Back-to-School Safety
Welcome back students! Hamilton County Schools will ring in the new school year on Wednesday, August 10 – with classes already in session in some of our neighboring counties. Are you and your family ready to stay safe this school year?
Here are some tips to help you make sure homework is the only thing you’re worried about:
Transportation Safety
Whether children walk, ride their bicycle or take the bus to school, it is extremely important that they take proper safety precautions. Here are some tips to make sure your child safely travels to school:
Walking to school
- Review your family’s walking safety rules and practice walking to school with your child; Walk on the sidewalk, if one is available; when on a street with no sidewalk, walk facing the traffic
- Before you cross the street, stop and look left, right and left again to see if cars are coming
- Make eye contact with drivers before crossing and always cross streets at crosswalks or intersections
- Stay alert and avoid distracted walking
Riding a bicycle to school
Teach your child the rules of the road and practice riding the bike route to school with your child
- Ride on the right side of the road, with traffic, and in single file
- Come to a complete stop before crossing the street; walk bikes across the street
- Stay alert and avoid distracted riding
- Make sure your child always wears a properly fitted helmet and bright clothing
Riding the bus to school
Teach your children school bus safety rules and practice with them
- Go to the bus stop with your child to teach them the proper way to get on and off the bus
- Teach your children to stand six feet (or 3 giant steps) away from the curb
- If your child must cross the street in front of the bus, teach him or her to walk on the side of the road until they are 10 feet ahead of the bus; your child and the bus driver should always be able to see each other
Driving your child to school
Stay alert and avoid distracted driving
- Obey school zone speed limits and follow your school’s drop-off procedure
- Make eye contact with children who are crossing the street
School Safety
Many school-related injuries are completely preventable.
Follow these steps to ensure your child’s safety at school:
Preventing backpack-related injuries
Choose a backpack for your child carefully; it should have ergonomically designed features to enhance safety and comfort
- Ask your child to use both straps when wearing their backpack to evenly distribute the weight on their shoulders
- Don’t overstuff a backpack; it should weigh no more than 5 to 10 percent of your child’s body weight
- Rolling backpacks should be used cautiously since they can create a trip hazard in crowded school hallways
Preventing playground-related injuries
To reduce strangulation hazards on playgrounds, have your child leave necklaces and jackets with drawstrings at home
Phones down, heads up
When walking anywhere, especially near and around cars, keep your heads up and be aware of your surroundings. Headphones and phones can distract pedestrians from seeing oncoming traffic and can result in injury.
If you do find a loved one in harm’s way, we will be here to help.
Learn more about Children’s Hospital at Erlanger and Erlanger’s Kennedy Outpatient Center.
