Back to School Safety and Protecting Your Children
School is just around the corner, and it’s important to brief your children on safety rules they should follow from getting to and from school, using their phones, and interacting with adults. Taking the time to ensure your kids understand possible safety pitfalls and how to avoid them or deal with them if or when they arise will give the entire family peace of mind. Here are some tips for back-to-school safety:
Going To and From School
Make sure your children know the plan to go to and from school. If the children are walking, ensure they know the route to and from school. A good way to do this is to do the walk with them a couple of times before school starts, letting them take the lead. It’s important that young children walk with others, with an older sibling or some neighbors, and understand that there’s protection in a group. Remind them not to talk to strangers or to let one of the children fall out of the group for any reason.
If they are in a carpool, ensure they understand they must always wear a seatbelt and limit their noise and conversations so as not to distract the driver.
If your child will be biking to school, make sure that they understand the rules of the road, such as yielding to pedestrians, using lights and reflectors in low light, and wearing bright, reflective clothing to be more visible. Bicyclists should also wear helmets at all times. Bicycle accidents can result in severe injuries.
Kids and phones can be a devastating combination. Talk to your kids about paying full attention to what they are doing when in a crosswalk, riding a bike, or driving a car to school. Car accidents are frequently the cause of texting while driving.
Ask About the School’s Policy For Hiring Staff and Volunteers
It’s important to make yourself aware of how the school screens staff and volunteers. All staff and volunteers should be required to undergo a background check. It’s also important to ask if these school workers have been given a course on how to identify child abuse.
Have a discussion with your child about appropriate and inappropriate touching. Children should understand what is considered to be private body parts and know the names of these body parts so they can disclose to parents if they have been touched inappropriately. It’s important to have a top-of-mind awareness about sexual abuse.
Develop a Family Emergency Plan
Have a family emergency plan for the possibility of something going wrong. Make sure your child knows the name and phone number of an emergency contact in case the designated carpool driver fails to pick them up from school. Have a family password to let your children know someone is a trusted adult.
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