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COSSBA Connection - February 2025

Writer: COSSBACOSSBA
Feb 1715 min read

In this Issue:

 

Focus, Support, and Collaboration Benefiting State Associations:

Originating Chair Ege Cordell Emphasizes COSSBA’s Founding Principles


In a recent interview, Ege Cordell, the founding chair of the Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA), shared insights into the organization's origins, principles, and aspirations. In an interview with Dr. Dean Langdon, Member Services, Cordell highlighted the importance of unity, support, and a steadfast commitment to state associations.


The Genesis of COSSBA: A Focus on Support and Collaboration


Cordell emphasized that COSSBA's formation was driven by a clear vision to support state school board associations. The organization's early days involved setting standards and identifying gaps in the support systems for these associations. The executive directors of state associations played a crucial role, volunteering their expertise and time to establish the organization’s foundation. This grassroots effort fostered a sense of unity and collegiality, with every voice being valued.


According to Cordell, “It actually created a real “consortium” before the consortium was established…there was a meeting of the minds, and it was everyone's voice that had value.”


A Non-Partisan Approach


A cornerstone of COSSBA's identity is its non-partisan stance, which focuses on the needs of its state associations and local school boards without political bias.

 

"We are nonpartisan. It (politics) does not enter the discussion in what we support,” Cordell stated.

 

This approach allows COSSBA to build strong relationships with each state, understand their specific concerns, and craft a common theme for each issue. For smaller state associations, like Cordell's, COSSBA provides a national voice that could not be achieved otherwise.  The inclusion of nationwide members offers the opportunity to learn from the experiences of other states.


Supporting State Associations and Local School Boards


COSSBA recognizes the vital role of state associations in supporting local school boards. Cordell notes that "the stability of local school boards is often rooted in the strength of our state associations." COSSBA aims to strengthen state associations by providing resources, guidance, and information, thus empowering them to better support their local boards. This approach allows states to personalize the support they deliver to their members, addressing their local school boards' unique needs.


Addressing Challenges and Focusing on Excellence


COSSBA’s learning events focus on pursuing excellence in non-profit association governance and best practices for local boards of education. These events cover various topics, including school funding, mental health, technology, and teacher recruitment and retention. The organization provides broad, in-depth sessions, including a UBA day dedicated to challenging learning environments. Cordell highlighted the importance of these learning opportunities, saying, “The full annual conference gives us that depth and breadth of educational issues...opportunities to learn something new or reinforce an existing practice.” COSSBA also incorporates a variety of perspectives through keynote speakers and encourages the sharing of expertise among members.


Looking to the Future: Aspirations and Priorities 

 

Cordell's aspirations for COSSBA include increased visibility and expanding services to members. COSSBA aims to empower state organizations so they can better support their local districts, and Cordell believes the organization will remain true to its mission. 

 

“Our mission and vision are going to be the same,” Cordell explained. “Our principles are going to be the same. We're always going to be transparent. We're always going to be relevant. We're always going to be communicative, focusing on transparency.” 

 

The Impact of COSSBA 

 

On a personal level, Cordell described COSSBA as “my trusted friend, confidant, mentor, teacher, and guide through this journey that we call schoolboard service.” She emphasized that through COSSBA, she has grown and achieved a level of school board excellence. This sentiment underscores the organization's profound impact on its members. COSSBA is seen as a resource and an essential support system for those committed to public education. 

 

Ege Cordell is the First Vice President (Chesterfield) of the New Hampshire School Boards Associations and the Immediate Past Chair of the Consortium of State School Boards Associations.


 

Annual Member Business Meeting Sets Direction for COSSBA’s Advocacy Efforts

Each year, delegates of COSSBA’s member state associations gather for the Annual Member Business Meeting to consider amendments to the Association’s bylaws and the adoption, deletion, and amendment of resolutions and advocacy position statements.  According to the bylaws, “Any Member of COSSBA may propose resolutions or position statements pertinent to the purposes and objectives of the Consortium by submitting the same in writing to the Executive Director at least 60 days before the Annual Member Business Meeting.” COSSBA members, as referenced here, are the state school board associations that retain Consortium membership.


All state association members receive written notice of the proposed resolutions and position statements at least 20 days before the COSSBA Annual Member Business Meeting, to be held this year, on Friday, March 21 at 9:00 a.m. at the COSSBA National Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. While participation in the meeting is limited to state school boards association delegations, observational seating is available based on room capacity.   


The final adoption of resolutions and position statements requires approval by a two-thirds majority of the entire voting membership. All other motions, other than motions for final adoption, made during deliberations are subject to a majority of the members present. The Annual Member Business Meeting is conducted under the Roberts Rules of Order Revised to the extent that they facilitate the fair and constructive conduct of and help the business of COSSBA and are consistent with Consortium bylaws. 


