We talked to Sarah Harmer, Director of Community Relations and Engagement, about the challenges of managing a huge, outdated website.
About Derry Township School District
Located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Derry Township School District serves approximately 3,300 students from kindergarten through 12th grade across three schools situated on a single campus. The district is known for its close-knit community and name recognition, largely due to its association with Hershey Foods and Hershey Park. Derry Township prides itself on strong academic, athletic, and extracurricular programs, making it a sought-after area for families relocating for work at nearby institutions such as the Penn State hospital.
The challenge: managing a massive, outdated website
When Sarah Harmer took over as Director of Community Relations and Engagement for Derry Township School District, she inherited a website with around 3,000 pages. Previously, teachers had been maintaining their own pages, resulting in a sprawling, inconsistent website. The site contained duplicate content, broken links, outdated information, and issues with accessibility that had not been addressed. “There was bright orange font on one page and Comic Sans on another. It was all over the place,” Sarah recalled.
Sarah’s task was clear: modernize the district’s website and ensure it was accessible while reducing the administrative burden of managing thousands of pages. This meant tackling both usability and accessibility, a task made more pressing by upcoming government regulations requiring all publicly funded entities in the U.S. to comply with accessibility standards by 2026.
Silktide allowed me to audit the entire site, and I quickly realized the extent of the issues.
Director of Community Relations and Engagement
Solution: leveraging Silktide for accessibility and efficiency
While searching for a modern web platform, Sarah discovered Silktide, a tool that would highlight accessibility issues and provide detailed insights into content quality. “I started looking at our accessibility as part of the website overhaul,” Sarah said. Silktide allowed her to audit the entire site, and she quickly realized the extent of the issues. “It was startling how many errors there were,” she added.
After migrating the website to a new platform, Sarah set about reducing the number of pages from 3,000 to 1,400 by eliminating outdated pages and ensuring all content was up-to-date. With Silktide’s detailed reports, she was able to address issues such as broken links, missing alt texts for images, and other accessibility barriers. “It made it easy to spot and fix problems, which was crucial given the size of our site.”
Silktide’s detailed reports helped me address broken links, missing alt texts, and other accessibility barriers.
Director of Community Relations and Engagement
Impact: a streamlined, accessible, and user-friendly website
Thanks to Silktide, Sarah now has a streamlined website with a consistent design and far fewer errors. The platform’s user-friendly interface allows her to quickly address any issues as they arise, ensuring the site remains accessible. “Silktide helps me keep the work within my own position, making it more efficient until we need to expand,” Sarah explained. Despite being a one-person department, she feels confident managing the district’s online presence and ensuring it meets both the district’s needs and legal requirements.
Sarah also appreciates how Silktide has empowered her to track the website’s performance and communicate results to the administration. “Being able to see the scores and quantify that information is great. If there was ever a question of whether we’re doing enough, I could easily show them the work we’ve done,” she said.
I now have a streamlined website with a consistent design and far fewer errors.
Director of Community Relations and Engagement
Looking ahead: expanding accessibility district-wide
Beyond just the website, Sarah is working to implement accessibility best practices across the district’s communications. She’s educating staff about the importance of creating accessible content, such as using text-based lists instead of image-heavy documents for school supplies. “I know people like to make things look pretty, but sometimes plain text is more effective—and accessible,” she said.
Derry Township School District’s journey with Silktide is an ongoing process, but Sarah is confident that they are well on their way to creating a more accessible and user-friendly environment for their community.
If there was ever a question of whether we’re doing enough, I could easily show the stakeholders the work we’ve done.
Director of Community Relations and Engagement
By using Silktide, Derry Township School District has been able to modernize and streamline its website, ensuring accessibility compliance while making it easier to manage. “I couldn’t have done this without Silktide,” Sarah stated. The platform not only helped Sarah identify issues but also gave her the tools to fix them, providing peace of mind as the district moves toward full accessibility compliance.
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