School Superintendent Shares District's Experience With H1N1 on District Leader's Podcast

School superintendents concerned about the potential impact of H1N1 on campus can hear first-hand about a communication strategy that was put into action at the beginning of the school year by Neil Rochelle, superintendent of the Iroquois Central School District in Western New York. To hear Rochelle's commentary, please go to the latest edition of DistrictLeadersPodcast.com, the only national podcast Web site created expressly for district leaders and other educational leaders.

At the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year, Iroquois Central School District had an absentee rate of 500 of 3,000 students. Iroquois Central School District was the first district in Western New York to possibly have an outbreak of H1N1. Rochelle used a variety of traditional and social media channels to communicate with the school community.

In the podcast, guest host Dr. Kathleen P. King, professor of adult education at Fordham University, asked Rochelle:

  --  When do you close schools with the possibility of an H1N1 outbreak?
  --  How do you control panic in the school community as H1N1 emerges?
  --  Where can district leaders turn for assistance and guidance?

  --  How can social media be used to communicate and build support?

"There's an enormous amount of information for school leaders available to address H1N1 concerns," said Rochelle. "The state departments of health and education provide excellent resources on how to address communications to parents and the community. Perhaps most helpful is learning from others through their own experience. Reach out to other local superintendents who have addressed H1N1 and ask what worked."

Before joining the Iroquois Central School District, Rochelle was superintendent at Keshequa Central School and elementary principal at Keshequa Central School. He has been a superintendent for 10 years.

About DistrictLeadersPodcast.com

The District Leader's Podcast team is passionate about education and deeply committed to student success. The site serves as a valuable tool for anyone interested in improving America's schools. District Leader's Podcast is sponsored by McGraw-Hill Education's Urban Advisory Resource comprising former education leaders and other experts with extensive experience in managing large school districts. It is produced by TeachersPodcast.org, a professional development resource for educators with an audience of more than 4.3 million listeners. The podcast is currently listed on iTunes as "New and Notable" for K-12 Education. Visit www.DistrictLeadersPodcast.com for more information.

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SOURCE: McGraw-Hill Education; District Leader's Podcast

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