It’s almost here. The colorful signs are up in the stores and the commercials are running on television. School is about to begin for the 2014-2015 year in Tennessee. While it signals the end of summer break for the students, for parents it begins what can be a busy and chaotic time. It is easy to get caught up in the daily routine and forget to plan and be prepared for potential safety hazards. The National Safety Council has produced a safety checklist that is very helpful to review and easy to implement. Some helpful tips are below:
Transportation Safety:
- Review your family’s walking safety rules – walk on the sidewalk, if one is available. When on a street with no sidewalks, walk facing the traffic. Practice walking to school with your child.
- Riding a bicycle to school – make sure your child always wears his helmet when leaving the house. Teach your children the rules of the road they need to know to ride their bicycles. Ride on the right side of the road and in a single file. Come to a complete stop before crossing the street.
- Riding the buss to school – go to the bus stop with your child to teach them the proper way to get on and off the bus. Make sure your children stand 6 feet away from the curb. If your child needs to cross the street in front of the bus, walk on the side of the road until you are at least 12 feet ahead of the bus. You should always be able to see the bus driver, and the bus driver should be able to see you.
School Safety:
- Preventing backpack-related injuries – chose a backpack for your child carefully. Don’t overstuff a backpack; it should weigh no more than 10 to 20 percent of your child’s body weight. For example, a child that weighs 60 pounds should carry a backpack no heavier than 12 pounds. Tell your children to use both straps at all times when wearing their backpack.
- Preventing playground-related injuries – encourage your child to use playgrounds with a soft surface. Avoid playgrounds with concrete, grass and dirt surfaces as they are too hard. Children under the age of 4 should not use climbing equipment. Do not let your children use monkey bars.
Click on your school below to get the calendar for the year:
- Metro Nashville Public Schools
- Wilson County Schools
- Williamson County Schools
- Rutherford County Schools
- Sumner County Schools
