (i.e. pay to reach more followers) at their own discretion, however this is more typically done for District and Central pages. In general, most posts will be organic (i.e. free posts).

GOALS The measurable goals for success on Facebook are an increase in followers and growing page engagement levels.

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DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter Twitter allow users to share short messages known as “tweets.” These are often shared with photos, videos or GIFs. Because of the short-form nature of its content and ease f post sharing, Twitter has high value as an information sharing resource, but lesser as a provider for community-building.

CAMPUS-LEVEL RESPONSIBILITIES It is highly-recommended that all campus own and frequently update a campus-level Twitter account. Twitter posts should be largely focused on informing community members about campus activities, successes, initiatives, personalities, and important dates; as well as engaging followers with posts that invite comments, shares (known as Retweets). Campuses should also respond to inbound messages from users within one business day (even if only to inform the sender that a full response to a more complicated message may take a little longer). Because of the frequent anonymity of Twitter users and the ease of creating fake accounts, account admins should practice extreme caution when liking or retweeting the posts of others, or when selecting other accounts to follow.

DISTRICT-LEVEL RESPONSIBILITIES Each district is encouraged to operate a district-level Twitter account, but is not required to, and should only do so if they are able to keep the account updated frequently and sustainably with relevant content. Twitter posts should be largely focused on informing community members about campus activities, successes, initiatives, personalities, and important dates; as well as engaging followers with posts that invite comments, shares (known as Retweets). Districts should also monitor all campus-level accounts for suitability of content and responsible use, and provide support, if needed. Districts may create posts on behalf of campuses.

CENTRAL-LEVEL RESPONSIBILITIES The Central Office should maintain the primary HPS Twitter account. Twitter posts should be largely focused on informing community members about campus activities, successes, initiatives, personalities, and important dates; as well as engaging followers with posts that invite comments, shares (known as Retweets).

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DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA Central should also monitor all campus-level and district-level accounts for suitability of content and responsible use, and provide support, if needed. Central may also post on behalf of campuses or districts, if necessary.

USER ROLES Campuses are required to designate 1-2 persons each year to be responsible for these updates. These individuals are typically either a principal, assistant principal, or an engagement coordinator, though the ultimate selection is up to the campus principal.

Each user will be given access to the campus Twitter username and password. Should a Twitter admin be removed from the duties for any reason (ex. Change in work responsibilities, leave school), the password for the account should be changed immediately to prevent further access. The password must be shared at all time with the campus principal, District Director of Communications & Marketing, and Chief Communications & Marketing Officer.

GOALS The measurable goals for campus-level success on Twitter are an increase in followers and growing page engagement levels.

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DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA

Instagram Instagram is a popular site for sharing photos, short videos, graphics, and combinations of these formats called “Stories.” Instagram has a high value as a culture-sharing and community-building tool, but lesser value as an information-sharing tool.

CAMPUS LEVEL RESPONSIBILITIES Campuses may own campus-level Instagram accounts, but are not required to, and should only do so if they are able to keep the account updated frequently and sustainably with relevant content. Instagram posts should be largely focused on highly-visual photos and videos that give followers a sense of the campus culture and identity, and provide support, if needed.

DISTRICT-LEVEL RESPONSIBILITIES Districts may own campus-level Instagram accounts, but are not required to, and should only do so if they are able to keep the account updated frequently and sustainably with relevant content. Instagram posts should be largely focused on highly-visual photos and videos that give followers a sense of the campus culture and identity. Districts should also monitor all campus-level accounts for suitability of content and responsible use, and provide support, if needed. Districts may create posts for campus accounts, if needed.

CENTRAL-LEVEL RESPONSIBILITIES The Central Office should maintain the primary HPS Instagram account. Instagram posts should be largely focused on highly-visual photos and videos that give followers a sense of the campus culture and identity. Central should also monitor all campus-level and districtlevel accounts for suitability of content and responsible use, and provide support, if needed. Central may also post on behalf of campuses or districts, if necessary.

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DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA USER ROLES Campuses owning Instagram accounts are required to designate 1-2 persons each year to be responsible for these updates. These individuals are typically either a principal, assistant principal, or an engagement coordinator, though the ultimate selection is up to the campus principal. Each user will be given access to the campus Instagram username and password. Should a Instagram admin be removed from the duties for any reason (ex.

Change in work responsibilities, leave school), the password for the account should be changed immediately to prevent further access. The password must be shared at all time with the campus principal, District Director of Communications & Marketing, and Chief Communications & Marketing Officer.

GOALS The measurable goals for campus-level success on Instagram are an increase in followers and growing page engagement levels.

