|
Dear School Communicators,
I hope you're enjoying the change of pace that summer brings. I also hope you've had an opportunity to rest, recharge and take a well-deserved breath before another busy school year begins.
One of my favorite things about summer in school communications is that there’s a natural pause that allows us to reflect and recalibrate our strategies for serving our staff, students and parents and for connecting with our communities. Here at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, we've been using the summer to regroup as well. Our communications team has been taking a close look at how we serve the agency and support school districts, and we're putting new processes and procedures in place to strengthen that work.
Next week, I’ll be attending the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) Seminar in New Orleans. I’m excited for the opportunity to learn from others and to connect with school communicators across the nation. If you'll be there, I'd love the opportunity to connect. Feel free to stop me in the hallways, send me a text (984-212-1157) or email, or reach out to set up a time to chat.
As always, thank you for everything you do to tell the story of public education in your communities. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to celebrate the good in North Carolina’s public schools alongside you every day.
Jeanie McDowell
NCDPI Director of Communications
Welcome Philip Jackson, New NCDPI Communications Team Member
Please help us in extending a warm welcome to the newest member of NCDPI’s Communications Team, Philip Jackson!
Philip brings a great mix of experience from across North Carolina - including the USPS, Duke University, NC DHHS and most recently the NC Forest Service. In his last role, Philip was instrumental in their media relations, emergency response communications, public outreach, public records and storytelling - he even spent some time as Smokey the Bear!
Philip operates with a learner’s mindset, asking questions, learning subject matter and then communicates it in a way people can understand. He even became a trained firefighter to better understand the work of the people he spent the most time communicating to and about.
In addition to generally supporting the agency as a communications specialist at NCDPI, Philip will also be managing the Celebrate the Good Blog.
We are so excited to welcome Philip to the team!
P.S. Philip is also a new father! He and his wife welcomed their first child, a baby girl, about a week before starting this role. As such, he is currently on intermittent parental leave.
PIO Office Hours: Guidance on Sharing Student Photos and Videos - Aug. 4, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
In this office hours session, we will review NCDPI's newest considerations for protecting student identity in the age of AI. The intention is not to create hard-and-fast rules, but rather to help guide conversations about how to elevate student voice while being mindful of student identity.
For additional context, advances in AI have made it easier for images, videos and audio recordings to be altered, replicated and redistributed. The Internet Watch Foundation reported a 26,362% increase in reports of photo-realistic AI-generated child sexual abuse material in 2025. While this represents an extreme example of how technology can be misused, it underscores a broader reality: once digital content is shared publicly, it can be difficult to control how it is used.
Join us on Tuesday, August 4, from 2:30-3:30 p.m., at the link below.
One tap mobile
+16692545252,,1653813933#,,,,*743594# US (San Jose)
+16469641167,,1653813933#,,,,*743594# US (US Spanish Line)
---
Dial by your location
• +1 669 254 5252 US (San Jose)
• +1 646 964 1167 US (US Spanish Line)
• +1 646 828 7666 US (New York)
• +1 415 449 4000 US (US Spanish Line)
• +1 551 285 1373 US (New Jersey)
• +1 669 216 1590 US (San Jose)
Meeting ID: 165 381 3933
Passcode: 743594
Updating PIO Listserv for SY26-27 - Add Additional Members of Your Comms Team
In most cases, the lead communications staff member of the school district is on our distribution list to receive relevant NCDPI communications updates. If you would like to add additional members of your team to receive these updates, please submit those emails via the form below:
August 2026 Meeting of UNC School of Government Public Records Working Group: Phishing, AI and Other Technological Dilemmas
Please join us for the August 2026 meeting of the Public Records Working Group. This quarterly meeting is designed for government professionals whose regular responsibilities include public records-related tasks such as responding to requests and handling retention. Through these meetings, we hope to bring together government practitioners from a variety of different units to connect over questions, experiences and tricks of the trade.
Each meeting will focus on a particular topic within public records law and practice. After a brief overview of the topic, the meeting will transition to Q&A and small group discussion. The August meeting will center on the public records law questions posed by various technological advances. If you have specific questions you’d like addressed during the meeting, please send them in advance to wilson@sog.unc.edu.
Please find the Zoom information below. We hope to see you there.
****
Join Zoom Meeting
https://unc.zoom.us/j/92108420888
Meeting ID: 921 0842 0888
---
One tap mobile
+16469313860,,92108420888# US
+19294362866,,92108420888# US (New York)
---
Join by SIP
• 92108420888@zoomcrc.com
Join instructions
https://unc.zoom.us/meetings/92108420888/invitations?signature=5y5LF2K5NZu5jduEa3QQOaN3TTx4tnx4KkpH_T8RhOA
|
