Description

With a long-standing culture of wild crisis management and shootin’ from the hip communication, the San Marcos Unified team came together to rope in their crisis management. With new disasters and threats to schools constantly lurking, it is critical that school districts’ crisis communications are tightly aligned, from your Board, to district leadership, to your school sites, at every moment of an incident. 

After multiple, highly-publicized “swatting” calls and bomb threats to the largest high school in San Diego county, San Marcos Unified School District developed a crisis structure and communications framework to serve as an effective guide for nearly every type of crisis incident. 

In the heat of a crisis, information is flying and the situation is changing by the minute—hear about the mistakes made and lessons learned, so you can avoid the pitfalls of the Wild, Wild West of crisis comms and rope in a win for your district! 

About the Presenters:

Amy Ventetuolo serves as the Public Information Officer for San Marcos Unified, bringing over 20 years of experience to the role. Ventetuolo has served as the Public Information Officer for the second largest county in Nevada, and Vice President of Marketing for a local healthcare organization. Her experience includes creating award-winning strategic communications and integrated marketing campaigns, including federal legislation communications. Ventetuolo earned her Bachelor's degree in Communication from California State University, San Marcos, and is currently completing graduate studies in Strategic Communications from Liberty Baptist University. She is also a graduate of CSUSM’s Leadership North County and holds multiple certifications in crisis communication Incident Command System training. 

Christi Frias, Director of Student Services As the Student Services Director in San Marcos Unified School District, Christi Frias serves as the Incident Commander for all crisis incidents and emergencies across the district. Throughout her career, she has worked tirelessly to create and implement programs and services that promote healthy and positive learning environments to foster student success. Mrs. Frias has experience working with a variety of stakeholders, including students, parents, faculty, and community members, to create meaningful change. In addition to crisis and emergency management, she also oversees safe school programs and procedures, student mental health & wellness, attendance, discipline, and student transfers.