Guidance for Principals: Rebuilding Trust, Relationships, and Community During In-Person and Virtual Learning

As teachers and staff begin to remotely restore classroom connections, it’s important that we have a plan that honors our shared commitment to our students, families, communities, and each other. We are continuing to work while recognizing that, in the very least, current events are creating enormous disruptions to normal life and an interruption to relationships, safety, and predictability, and this in and of itself may have been traumatic for some- especially many of our students. Therefore, as we return, it is important that we center on our shared mission with an understanding that some colleagues and students may be feeling very fragile or shaken by this experience, and some may be grieving. Although building community has always been considered the cornerstone for safe, supportive, productive schools and classrooms, re-establishing a sense of unity and solidarity is more important than ever.

In these times of uncertainty we want to ensure that as students and staff return to school we have a plan that honors our shared commitment to our students, families, communities, and each other. Students and school staff who are returning to school after an extended time away from school and in-person instruction may have some difficulty adjusting. During students' absence, they may have encountered challenging experiences that may not be apparent to others. Upon returning to school, they may not know what to expect. They may worry about being behind in their school work/work duties, promotion, standardized test scores, matriculation to high school/college as well as the well-being of their families and friends. All of these and other stressors can make returning to a new structure or learning difficult, and it is incumbent upon school staff to offer support, minimize stress, and establish structures, rituals, and routines that lay the foundation for caring, supportive interactions between staff and with students and families, every single day.

The following guidance is a living document designed to support our school leaders in welcoming teachers, and students back to a learning community and establishing a positive and supportive culture and climate. This document includes ideas and resources to support each school’s unique needs for community and relationship building. We collaborated with chiefs, principals, teachers, students, and school partners to compile this guidance and will update it as we receive feedback, questions, and additional resources.