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DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA

YouTube & Vimeo YouTube and Vimeo are popular sites for sharing and viewing videos. This makes them valuable tools for sharing our Harmony culture and in-depth information, but less valuable for "breaking" news and two-way communication.

CAMPUS LEVEL RESPONSIBILITIES Campuses are discouraged from operating campus-level YouTube/Vimeo accounts, but may do so with permission of the District Director of Communications & Marketing and the Chief Communications & Marketing Officer. Campuses operating pages must be able to keep the account updated frequently and sustainably with relevant content.

YouTube/Vimeo posts should be largely focused on highly-visual videos that give followers a sense of the campus culture and identity, and provide support, if needed.

DISTRICT-LEVEL RESPONSIBILITIES Districts may own campus-level YouTube/Vimeo accounts, but are not required to, and should only do so if they are able to keep the account updated frequently and sustainably with relevant content. YouTube/Vimeo posts should be largely focused on highly-visual photos and videos that give followers a sense of the campus culture and identity. Districts should also monitor all campus-level accounts for suitability of content and responsible use, and provide support, if needed. Districts may create posts for campus accounts, if needed.

CENTRAL-LEVEL RESPONSIBILITIES The Central Office should maintain the primary HPS YouTube/Vimeo accounts. Posts should be largely focused on highly-visual photos and videos that give followers a sense of the campus culture and identity. Central should also monitor all campus-level and districtlevel accounts for suitability of content and responsible use, and provide support, if needed. Central may also post on behalf of campuses or districts, if necessary.

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DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA USER ROLES Campuses owning YouTube or Vimeo accounts are required to designate 1-2 persons each year to be responsible for these updates. These individuals are typically either a principal, assistant principal, or an engagement coordinator, though the ultimate selection is up to the campus principal. Each user will be given access to the campus Instagram username and password. Should a Instagram admin be removed from the duties for any reason (ex. Change in work responsibilities, leave school), the password for the account should be changed immediately to prevent further access. The password must be shared at all time with the campus principal, District Director of Communications & Marketing, and Chief Communications & Marketing Officer.

GOALS The measurable goals for campus-level success on YouTube/Vimeo are an increase in video views.

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DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA

LinkedIn LinkedIn is a social media site used primarily for business-related and employment-based sharing. Accordingly, it is a powerful tool for recruitment, brand-building, and thought leadership, but much less effective for informing parents or sharing campus culture.

CAMPUS-LEVEL RESPONSIBILITIES Campuses are not allowed to operate LinkedIn accounts. Any requests for employment postings on LinkedIn should be made through Human Resources, which can facilitate this request.

DISTRICT-LEVEL RESPONSIBILITIES Districts are not allowed to operate LinkedIn accounts. Any requests for employment postings on LinkedIn should be made through Human Resources, which can facilitate this request.

CENTRAL-LEVEL RESPONSIBILITIES The Central Office should maintain the primary HPS LinkedIn account. LinkedIn posts should be largely focused on content that shares Harmony successes, our company vision and core values, promotes HPS to the business community, or appeals to potential employees.

USER ROLES LinkedIn account access is held by the Chief Communications & Marketing Officer, Chief Human Resources Officer, and Director of Recruitment.

GOALS The measurable goals for campus-level success on LinkedIn are an increase in followers, growing page engagement levels, and the recruitment of highly-qualified job candidates.

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DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDI

Other Social Media Sites (Not Listed) The social media sites mentioned elsewhere in the section are only a few of the many social media sites commonly used by students, parents, employees, and other members of the Harmony community. However, use of these sites in an official HPS capacity is prohibited without express permission from the Chief Communications & Marketing Officer, who will work with campus and district leaders to determine the suitability of content and audience, as well as the operational ability to effectively manage the social media account.

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PART 6: CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS

HPS GUIDE TO COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING

CRITICAL COMMUNICATIONS Crisis Communications are a key part of any broader Crisis Response Plan. They ensure that all stakeholders receive accurate and timely information, delivered through appropriate and trustworthy channels, in a way that supports the efforts of those trying to resolve the specific crisis itself.

Examples of "crisis" events on campus include (but are not limited to):

The term "crisis" can mean any number of things to different parties and take on any number of forms.

For the purpose of this document, a crisis is defined as any emergency or unexpected negative event in which a person associated with a campus could be harmed, be in danger of harm, or perceived by others to be in danger; any event that disrupts a large portion of normal school activities; or any event that brings unexpected and undesired attention on the school or its people.

