This article was originally published on January 6, 2026, and reflects information known by this date. 

Special thanks to Chelsea Janke and Ashley Winter of CEL Marketing PR Design for sharing their expertise in a #SocialSchool4EDU webinar. This blog summarizes their most important takeaways. 

If school communication is about one thing, it’s connection. We tell stories to bring people in, help families feel informed, and build trust with our community.

Accessibility ensures every person has access to that connection – regardless of ability, language, device, or learning style.

And there are changes coming. New accessibility requirements for digital content, including social media, will be enforced for all local and state governments. This includes public schools, so we all need to start planning for it!

But I want to be completely transparent here. I’m a bit overwhelmed by it all, so I’ve really struggled to publish a blog post on the topic. A brand new survey published by NSPRA and Sogolytics shows that I’m not alone on this. You can learn more details on that survey here – From Compliance to Culture: Advancing Digital Accessibility in K-12 Education. 

My goal today is not to overwhelm you or myself with every detail of the upcoming shift in how we celebrate our schools on social media. Rather, I want this to be a starting point for understanding what is happening and to share what you should plan to do. 

Got it? OK, let’s get started with the basics.

What’s Changing? (In Plain, Panic-Free Language!)

Schools will soon need to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards across all digital content, not just websites. This includes:

• Social media posts
• Website
• Photos and graphics
• Videos and reels
• Email signatures
• Google Docs, Slides, and digital handouts
• LMS content
• Teacher-created materials
• Tutorials, e-newsletters, and more

In short: If it’s online and your families use it, it needs to be accessible.

The new federal accessibility standards are going into effect based on community size. The dates are:

•  April 2026 (serving 50,000+ people)
•  April 2027 (serving under 50,000 people)

This number does not refer to the number of students in your district. If you are a city school district, use the population of the city to know when to comply. If you are a county school district, use the population of the county. 

With the schools we directly serve here at #SocialSchool4EDU, we will be subject to the April 2027 date. That gives us some time. But if you’re in a bigger district, you need to start taking action now.

First Step: Install a Screen Reader on Your Computer

To understand what community members experience when using a screen reader to access social media content, you first need to experience it yourself! A great first step is to install a screen reader. It’s free, easy, and will instantly give you insight into how your current content is being interpreted.

I installed the NVDA screen reader on my Windows device. There are others available, but just pick one. NVDA is the most popular free screen reader, and it is great for testing alt-text, headings, labels, and link structure. 

Download the NVDA screen reader here.

Once the NVDA program starts , it’s a bit overwhelming as it talks to you! I found two helpful shortcuts:

Start NVDA: Ctrl + Alt + N

Quit NVDA: Insert Key + Q

Practice Editing Alt Text on Social Media Images

Now, you can start navigating your published content to see what information is shared to screen reader users. Facebook and other platforms have AI tools running that help identify images, but there is no way to see what that AI description looks like before publishing. 

How to View and Change Alt Text on Facebook

Once a post has been published, you can go to the Facebook post, click the image, and select the three dots in the upper-right corner. Click “Change Alt Text,” and a box will pop up that shows the existing text (that was probably AI-created if you didn’t add your own). You can then edit it.

How to Change Alt Text on Instagram

You can alter alt text on Instagram once the post has been published. You go to the post, click the 3 dots, and select “Edit.” Then, on the photo, select “Edit Alt Text.” This will open up a box to add the alt text you’d like to include. But note that it won’t currently show you what was already there, from AI or from what you added.

Quick Note: One of the biggest reasons for my hesitation to make major changes to how we share content on platforms like Facebook and Instagram is AI. I truly believe that, with the rapid development of AI capabilities, AI will help meet some of these new standards. With that said, I don’t think it solves everything right now – so let’s jump into some recommendations!

Five Things Every School Social Media Manager Must Start Doing To Meet New Regulations

These aren’t heavy lifts. They’re habits. And they’ll transform how your content performs.

1. Add Alt Text to Every Photo

Alt text briefly describes what’s happening in the image. Start adding it to every photo you post.

Tips:
– Keep it short and meaningful
– Do NOT identify minors by last name or physical characteristics
– Avoid pronouns
– If the image is decorative, use quotations to indicate “no alt text needed.” This would be for images that contain details that simply repeat what is in the post caption.

And please don’t let Facebook or Instagram fill the alt text in for you! As you’ve learned in the steps covered earlier, the AI guesses are… memorable, but not helpful. (“Possible image of legos and words” when it’s a student wearing VR goggles in a classroom? Yes, that happened in several of my photos!) This may improve over time, but right now, I can agree that it is not very accurate.

When adding images inside Meta Business Suite, your alt text will carry through to both Facebook and Instagram. Just click the pencil icon on the image. This opens the editing menu where you can crop, add filters, and – at the bottom – add your Alt Text.

