Driving to school. If you’re driving, wait until you see your child make it to a safe location. That could mean inside the building or inside the grounds where others are gathered. If your children are driving themselves, then have the car serviced before the school year begins to help prevent avoidable accidents.
Walking to school. Know the route your child will be walking, and research neighbors along their path for possible sex offenders. Sexual predator profiles are public and can be found at familywatchdog.us. Talk with your children about walking safety, staying on the selected path— there is danger in wandering down alleys and fields—and make sure they know their address and phone number in case of an emergency. If there is a walking group in your neighborhood, even better—encourage your child to be part of it. Safety in numbers!
Taking the bus to school. It’s important that children understand they need to always keep themselves visible to the driver. (There have been several accidents recently involving students being hit by buses when the driver could not see them.)
Playground safety. Check your children’s clothing for loose drawstrings, or anything that might get caught in equipment while they’re playing, in the morning before they leave for school. If your children are too young to tie their own shoes, make sure they know to ask an adult for help before they begin playing with friends on equipment—you wouldn’t believe how many accidents happen because of clothing.
Dealing with bullies. It’s important that you contact the school if you think your child is being bullied. Teach your child to remain calm in situations with bullies and to stand tall. Standing tall does not mean aggressively adding conflict to the issue. If you suspect online bullying, check your child’s online privacy settings and make sure they are set so only friends and family can view and comment on online information. Do you know everyone on his/her friend list? Is your home addresses visible? Is his/her e-mail address published? These are some of the important points you should check if you suspect your child is the victim of online bullying. And, again contact the school about your concerns.
Online privacy settings. Know all of the social media sites your child has a profile on. Make sure your child’s privacy settings are set so that only friends and family can view online information. Know everyone on your child’s friend list! Also note, Facebook has a new feature that allows people to update their location on their smart phones. Talk with your children about being safe when sharing details about their location—or anything—on social sites. Facebook is not the only site that allows users to update their location—learn of sites such as Yelp, Foursquare, etc.
Set rules for when your children are home alone. Make sure your child understands all of the risks and responsibilities while being home alone. Have emergency numbers easily available, lock up all substances that could be a temptation (such as alcohol), and establish a check-in policy that works best for your family.
