MCPSS Wins Best in Show From Southern Public Relations Federation for Website Redesign

MOBILE, Ala. — The overhaul of Mobile County Public Schools’ online presence has earned the district top honors across the Gulf South. The Southern Public Relations Federation awarded MCPSS its Best in Show prize for the redesign of the district website and all 90 of its individual school websites, a project that outscored 140 communication campaigns entered from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi.

The district also received an Award of Excellence for MCPSS-U, a program that invites school employees to meet with district leaders and learn how the system’s departments operate.

A district-wide redesign

The new websites launched in 2025. The project was led by the district’s Office of Communication and its Division of Information Technology, but it depended on work done at the school level, where webmasters, principals and assistant principals at each campus helped build out and maintain their school’s site.

The redesign had several goals. The sites were built to comply with new federal accessibility rules under the Americans with Disabilities Act, to be easier for families to use and to proudly display each school’s logo and colors. Rather than a patchwork of different designs, families moving between a child’s elementary school, middle school and the central district site now find a consistent experience.

The websites are also connected to the district’s other communication tools. They are integrated with a new mobile app, the district’s social media channels and an alert system that lets school leaders easily send messages and texts to parents.

‘Truly a team effort’

MCPSS Director of Communication Rena Philips credited the many people who worked on the project across the district.

“This was truly a team effort,” Philips said. “Our goal was to improve communication with parents by making it easier for them to find information, stay informed and feel more connected to their children’s schools. We’ve received positive feedback from parents and school leaders, and we’re proud that this work is making a difference. This recognition reflects months of hard work and collaboration by so many people across our district and in all 90 schools.”

The scale of the project reflects the size of the district. As one of the largest school systems in Alabama, MCPSS serves families across Mobile County, from city neighborhoods to rural communities, and each of its 90 schools now has a site built on the same accessible, mobile-friendly foundation.

Why accessibility rules mattered

Accessibility was one of the main drivers behind the redesign. In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice finalized a rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act that sets specific technical standards for the websites and mobile apps of state and local governments, including public school systems. The rule adopts the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, known as WCAG 2.1, at the AA level, and gives larger public entities until April 2026 to comply.

In practical terms, accessible websites are designed so that people with disabilities can use them. That includes making pages work with screen readers used by people who are blind or have low vision, providing text descriptions for images, ensuring sufficient color contrast, allowing navigation by keyboard and captioning video. For a school district, accessible sites help parents, students and community members with disabilities get the same information as everyone else.

What families use the sites for

School and district websites are often the first stop for parents looking for calendars, lunch menus, bus information, enrollment details and emergency notices. Their importance was on display this month as Hurricane Isaias approached the coast and Mobile County schools announced closures, and families relied on district alerts and online updates to plan their days.

The sites also carry time-sensitive information such as application windows. Applications for nine MCPSS magnet schools, for example, are open through 5 p.m. Oct. 26, and the district posts details about those programs online.

About the awards

The Southern Public Relations Federation is a regional professional organization for public relations and communications practitioners in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. Each year it recognizes outstanding work through its Lantern Awards, which judge entries not only on the finished product but also on the research, planning, implementation and results behind them. Best in Show is the top honor in the competition.

MCPSS was not the only Mobile organization recognized this year. The Mobile Chamber’s communications team also brought home three Southern Public Relations Federation awards for its work on a 2025 mayoral debate, its member travel program and a weekly member column.

MCPSS-U earns Award of Excellence

The district’s second honor, an Award of Excellence, went to MCPSS-U. Through the program, school employees are invited to meet with district leaders and learn how MCPSS’s various departments operate. Programs like this are designed to give teachers and staff a better understanding of how decisions are made and how the central office supports schools, which can in turn help employees answer questions from parents and the community.

The awards add to a busy stretch of recognition for the district, which has also been celebrating its classroom staff. Four MCPSS teachers were recently surprised in their classrooms as Mobile County’s Golden Apple winners.

At a glance

• Top award: Best in Show, Southern Public Relations Federation
• Project: Redesign of the MCPSS district website and all 90 school websites, launched in 2025
• Competition: 140 communication campaigns from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi
• Led by: MCPSS Office of Communication and Division of Information Technology, with school webmasters, principals and assistant principals
• Features: ADA accessibility compliance, school logos and colors, integration with a mobile app, social media and a parent alert and text system
• Second honor: Award of Excellence for the MCPSS-U employee program