Trinity’s welcome letter from early August emphasized that “Communication between the advisor(s), teacher(s), and parent(s) is an important ingredient in a good education.” Notably, one component of the Trinity family received no mention: the ones experiencing said education.

That was not a coincidence. The email included information about class schedules, attendance policies, parking and dress code, among other crucial aspects of student life, yet never made it to students. And it definitely set a precedent.

Students are consistently an afterthought to our school’s communication. Impromptu announcements make this exceedingly evident.

On Sept. 26, the school was forced to hold a virtual day as Hurricane Helene crossed Florida. The decision was made the day prior, and while an alert was promptly sent to parents and faculty, students could only find out secondhand.

Expecting teachers to relay things to their students is not unreasonable. However, relying on individual faculty members to ensure such a significant update reaches every student across 50 different classrooms is bound to create uncertainty that direct, centralized communication would head off.

To the school’s credit, students were included on an email announcing campus closure due to Hurricane Milton two weeks later — but not until a couple of hours after parents had been notified.

This practice of prioritizing parents is not exclusive to unplanned messages. According to Director of Marketing and Communications Kelly Gaines, any communication that involves parental action, such as registration or payment, is sent strictly to parents. Recent examples include the newly added after-school programs and optional uniform shirts. Major policy changes are not immune either, like the new phone policy, announced over the summer in a parent-only email.

Certainly, parents deserve to be aware of opportunities for their children. But they are not the ones turning in their phones every morning. They are not the ones staying after school to play chess. They are not the ones with a dress code to follow. Students are.

“I definitely think as students, we should have the right to know what’s happening,” freshman Henry Greenlee said. “Some parents don’t tell their kids stuff … It’s definitely better if they send emails out to the students as well as the families.”

Leaving students off school communication does not prevent information from reaching them; it just forces that information to travel through the grapevine instead of official channels. And when students’ only outlet for important information is gossip, miscommunications abound.

“When communication goes out to parents, I typically hear 15 different versions of what that communication said from different students coming to ask about rumors that their friend told them,” social science fellow Quinn McKenzie said. “And I think that’s going to happen when communication is not directed to the students … When you give them a crumb, they’re going to turn that crumb into their own imaginary cake.”

As authority figures, faculty should be able to shut down these rumors. But that is only possible if they are informed enough to do so.

In August, the school announced to families that Director of Forensics Benjamin Gaddis would depart Trinity in October. McKenzie, who coaches for the debate team, recalls that he was notified at the same time, but with even less detail. This put him in an uncomfortable position: When students came to him with questions about the program he helps to run, he could offer no reassurance.

That situation is all too common. When students can no longer turn to teachers — the people who are supposed to be guiding them — for answers, the trust between them is lost.

“It’s tough for us to be the responsible adults in the room when we have the same amount of information as the students,” McKenzie said. “When events or incidents happen, families want answers, and we’re going to be the people they feel comfortable going to.”

Teachers’ lives are needlessly burdened by the lack of clear updates. Frequently, an event like bingo is added to the school calendar but never explicitly mentioned. The calendar is available to all faculty, but when a simple message could eliminate any confusion, there is no reason to play spot-the-new-middle-block-event with those who simply want to give their students a good education — a key part of which, by the school’s own admission, is communication.

Part of the solution is already in motion: keeping faculty updated on what families know. Though still not always the case, Trinity now routinely sends employees a copy of any communication addressed to parents, which is a fantastic step forward.

The next step is extending that courtesy to students. Even when a message contains information a student cannot directly act on, there is no harm in keeping us in the loop. Weekly assembly is a great outlet, but as a supplement to daily communication, not a replacement for it. Gaines is working hard to make sure no one is forgotten.

“Not everybody uses email,” Gaines said. “Not all sixth and seventh graders have a phone, so text message won’t work for them. Not everyone uses social media. So I have to find a delicate blend between all of our distribution channels to make sure that everyone feels like they’re being reached.”

It may be difficult, but we are worth the effort. Kids are part of the family. Let’s treat them like it.

The lead editorial expresses the opinion of the Trinity Voice editorial staff. Please send comments to [email protected].