For example, if the photo shows a table of students working together on a science project, your alt text might read:

“Students working together on a classroom science activity.”

Alt text should briefly describe what is happening in the specific image. If multiple photos show essentially the same scene, you can reuse the description – but only if it accurately reflects each individual image. Avoid identifying minors by physical characteristics or names unless it’s part of the educational context.

This approach keeps the process manageable while still providing meaningful descriptions for families and community members using screen readers.

I have heard some say that if the photo or photos are well described in the post caption, then alt text wouldn’t be required. I don’t agree with this if more than one photo is shared, because people are able to share individual photos on Facebook without sharing the entire post. This means the description of the image wouldn’t travel with the image being shared. To be safe, I think you should add alt text. 

2. Caption Every Video and Reel

Auto-closed captions are a starting point, not a finish line. You can use the tools out there, but you should always check them for accuracy.

Why closed captions matter:
– Most users scroll with sound off
– Closed captions support hearing differences
– AI tools index your closed captions and transcripts (boosting discoverability!)

You might be asking yourself: “But what about videos that have no talking or text involved?”

WCAG AA states that closed captions are required when there is meaningful audio (such as lyrics or spoken words). A text alternative for visual-only content is required only if it conveys important meaning. If the video is only for “feel-good vibes,” describe the vibe, not the plot. Here are some examples of what a video’s closed captions could look like. These are not required to be on the video itself, but you have the choice of whether you add them as closed captions on the video or just write them in the caption.

Example A: Pep rally hype reel

Music only, no vital info conveyed visually. Your accessible caption: “Students cheer during the homecoming pep rally.”

Example B: Science experiment reveal

The “reveal” is fun, but not essential. Your accessible caption: “Students mix two ingredients in class and watch the reaction.”

Example C: Senior signing day

The video’s important meaning requires clarity. Your accessible caption: “Students sign letters of intent to play collegiate sports.”

Example D: Basketball buzzer-beater clip

Critical info occurs visually. Accessible caption: “New Auburn hits a buzzer-beating shot to win the game.”

3. Write Clear, Simple, Skimmable Content

Great accessibility improves readability for everyone. A few quick wins:

• Stick to one concept per post
• Avoid jargon (“differentiated instruction,” “benchmarking,” etc.)
• Skip idioms and slang that don’t translate
• Use dates instead of “today”
• Use short, friendly URLs
• Save your emojis for the end of sentences (screen readers will thank you!)
• Avoid ALL CAPS – screen readers read each letter individually

Our friends at CEL Marketing PR Design shared this AI prompt for helping to rewrite your captions:

“Rewrite this post for families and community members. Make it easy to understand and upbeat. Use a friendly, human tone and plain language guidelines. Keep it under 40 words and avoid jargon and acronyms. Limit emoji use.”

4. Prioritize Color Contrast in Graphics

Your beautiful brand colors might not be readable when paired with certain text colors.

Check your color contrast and:

• Use only contrast-approved color/text combinations. Canva has accessibility tools for you! When your design is finished, go to File > Accessibility > Check design accessibility. This will be a step you’ll want to train your entire staff to take!
• Save accessible Canva templates so your team stays consistent.
• Use weaker contrast colors as accents or shapes — not behind text.

Clean, simple graphics tend to perform better anyway. Win-win!

5. Audit the Tools You Use to Post Content

Not all scheduling tools support alt text, closed captions, or accessibility features. If your tool can’t do accessibility, your posts won’t be compliant. 

Our team at #SocialSchool4EDU uses Class Intercom to post some content, and it is easy to add alt text. They also have a built-in AI tool to generate the text, and you can edit from there to make changes.

However, Meta’s native tools still offer the best accessibility support.

Quick Wins You Can Implement This Week

Here’s your to-do list to start getting your accessibility journey on track!

– Add alt text to every image going forward
– Add closed captions to every video (and check them for accuracy)
– Switch to CamelCase hashtags (capitalize first letter of each word – like #OurSchoolOurStory instead of #ourschoolourstory)
– Test your brand colors in a contrast checker
– Build accessible templates for snow days, announcements, and big events

Little steps = big impact.

The Bottom Line: Every Step Toward Accessibility Is a Step Toward Connection

You don’t need to overhaul your entire system overnight. You still have time! The team at #SocialSchool4EDU is still figuring out our exact plan to meet all of the requirements.

If you feel you need more support with this transition, the #SocialSchool4EDU membership group will focus on it over the next 15 months. You’re invited to join that group today! We will have work sessions, more training, and, best of all, an open forum to get your daily questions answered.

Huge thanks again to Chelsea Janke and Ashley Winter with CEL Marketing PR Design for their guidance, leadership, and commitment to helping schools communicate more inclusively. I am so grateful for their partnership and expertise!