Back To School Safety
This post is brought to you by Protection 1.
Many kids have headed back to school while others are nearly there. Back to school time can be a fun time for young ones. It’s a lot of fun to meet the new teacher, buy all the supplies, and get a chance to see and play with friends again. Even though it is a fun time it is also important time for parents to talk about school safety with their kids. While you may not always think about it there are a lot of things kids should know when it comes to school safety.
School safety is a topic that is actually near and dear to my heart, and I’m afraid the reason why is a sad story. When I was in high school I was an assistant dance teacher. I helped teach ballet to 5-7 year olds. The kids were adorable and I loved it. During one of the years I did it we lost one of the little girls that I taught though. One morning in the spring she got off the school bus to go into school. All of the kids went behind the bus, which is not what they were supposed to do, but she went to cross in front of the bus as she had been taught. The bus driver didn’t see her and went to drive away. The little girl was hit by the bus and killed. I still get chocked up just thinking about it. Had the other kids crossed in front of the bus with her, as they should have, the bus driver would have seen them all and that little girl would probably still be with us today.
Please teach your child about school safety. I know there are a lot of topics to cover, but you can get some great help from Protection 1. Since August is back to school month for the majority of the country it is their focus for the month. Right now you can download helpful guides that focus on tons of different school safety topics. You can also get coloring page printables that your child can color to help reinforce the school safety you are teaching them about. Take the time to teach school safety to help protect your child as they back to school and throughout the entire school year.
Thank you for blogging about such an important topic. My son is still a year away from starting kindergarten, and already I am struggling to decide whether he will ride the bus or ride to school with me.
I think it’s something that really gets forgotten. Safety Town is good for it, but I’m not sure that many districts still have it, so it’s really up to the parents.
What an awful story and sad memory! It happens too often though – I can recall at least three instances last year in my state. I know it’s not an option for many parents, but I am grateful I am able to drop off my daughter. One less thing to worry about. We also talk about how important it is to be careful driving near buses because children are getting on and off.
Oh my goodness, what a sad story!! I’m so sorry to hear it. I remember when I was in elementary school we were not allowed to walk between buses…my teacher shared a similar story, and I STILL think about that every time I see a school bus.