Additionally, the Annual Member Business Meeting provides an opportunity to hear the Consortium's annual report as presented by the executive director. Members attending the COSSBA National Conference may find more information about the location and time of the meeting by visiting the conference website. 


There is still time to register for the National Conference. For the conference program, registration and hotel information, click here.


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Dr. Bernice A. King to Speak on the Transformative Impact of Non-Violence at UBA Pre-Conference

This article is provided by the Unified Boards Alliance (UBA)


As our nation struggles with the troubling instances of violence within school districts, a pressing question lingers in the minds of many: Why? The search for answers often yields multiple explanations, yet none seem to justify the tragic events. Another equally critical question arises: Could these incidents have been prevented? If so, how?

On Thursday, March 20, 2025, the Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA) aims to address this pressing issue by spotlighting a powerful voice for change. During its National Conference Pre-Conference Day, COSSBA will welcome Dr. Bernice A. King, the youngest daughter of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as a keynote speaker.


Dr. King will share her unique perspective on the importance of advocating for non-violence within schools. Drawing from her father’s profound teachings and the ongoing work at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, she will emphasize the need to instill non-violence principles in school districts nationwide. Her address will focus on practical applications of non-violent practices and their transformative potential in fostering safer, more respectful learning environments.


The event serves as a call to action, inviting school board members, superintendents, and school board executives to imagine a district free from violence. Dr. King’s insights offer a vision of how embracing non-violence can profoundly impact how we live, educate, communicate, and respect one another.


COSSBA encourages all those committed to creating positive change in schools to attend this impactful session. Together, we can take meaningful steps toward a safer, more compassionate future for the next generation.

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National School Safety Symposium Focuses on School Safety Teams


School safety remains a top priority for education leaders nationwide. With evolving challenges and new risks emerging every day, it’s critical for school districts to stay ahead with the latest strategies and best practices. The National School Safety Symposium, taking place June 25-27, 2025, in St. Louis, Missouri, is the premier event designed to equip district safety teams with the tools and insights needed to ensure safer learning environments.


Hosted by COSSBA’s Unified Boards Alliance in collaboration with the MSBA Center for Education Safety and the Pennsylvania School Safety Institute (PENNSSI), this event brings together top national experts, thought leaders, and frontline professionals in school safety.


Why You Should Attend

This one-of-a-kind symposium is designed for school board members, superintendents, school resource officers, district safety personnel, school communications professionals, and law enforcement officials—the key players in keeping our schools safe.

  • Nationally Recognized Speakers – Gain insights from leading experts in school safety and security.

    • Dr. Melissa Reeves, Ph.D., NCSP, LPC is a nationally certified school psychologist, licensed special education teacher, licensed professional counselor, and former district coordinator of social/emotion/behavioral services. Dr. Reeves is a threat assessment and mental health specialist, and senior advisor and speaker for Safe and Sound Schools.

    • Frank DeAngelis, retired principal of Columbine High School. He serves as a Special Advisor to Safe and Sound Schools. He is a national-level speaker and addressed many professional and school audiences about recovery after a school-based tragedy.

  • Interactive, Hands-On Sessions – Bring your district’s current school safety plan and receive guidance on refining it with the latest risk mitigation strategies.

  • Lessons on the “First Five” – Learn what to do in the crucial first five minutes, five hours and five months of an emergency.

  • Real-World Role-Playing Exercises – Prepare your team with scenario-based training.

  • Engaging Panel Discussions – Hear from district leaders, security professionals, and law enforcement on best practices and emerging trends.

Secure Your Spot

This exclusive event is limited to 300 attendees, ensuring an intimate collaboration and hands-on learning setting. Discounted group pricing is available for teams registering together:

  • Registration Fee: $625 per person

  • Team Rate (3 or more): $535 per person (must register at the same time)

Join Us in St. Louis!

This symposium is more than just a conference—it’s an opportunity to strengthen your district’s safety protocols, collaborate with peers, and leave with actionable solutions to protect students, staff, and communities.

Don’t miss this essential event. Register today and take the next step in building a safer future for our schools.

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Resilient Leaders Accept That, Sometimes, Life Is Like A “Sugar Cookie”

By Thomas Bertrand, Ph.D., COSSBA Executive Director


In the book Sailing True North, Admiral Bill McRaven, vividly illustrates the unpredictable, unforgiving and sometimes seemingly random events that occur in our lives.  


McRaven describes the experience of Navy SEAL trainees who are subject--often randomly, to a punishment where they are directed to get wet and sandy on the beaches. By the time they are finished the trainees look like sand covered, “sugar cookies.”


