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Helping Your Child Stay Safe At School – A Mini-Guide
Sending your child to school can be a pretty worrying and even a nerve-wracking experience for parents, given all the dangers and risks in the world. But the good news is, there are many ways to help your child stay safe while they’re at school.
Of course, most of this comes through education, such as by teaching your children to avoid strangers, to report odd circumstances to their teachers, and to make sure they only follow the approved route home or to wait for you at the gates before leaving.
That said, there are some other worthwhile measures you could take into account too, in order to ensure everything is above board and the risk of letting your child out of the house each day is minimized.
In this post, we’ll explore three key aspects of keeping your child safe at school. After all, your child’s safety is the most important possible topic you could ever be interested in:
Understanding School Policies
It’s important to understand the policies and procedures in place at your child’s school. This may include emergency plans, lockdown procedures, visitor policies, and security measures. That goes double if you usually send your children on the school bus or coach, as they’ll have procedures for what they’ll do if late, how they’ll notify parents in the event of a problem, and more safety measures worth knowing about.
From here you can familiarize yourself with the school’s policies and ask any questions you may have to give you peace of mind and confidence in the school’s ability to handle safety concerns.
Educating Your Child On Personal Safety
Teach your child about stranger danger and the importance of being aware of their surroundings. Emphasize the importance of speaking up if they feel threatened or uncomfortable. From there, encourage your child to trust their instincts and always tell an adult if they encounter a dangerous situation.
This is, genuinely, the best approach you can take, outside of some obvious measures like giving them a bulletproof backpack or ensuring they have a phone to contact you when they’re of age. Of course, ensuring that the school conforms to its safety policy and ensuring you are there when they leave is important, but it’s also key for them to know what to do with their independence if they have any.
Join The School Safety Committee
It’s essential to work with the school to ensure your child’s safety. Get involved with the school’s safety committee and take an active role in ensuring that the school is taking all necessary precautions to keep your child safe, this way you can be absolutely certain that measures are being met.
Meet with teachers and administrators to discuss any concerns you may have and find solutions together to keep your child safe too. On top of this, you might even volunteer to help out if you have the time, like when they may need adult chaperones for school trips. Sure, that’s not an option for many, but it might not be a bad idea for you to focus on.
With this advice, you’re sure to help your child stay safe at school in the best possible light.
