Back To School Safety

***Guest Blog by John Garrigan, security professional***

Where did the summer go? As your kids head back to school, we thought we’d provide you with some great information to keep your kids safe. When parents talk about school safety these days, they’re usually referring to the surge in violence at schools. But research shows that school-age children are actually nine times more likely to sustain an unintentional injury — whether on the playground or in school –than to be the victim of violence while at school.

Walking to School

• Walk the route with your child Always instruct your child to use the sidewalk. Tell him or her to stay away from parks, vacant lots, fields and other places where there aren’t many people around. Show them safe places to go along the route if they need help.
• Teach them to be aware of people behind them or vehicles that may slow down as they are walking.
• Teach your child never to talk to strangers or accept rides or gifts from strangers. Remember, a stranger is anyone you or your children don’t know well or don’t trust.
• Be Sure your child walks to and from school with a sibling, friend, or neighbor – never
• Kids should cross the street with an adult until they are at least 10 years
• Educate your children to cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and
• Never run out into the streets or cross in between parked

Bus Safety

• Teach children to arrive at the bus stop early, stay out of the street, wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before approaching the street, watch for cars and avoid the driver’s blind spot.
• Remind your children to stay seated in the bus at all times and keep their heads and arms inside the bus while If the bus is equipped with seat belts make sure they buckle up.
• When exiting the bus, children should wait until the bus comes to a complete stop, exit from the front using the handrail to avoid
• If your child has to cross the street, have him or her wait for a signal from the bus driver before crossing and then cross the street at least 10 feet (or 10 giant steps) in front of the bus; look both ways before crossing.
• Tell your child NEVER to bend down in front of the bus to tie shoes or pick up objects, as the driver may not see him before starting to move.

Vehicle Safety

• Make sure young children are in safety seats at all times, and that the seats have been properly installed.
• All children under 13 years should ride in the rear seat of the vehicle
• Remember that many crashes occur while novice teen drivers are going to and from school. You may want to limit the number of teen passengers to prevent driver distraction. Do not allow your teen to drive while eating, drinking, texting or talking on a cell phone.

Biking/Scootering to School

• Bike with your child to school ahead of time; just like walking, identify a safe route for them; point out the route’s hazards and how to arrive at school safely.
• Make sure your child does not wear any loose-fitting clothes that could get caught on a moving bike’s chain or
• Children and teens should wear reflective or bright colored cloth ing or a vest and NEVER try to bike to and from school after

General Safety Tips

• Be sure that your child knows his or her home phone number and address, your work number, the number of another trusted adult and how to call 911 for
• When driving kids, deliver and pick them up as close to the school as Don’t leave until they are in the schoolyard or building.
• Secure your home when walking a child to and from a bus stop – criminals may use this as an opportunity to burglarize your home.
• If your child carries a backpack, make sure it isn’t overloaded with books and other items. Heavy back packs can cause back injuries and can be a distraction for your child.
• Remind your children to never give the impression they are home alone if strangers telephone or come to the Never open the door for a stranger or indicate a parent is not home.
• Be aware of putting your child’s name on anything that is readily visible. This might allow an abductor to get on a “first name” basis with your child and develop a sense of
• Meet with school officials to go over the school’s safety and security program and procedures to make sure your child remains safe and secure.

About John Garrigan: John is an accomplished and highly respected security professional with over 35 years of leadership in contract security, corporate security, risk management, training, and public safety.  He has served as administrative assistant to the Boston Police commissioner and held senior executive positions in some of the largest security companies in the US and the private sector. Early in his career, he developed a wide range of public safety improvement programs for a variety of US cities, including Atlanta, and the US government. John has been intimately involved in helping to establish high value strategic public-private partnerships between the public safety and private business/security sectors.