McRaven goes on to state, “Sometimes, no matter how well you prepare or perform, you still end up as a sugar cookie. It’s just the way life is sometimes. In order to lead, you’ve got to be able to ‘get over being a sugar cookie’ and keep moving forward.” SEAL trainees are challenged to develop greater resiliency regardless of the challenges they face.    


None of us could have imagined the challenges that associations and local school boards have faced in recent years. The global pandemic and its aftermath, coupled with a hyper-partisan political environment, has made the challenging job of guiding an association and a school district even more difficult. Fighting your way through so many challenging leadership moments in life requires real resiliency. While part of resilience may be inherent in one’s character and beyond one’s control, McRaven suggests that resilience can be further developed based on three elements of our lives that are within our control. 


The company we keep. Seek out others who have successfully managed adversity and emerged on the other side. Too often we undervalue the experiences of our peers who set examples of resilience for us. Now more than ever, it is critical that leaders expand their “Community of Practice.”  


The books we read. There are many examples of resilience in literature and history. One example is The Choice: Embrace The Possible, by Dr. Edith Eva Eger. A Holocaust survivor, Eger reminds us that our painful experiences in life “give us perspective and meaning, an opportunity to find our unique purpose and our strength.”  


The inner conversations that we have. I recall Dr. Eger posing the essential question for survivors as “What next?” rather than “Why me?” It’s important that in our inner conversations, we tell ourselves, “I refuse to be a victim. I will prevail. I will not blame others. I will live to fight another day.” 


Association leaders and local school board members routinely face difficult decisions--and there are more to come. Despite your best preparation, your best plans, and your most informed decisions, things may fall apart--often because of circumstances beyond your control. I am often amazed at the resilience and perspective displayed by dedicated leaders of our state associations and the school board members they serve nationwide.  


At some point, we may all end up like sugar cookies, but we also have a choice about how to respond. Millions of public school children are counting on us to keep moving forward and to provide hope and optimism for the future.


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Faced With Executive Orders, What Are Schools’ Marching Orders?

By Thom Fladung and Bruce Hennes, Hennes Communications

The news coming at school administrators and school boards has been fast and furious: ICE agents can enter schools to stage immigration raids. “Gender ideology” must be removed from classrooms to retain federal funding. “School choice” is expanding exponentially, with government-funded vouchers soon flowing to parents who send their children to private schools. Federal spending on education programs across the country is frozen.


Except…at this writing, there have been no documented instances of ICE agents entering any school or school bus. The White House executive orders involving the teaching of gender ideology and critical race theory, as well as the expansion of private school vouchers, have no immediate impact and the ultimate impact is unclear. And, while the freeze on funding for federal grants and other programs was indeed issued, it was quickly rescinded and now faces  a temporary restraining order from a federal judge.


Got all that?


This much is clear: Schools are dealing with a lot right now. Here’s how Chalkbeat characterized the current climate: “With a series of sweeping executive actions, President Donald Trump is seeking to remake K-12 education in a conservative image. In the process, he’s pushing legal and political boundaries on how far the federal government can reach into American classrooms.”


What should schools be doing right now? From a crisis communications and crisis planning standpoint, here are some best practices to consider.


Go to school on executive orders


School board members and school district leaders should have a clear understanding of how presidential executive orders work and what they mean. And be prepared to help your parents, teachers, staff and students understand as well.


The national School Superintendents Association (AASA) recently provided this guidance: “…it's crucial to clearly understand the scope of executive orders and to approach these and other recent actions with careful consideration.  Executive orders do not create new laws, amend existing laws, or offer binding legal interpretations for schools to follow. Instead, they direct federal agencies on how the President intends to enforce existing laws. … However, their authority remains constrained by the text of existing statutes and regulations, as well as by court interpretations of those laws. Without action from Congress or the judiciary, many of the more aggressive interpretations reflected in these executive orders cannot, on their own, alter the legal landscape.”


Chalkbeat added this perspective: “…the executive orders on their own have little power to radically and rapidly change an American school system in which states, school districts, and even individual schools have traditionally called the shots on everything from what kids learn to which restroom transgender students use. …It will likely take months for the full impact of the executive orders to be clear.”


And Business Insider offered: “Because states still largely control funding and public school curricula, though, it's unclear how Trump's plans to shape education across all classrooms would be implemented — and they would likely face legal challenges.”


In other words, much remains to be seen about how this will play out. And overreacting right now, including with communications, won’t help. Ready, fire, aim is not the course to choose.


That said, the time between now and when the practical effect of many of the executive orders will be known is a gift. It’s time you can use to study, plan and prepare. It’s not the time to hope all this goes away.