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Serious Injury of Student or Staff Member While On Campus or During Off-Campus, School-Related Activity Death of a Student or Staff Member, Either On or Off Campus Lockdown/Lock-In of Campus Due to Campus Threat Lockdown/Lock-In of Campus to Threat in Area Other Physical Threat Against Campus Social Media Threat Arrest of Student or Staff Member Animal Attack/Bite on Campus Unexpected Police/Fire/Ambulance Presence on Campus During School Hours Drugs or Weapons Found on Campus Outbreak of Illness on Campus

CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS

Keys to Crisis Communication Crisis Communications should always be ...

Accurate Crisis Communications should always be based upon information provided by reliable sources, preferably with first-hand knowledge of the specific situation.

When possible, information should be verified or corroborated by multiple persons.

Timely Information should be shared with each person or group necessary in a timeframe that aids response, reduces potential panic and rumors, and keeps parties informed throughout the process of resolution of the crisis.

Consistent While all stakeholders may not require the same level of information to be shared (ex. information needed by law enforcement may be of greater detail than that shared to broader public), the information shared within stakeholder groups should be consistent over time. If key facts change after initial information is shared, stakeholders should be updated with new information and the reason for the change/update should be explained.

Made Through Appropriate Channels Communication should come from approved channels: For Emergency Responders: Principal, District Superintendent or Designee, or Any Others Required by Law Enforcement, Medical Personnel or Other Responders For Parents & Students: Campus Principal or District Superintendent For Media: District Communications Director or Chief Communications & Marketing Officer

Delivered to Stakeholder Groups in a Responsible Order Communications should follow an order that helps alleviate any ongoing negative events, provides support to first responders (if involved), keeps families informed, mitigates negative public sentiment, and respects the rights of families to hear crucial information about their school directly. In the event of a crisis, the order of communication should follow: 1. Law Enforcement or Other Emergency Responders (if necessary) 2. Campus, District & Central Office Crisis Response Team 3. Staff Members Immediately Involved 4. Families of Children Immediately Involved 5. All Staff & Families (if necessary) 6. Media (if necessary)

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CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS

Recommended vs. Not Recommended Crisis Communications Tools RECOMMENDED: INTERNAL COMMUNICATION TOOLS RECOMMENDED: The primary method of internal communications in a campus-level crisis event is through campus-specific WhatsApp groups created for each school. These groups contain members of campus, district, and Central Office leadership. They allow for quick, easy sharing of information to all relevant HPS levels so that an appropriate response can be made.

NOT RECOMMENDED: INTERNAL COMMUNICATION TOOLS Email is unreliable for reaching all necessary parties in a timely manner, and can too easily be shared with those who should not have access to the information. Text message and phone calls could exclude all those who need to be aware of key information.

RECOMMENDED: FAMILY & STAFF COMMUNICATION TOOLS Skyward and email are the primary ways family expect to be communicated with in most matters, and are the HPS systems most likely to have accurate and updated family contact information

NOT RECOMMENDED: FAMILY & STAFF COMMUNICATION TOOLS Social media takes personal and sensitive school communications and makes them public, where they can be easily shared, spread, and commented upon by the public in a way that is largely out of HPS control.

Additionally, not all families may be social media users, and may miss information shared there.

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CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS

RECOMMENDED: MEDIA COMMUNICATION TOOLS Prepared statements and media releases are the preferred method for sharing information about a crisis event. Statements should be reviewed by the Central Office Crisis Response Team before being shared by either the District Director of Communications or Chief Communications & Marketing Officer.

NOT RECOMMENDED: MEDIA COMMUNICATION TOOLS Providing direct interviews to the media during a crisis event should be avoided in most cases, as the interviewee has limited control of what may be asked and may not have all the information available to provide informed, accurate, and well-spoken responses.

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CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS

Crisis Communications Information Flow

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PART 7: GUIDE TO VISUAL BRANDING

HPS GUIDE TO COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING

VISUAL BRANDING

Primary Logos & Acceptable Variants

SYSTEMWIDE LOGOS

DISTRICT LOGOS

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VISUAL BRANDING

CAMPUS LOGOS

CENTRAL TEXAS

NORTH TEXAS

HOUSTON SOUTH/WEST

HOUSTON NORTH

SOUTH TEXAS

WEST TEXAS

(Campus logos are acceptable in a blue typeface against a white background or white typeface against a blue background.)

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VISUAL BRANDING

DISCONTINUED LOGOS

Discontinued 2013

Discontinued 2013

Discontinued 2013

Discontinued 2018

Discontinued 2019

Discontinued 2019

Use of these logos in prohibited in all cases.

Any printed materials incorporating these logos should be removed from circulation. Any campus signage incorporating these logos should be removed and replaced promptly.

