Making Sure your Child Gets to School Safely
Contributor
(888) 529-4669
It seems as though every day another child is reported missing. So many children are abducted as they walk to school or on their way home from school that it is frightening. What can you do to make sure that your child can at least get to and from school safely?
First, if it is at all possible, drive your child either directly to school or at least to the bus stop. If your work schedule conflicts with the time your child goes to school, make sure that her or she travels with a group rather than walk down the street alone.
Older children do know not to speak to strangers but you never know how they will actually react when the situation does come up. There were children who were filmed by a television crew as they were approached by a man that they did not know who asked for help in finding his lost little puppy. All the drilling in the world gave way to finding the poor lost pooch.
Make sure that your young children know all their contact information – their name, address, and phone number. It is pertinent if your child was to become lost and needs to be identified. If the child is too small to remember this information, maybe you could tape the info on a label inside his or her shirt or in their lunch box.
If your child, young or small, rides a school bus make sure that you are aware of any children that intimidate or bully other kids. What may start out as just innocent teasing and pranks can quickly turn into more serious situations. Don’t let your child become victim to a bully.
These situations aren’t limited to grade schools, in fact it is often more common and more serious in high school and beyond. College hazings start out as innocent fun at someone else’s expense but there have been incidents that have turned deadly.
It’s hard not to sound like an alarmist but it is better to be prepared in advance when you are dealing with children –and even young adults. There are enough things to worry about in the world today why not try to prevent the things that you can rather than regret them for the rest of your life.
It sounds trite to say that it is important to talk with your child every day so that you know what is going on in their life. Besides being something that you should do anyway it will keep you alerted to any potential situation that can possibly be prevented. Listen to your child, especially the younger children, and take note of others that they say are mean or who do something inappropriate to other kids in the class.
Going to school used to be a regular routine that didn’t cause much concern but in today’s world it can be a challenge. If you have experienced a situation that has caused you, your child and your family any undue danger or distress, call the law firm of Napoli Bern Ripka a call at 1-888-LAW-IN-NY for a free consultation.
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