Episode Details

William Parker, principal of Skiatook High School near Tulsa, Oklahoma, explains how to handle a student death at school. In one year his staff lost a senior cheerleader in a car accident and a sophomore girl who was murdered at home, and he lays out the steps that helped them through it.

Parker's steps include over-communicating with parents and staff, contacting families directly, getting back to routine fast, and saying yes to student ideas like everyone wearing one color for a photo in the gym. He also tells how a teacher let students write on a desk with a Sharpie without asking permission.

What you'll learn

• Call an emergency faculty meeting the morning after a death, and email parents the steps staff are taking and which grief counselors will be on hand.
• Get the school back to routine quickly, and keep room for any student or teacher who needs a break or a counselor.
• Say yes to sensible, spontaneous student ideas, such as everyone wearing one color for a photo in the gym.
• Write statements for the local press and act as the point person so reporters stay off your campus.
• Talk to the one or two teachers who are off track instead of blasting the whole staff with a shotgun message.

Chapters

• 0:00 Meet William Parker of Skiatook High School
• 4:12 What he kept from his retired principal
• 8:13 Key responsibility areas for office staff
• 13:39 Leading a school through two student deaths
• 23:00 Building trust so teachers act without fear
• 26:58 Remembering why you lead, every day
• 30:31 Blogging and connecting with principals online

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Questions this episode answers

How should a principal respond when a student dies?
Parker's school lost two students in one year. His team communicated heavily with parents and staff, stayed visible by contacting families directly, kept routine with room for grief, welcomed student ideas, wrote statements for the media, and he let himself grieve too.

How do you build trust so teachers make good decisions without asking permission?
Parker says it starts with hiring teachers who are great instructors and compassionate, then treating them with the dignity you want yourself. He talks to the one or two teachers who err instead of blasting everyone, and stays connected to staff as people.

How can you make clear who is responsible for what in a school office?
Parker borrowed key responsibility areas from the book EntreLeadership. He sat down with office and counseling staff, listed each person's areas, put them in writing, and when two people managed the same area he decided who was ultimately responsible.

About William Parker

Principal of Skiatook High School, a 9-12 school of 750 students just north of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Links and resources

• William Parker's website
• William Parker on Twitter
• William Parker's interviews with leaders
• EntreLeadership
• Blog post on KRAs
• Michael Hyatt leadership podcasts
• Principal Matters blog

Working on this at your school? Get a free preview of a 10-week leadership pathway built from episodes like this one at transformativeprincipal.com/start.

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