Back to School Safety Tips

Ding Ding Ding! The school bell is ringing again, and most kids are back in the classrooms; or they will be soon.  Besides all the new clothes and long lists of school supplies you have been buying, there are other things you and your family can do to make the school year a success.

These are some of the back-to-school safety tips from a Seattle P-I article and an online safety blog by Linda Criddle, author of Look Both Ways: Help protect your family on the internet.

Technology

Create or update a family code of conduct for computer use. Include important safety tips.

• Begin by reviewing your student’s current privileges and responsibilities. Ideally, kids should take on new privileges and responsibilities each year so they can learn to become more responsible, and eventually grow into independent adults.
• Reinforce the basics. Internet Safety has three basic principles - protect yourself, respect the safety of others, and act responsibly by following family rules and the terms and conditions set by services.
• Talk to each child, tween, and teen every year about cyberbullying. Cyberbullying, online harassment, and cyber stalking are all terms for ways in which those who wish to hurt others, for whatever reason, use online tools to do so. This form of bullying is incredibly damaging both to those who are victims, and to the bullies themselves.
• Find more information about internet safety from the Attorney General’s Office at www.WebWiseWa.org.

Laptops:

• Don’t skimp on security and safety software. Install all the safety tools your child needs, such as antivirus, anti-spyware, a firewall, and age appropriate filtering tools.
• To protect against information theft help your child establish a strong login password and teach him or her to log-off (password protect) the laptop whenever the laptop is left on its own.

Homework/studying

• It's fine to look over your children's homework to answer questions. But don't correct their work or do work for them. Whatever the child's age, if he or she isn't getting assignments done satisfactorily, he or she needs more supervision. More helpful tips.
• Most area libraries offer free homework help and tutoring to students with a library card. Visit Seattle Public Library's page and King County Library System's page.
• Apprehensive about the high school WASL? Find practice tests and a scoring guide here.

Safety

• It's best to leave the iPods, cell phones and other electronic toys at home. Most schools ban them during school hours anyway -- and students have been robbed of their electronic items going to or from school.
• If the school bus doesn't arrive within 20 minutes of the scheduled time, call your district's main office or its transportation department. For Seattle Public Schools, call the transportation department at 206-252-0900.

Stay connected

• Establish a relationship with your child's teacher(s) early in the year, and check in regularly. Ask if they prefer phone calls or e-mails.
• School delays or closures are posted at www.schoolreport.org; parents can sign up for e-mail alerts for a particular school.