Consider your policies and procedures now


Use this time to review your existing policies and procedures – and involve your trusted legal counsel in that review.


The executive order of most urgency and concern to schools right now is the rescinding of the rule creating “protected areas,” which effectively blocked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from schools, places of worship and health care facilities.


Schools have scrambled to react, with no small amount of confusion accompanying the new guideline.


Chicago Public Schools mistakenly issued a report to parents that ICE agents had arrived at an elementary school when it was U.S. Secret Service agents investigating a threat at a nearby home and then also inquiring about it at the school. No agent entered the school, the Secret Service told the Chicago ABC affiliate. 


Akron Public Schools briefly placed Forest Hill Community Learning Center on lockdown after receiving reports of ICE agents near the elementary school. Again, no agent entered the school.


ICE told Newsweek in late January that no immigration enforcement operation has been conducted at schools or bus stops. And as of early February, no known operation had occurred. John Fabbricatore, a retired ICE field office director in Colorado, told Newsweek that the policy change does not specifically aim to increase operations in schools, but rather to remove restrictions on ICE's ability to operate in neighborhoods around sensitive locations.


"They didn't get rid of it so they could go into schools and churches. They got rid of it so they could actually go into just a regular neighborhood," Fabbricatore said.


Nevertheless, savvy schools across the nation have been reviewing policies around the immigration and ICE issues and communicating with staff members and parents how the prospect of immigration raids will be handled. Not surprisingly, those responses vary across the nation. Here’s a sample:

  • Denver Public Schools issued a memo to staff to deny ICE agents entry to buildings if the agents don't have an appointment of business with the school.

  • In Shaker Heights, Ohio, Superintendent Dr. David Glasner sent parents and staff a letter   that said: “Student records will not be shared with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unless required by a court order. ICE agents are not permitted to enter our schools without a valid warrant signed by a federal judge. While immigration enforcement actions on school grounds are highly unlikely, we will respond appropriately and with the same level of sensitivity and care we use working with all local, state and federal law enforcement agencies."


  • Florida's education department announced it will allow ICE agents into schools for immigration enforcement. “Florida schools will cooperate with all law enforcement working to enforce the nation’s laws on illegal immigration and keep our schools safe," a Florida Department of Education spokesperson told the USA TODAY Network – Florida.

  • The Oklahoma State Board of Education approved a proposal that requires parents to disclose their immigration status or provide proof of citizenship when enrolling their children in public schools.


AASA posted a reminder that according to the 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision Plyler v. Doe, states cannot constitutionally deny students a free public education based on their immigration status. The association also said that, in anticipation of ICE agents requesting data from schools, staff should be trained on the protections for student data provided by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).


Keep the communication lines open


As always, communications should follow actions. First, decide if and how you’ll respond to any of these issues. Second, be sure you then explain your actions or planned response. Because the people who care the most about your school – your teachers, staff, parents, students and local community – will be waiting to hear from you.


When you get questions about issues that may still be unclear or undecided, be open and truthful about that – while adding that you’re closely studying the situation and will communicate further when you have solid information to share. People will accept that you do not know yet how something may play out. They’re much less likely to accept “no comment” – and may walk away thinking you either don’t care or are unaware.

Preparation is key to minimizing confusion and fear. Schools can take the following steps to build trust and confidence:

  1. Develop clear protocols

    1. Work with district leadership to reinforce or establish consistent guidelines for responding to government agency visits.

    2. Train staff to remain calm and professional while adhering to district-approved policies.


  1. Equip staff with communication skills

    1. Conduct workshops to prepare staff for high-pressure situations, emphasizing professionalism and reassurance.

    2. Include training on managing difficult conversations with parents and guardians.

    3. Prepare for media attention. Media training is highly recommended for superintendents, principals, board chairs and others who may be designated spokespersons.


  1. Be consistent with your messages

    1. Be sure that staff members, particularly those who regularly answer phones, staff front desks or otherwise deal with the public, are armed with what to say, how to say it and how to respond when people ask questions your staff members are not equipped to answer – including knowing how to refer complicated questions to other members of staff when needed. Staying consistent with your messages is critical.

    2. Communicate your school’s commitment to protecting all students’ education and well-being.

    3. Emphasize the school’s commitment to safety and compliance with all legal obligations.

Why it matters

Schools are more than places of learning—they are community anchors that provide stability during uncertain times. By being prepared both to act and communicate, school leaders send the message to the community that they are taking these developments seriously and are taking steps both to comply with the law and protect the students they are charged with serving.


It’s time for America’s school leaders to do their homework.


Hennes Communications works extensively with schools and school districts across the nation. To reach Managing Partner Thom Fladung, email fladung@crisiscommunications.com or call 216-213-5196.

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