For most, we are just weeks away from the back-to-school season. That means there’s no better time than the present to organize your school facilities and procedures. So, before the bell rings, learn more about the morning commute, quality supervision, playground practices, and getting the kids home safely in part one of The Complete Back-to-School Guide!
The Morning Commute
Depending on where you live, your child might walk, carpool, or be dropped off at school in the morning. Regardless the method of commute, it’s safe to say there’s a lot of rush with many people on the roads in the hours before the school bell rings.Use Adventist Risk Manangement’s (ARM) Crosswalk 101 safety tips as a review for children who walk to school, to ensure they get from point A to point B in one piece. Review these tips yourself to make sure you’re staying safe in the crosswalk.
Does your child drive to school or carpool with another family or student? Then, you should review how to prevent distracted driving. Consider setting up an accountability partner system with your family and friends to ensure that everyone is held responsible for preventing distracted driving and distracted walking. Check out this video from the National Highway Transit Association to get the conversation started.
At School
Whether in the classroom or on the playground, there’s a different set of risks to consider at school. One of the key factors to a successful and safe school day is ensuring that there are trained staff and volunteers on hand.Part of this training should include orientation on quality supervision. Many tragic injuries occur when children are left unsupervised. Check out ARM’s Youth Supervision Guidelines to make sure all of your staff and volunteers know how to provide quality supervision.
Did you know certain types of equipment should not be on playgrounds? It’s also crucial that your playground area is free of any possible risks or avoidable injuries. ARM’s Playground Safety Guidelines will help you ensure your playground is ready for a safe afternoon of fun.
It’s Time to Go Home
Now that your students have been kept safe on the way to school and during the day, it’s time to make sure they get home safely too! A solid check-in/check-out policy protects children from disappearing or leaving with the wrong guardian on your watch. A thorough check-in/check-out process should include:- Trained staff members with a completed background check.
- Drop-off and pick-up points monitored with enough staff members to adequately handle the ratio of children and adults.
- Permissions, emergency contact information, a list of authorized adults
- Defined check-in/check-out and recording method
- Emergency response plan
Use ARM’s Child Check-in/Check-out guide to properly set up each of these areas and ensure each child gets home safely.
Next Week’s Solutions
The Complete Back to School Guide, Part 2: Bullying prevention, appropriate touching and child on child abuse.