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VISUAL BRANDING

Color Palette

PRIMARY COLORS

BLUE BLOOD

REAL RED

CHEERFUL

BLACK

Paint Color: SW 6966

Paint Color: SW 6868

Paint Color: SW 6903

Paint Color: SW 6966

CMYK: (100, 79, 6, 0)

CMYK: (0, 100, 100, 0)

CMYK: (3, 11, 100, 0)

CMYK: (100, 79, 6, 0)

RGB: (7, 79, 154)

RGB: (237, 28, 39)

RGB: (251, 216, 0)

RGB: (7, 79, 154)

HEX: #074F9A

HEX:# ED1C27

HEX: #FBD800

HEX: #074F9A

ALTERNATE PAINT COLORS

EXTRA WHITE

REPOSE GRAY

Paint Color: SW 7006

RGB: (235, 236, 231)

Paint Color: SW 7015

RGB: (204, 201, 193)

HONEST BLUE

HINTING BLUE

Paint Color: SW 6520

RGB: (182, 199, 210)

Paint Color: SW 6519

RGB: (208, 217, 221)

To maintain a seamless color identity throughout all print and web assets, use the designated CMYK (print), or RGB (web, digital media) color values listed above. The Harmony color palette does not include exact spot Pantone colors for use. Please instruct printers and other suppliers to match the CMYK values. While deviating from above colors may be appropriate in some instances, care should be taken to avoid using color palettes commonly used by others in the education space.

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VISUAL BRANDING

Mascot Guidelines

Every school has a different mascot, and traditionally, principals have been free to have their mascots designed to reflect the student body. Some are the Hawks; some are the Tigers, some are the Mustangs. The student body and staff should decide on the best mascot for their needs.

Central Office requires ​that new designs should utilize the Nobel Font​in any text within mascot "logos" or icons and must be the Harmony blue and red (or gold - see below)​.

That way, when it is used next to the OFFICIAL LOGO for the campus, it will be complementary and coherent.

Central Office’s Department of Communications will work with campuses to design all new mascots to meet campus needs. Please contact Director of Communications John Boyd for all graphic design requests related to mascots.

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VISUAL BRANDING

Exterior Signage In accordance with Harmony’s Strategic Plan for 2025 our leaders have established visual signage standards​to ensure that the representation of the organization’s identity via signage enhances Harmony’s institutional image.

The strategy intends to: Build awareness & support for Harmony in local communities and with the general public; Develop a comprehensive brand identity and unique positioning.

Signs are a significant representation of Harmony’s brand. Defined herein are graphic design standards for the schools’ signage.

REQUIREMENTS OF NEW EXTERIOR SIGNS ARE: 1. The design and construction of all permanent signage must be approved by the Superintendent for each District and sent to the Central Office Construction Department for final approval.

When possible, include a lighted element in new construction signs.

5. The sign should contain the OFFICIAL Harmony ​school logo (campus version of the Harmony Public Schools logo).

NO OLD OR OTHER VERSIONS ARE AUTHORIZED BY CENTRAL OFFICE. These can be either white text on a blue background OR blue text on a white background.

NO OTHER COLORS are approved by Central Office for use in LOGOS.

2. Exterior signage for new construction sites shall be included in the total construction project​planning and budget for that campus.

3. Any permanent exterior signage may NOT contain an image of a mascot ​or any other emblem which is not the logo.

Where possible, please include Harmony’s official tagline “Where Excellence is Our Standard.”

6. The sign shall use only Harmony’s Official Colors (see "Color Palette" in this section).

4. Signage shall include lighting options​so that it can be seen at night.

For basic signs that contain no lights, please add spotlights from ground or building.

7. The sign shall use Harmony’s Font: Nobel or Nobel Italics.

To keep designs consistent, any text shall be designed using the font "Nobel."

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VISUAL BRANDING

Flag Use & Display Each campus should fly the U.S., Texas and blue Harmony Public Schools flags, at the size indicated by the campus flag pole standards. Damaged or faded flags should be replaced immediately and respectfully retired in accordance with U.S. flag code.

If flags are hoisted at even heights, U.S. flag should be displayed at viewer's left, followed by state flag, and finally HPS flag.

If flags are hoisted at uneven heights, U.S. flag should be displayed at highest point, followed by state flag, and finally HPS flag.

If flags are hoisted on a single flagpole, U.S. flag should be at highest point, followed by state flag, then HPS flag, with a minimum of 6" of separation between each flag.

If flags are crossed (as on a wall), U.S. flag should be displayed to viewer's left. U.S. flagpole should appear on top of state flagpole.

If displayed at a podium or on a platform, U.S. flag should be at viewer's left, followed by state flag, and HPS flag.

If displayed with international flags, U.S. flag should be displayed at left if all flags are at same height, or at highest point if flags are displayed at varying heights.

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HPS GUIDE TO COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING