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Back to School Safety Tips

August 22, 2017

It's that time of year again! As you say goodbye to summer, shop for your back to school supplies and clothing, and gear up for your return to consistency and routine, school safety may be the last thing on your family's mind. But there are a few things you can do now to plan for a safer, more secure school year for your kids.

  • Reset your child's sleep clock. Starting this week, reign in bedtime routines in 15-minute increments to help your child get used to going to bed earlier and waking up with the sun. Getting a good night's rest is imperative to your child's school success and safety. Overly tired kids are more accident prone and can be irritable and more likely to get into scuffles with classmates. Send your child to school well-rested and ready to face the year's new challenges head-on!
  • Feed your child a healthy breakfast, and send healthy snacks instead of sugary ones. Eating well before school will help ensure your child's mental sharpness, and eating healthy snacks will keep her blood sugar levels in check throughout the day so she can concentrate.
  • Buy comfortable, low-heeled, closed-toe shoes with rubber soles that provide plenty of traction. Your child will be safer on the playground, in the school hallways, and on the playing field.
  • Buy an ergonomically designed backpack that will provide plenty of support when full. Don't allow your child to overstuff the pack, or he could be in danger of back strain or scoliosis. For heavy homework days, suggest he split the weight of his books between the backpack and a carried stack in his arms. If a support tie is provided, encourage your child to use it to help better balance and distribute the weight.
  • Accompany your child to the school bus stop the first day to ensure she gets on the correct bus, meet the bus driver, and demonstrate proper bus boarding technique. Teach her to always wait at least 6 feet from the curb and for the bus to make a complete stop before she attempts to board. Make sure she knows to sit quietly in her seat throughout the entire ride and not to stand up, walk, or talk loudly while riding the school bus. Tell her never to cross in front of a bus unless the bus is fully stopped, with its stop sign and hazard lights activated, then to cross at least 12 feet in front of the bus to ensure she is visible to oncoming traffic.
  • Explain proper pedestrian etiquette to children who will be walking to school, and make sure they are familiar with the route from home to school. Walk with them the first day to be certain they know the way, and encourage a buddy system with neighbor kids for added safety. Teach walkers to always stay on the paved sidewalk and to walk facing traffic whenever they must enter the roadway because there is no sidewalk. Remind them to wait for the light to turn green before crossing the street, always look both ways, and cross in the crosswalk.
  • Insist your child wear a helmet before bicycling to school and teach him to ride on the right side of the road, single-file. Make sure he knows to come to a complete stop and look both ways before crossing any street.
  • Notify the school nurse, administrators, and teachers of any food allergies your child may have, and provide an epi-pen or allergy medication for emergency use.
  • Discuss what you and your child will do in case of any emergency situation, and have a definite plan about who will pick her up and where you will reunite. Provide several alternative backup names and phone numbers to your child's school and your child in case you cannot be reached during an emergency, and make sure your child knows who may be taking care of him on such an occasion.