The Los Angeles County Office of Education’s (LACOE) Public Affairs and Communications Department has been honored with four distinguished awards from the California School Public Relations Association (CalSPRA), a statewide organization dedicated to promoting effective communication and community engagement in public education. These accolades highlight LACOE’s unwavering commitment to innovative communication strategies and community-focused initiatives.

CalSPRA’s Excellence in Communication Awards program honors superior achievement in strategic communication and public relations initiatives. Award entries were evaluated for overall excellence by a panel of communication professionals. The awards were presented at CalSPRA’s Annual Conference and Awards Banquet held last week in San Diego.

LACOE proudly received:

• One "California Gold Award" for its AI Guidelines, achieving a perfect score as the highest-rated entry in the Excellence Award category.  

• Two "Excellence in Communication Awards" for its AI Guidelines in the Comprehensive Campaign category and the "We Are LACOE" HR Video Series in the Video Series category.

• One "Award of Merit" for the redesign of its website.

Leading the Way in AI Guidance
LACOE’s AI Guidelines were developed as a proactive response to the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence in education. Recognizing the need for dedicated resources to navigate AI’s impact, LACOE’s Public Affairs and Communications (PAC) Department collaborated with the Technology Services Department’s EdTech team to develop a comprehensive program supporting staff, students and families across LACOE and L.A. County’s 80 school districts. This pioneering effort established an AI Taskforce with diverse representation, positioning LACOE as the first county office to provide AI guidelines for school districts. By leveraging various media, the website, social platforms, in-depth articles, newsletters, traditional media and producing a YouTube video series—we extended our reach to inform a broad audience about AI in education.

Showcasing Employee Voices
The "We Are LACOE" video series campaign was crafted to highlight organizational pride, showcase diverse employee experiences and attract future talent. By featuring authentic stories from employees across various roles and departments, the campaign celebrates LACOE’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. This initiative fosters transparency and trust, offering an honest perspective on the unique experiences and growth opportunities within the organization.

Enhancing Digital Accessibility
LACOE’s website redesign prioritized user-friendly navigation for educators, administrators, students and the public. The revamped website features improved content management, enhanced security and accessibility and dynamic content updates through a News module and Content Carousel, ensuring visitors stay informed about LACOE’s initiatives and activities.

A Collaborative Achievement
 "These awards are a testament to the incredible collaboration and dedication across LACOE,” said Dr. Elizabeth Graswich, LACOE’s Executive Director of Public Affairs and Communications. "We are immensely proud of our partnerships with the Human Resources and Technology Services departments and Personnel Commission, whose invaluable contributions were instrumental in achieving this success. These recognitions reflect our shared commitment to serving our community with innovation, transparency and purpose."

LACOE also extends congratulations to other outstanding school districts in Los Angeles County that received Excellence and Merit awards at this year's CalSPRA Awards. Their achievements underscore the county's dedication to advancing education through effective and strategic communication.

L.A. County Award Recipients
2025 Superintendent to Watch: Dr. Antonio Shelton, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District

Excellence in Communications Awards
Covina-Valley Unified School District:

• Covina-Valley Unified Report to the Community 23-24, Annual Report

• Covina-Valley Middle School Wrestling League Postcard, Infographic

• News Release Strategies

• Partners in Commumity Showcase Video, Video Produced with Outside Contractor 

Long Beach Unified School District Logo and Visual Identity Package: Comprehensive District Rebrand, Branding/Image Package 

Torrance Unified School District:

• Enrollment Marketing Campaign, Comprehensive Program or Campaign > Marketing/branding campaign

• Youth Inventor Wins Global Award, News Release

• ELOP Recruitment Video, Video Produced with Outside Contractor

Award of Merit:
Alhambra Unified School District:

• Monterey Park Cascades Community News, Newsletter

• Career Technical Education Program, Video Produced with Outside Contractor

Covina-Valley Unified School District:

• Celebrating Culture and Diversity at C-VUSD, DEI Feature or Multilingual Materials

• Superintendent Video Updates, Video Series: Produced with Outside Contractor

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District: Preparing for the Future: School Facilities from the Past to Tomorrow, Bond/finance election campaign