One of your top priorities, when you leave your child at the school gate, is to be sure in your mind that you are leaving them in safe hands and that they will enjoy a safe environment in which to learn.
Unfortunately, your child can sometimes be put in danger, either from a mental or physical perspective. In a worst-case scenario, there have been examples of when skilled sex crimes attorneys have been required to deal with allegations and incidents that have occurred on school premises.
Here are some pointers on how to take some steps to do all you can to help keep your kids safe at school.
Be aware of the school’s rules and policies
It would be very wise to familiarize yourself with the school’s handbook so that you have a clear idea of how the school deals with certain situations such as bullying.
You would hope that the school operates a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to bullying. You should also take a look at what plans they have in place for dealing with emergency situations and whether the children take part in regular drills so that they know what to do in a crisis scenario.
Another key point to ask about is what vetting policy they have in place for people working on-site and whether visitors are monitored or even allowed on the premises during school time.
Aim for open dialogue
Another good way of ensuring that you are aware of any potential issues at an early stage would be to commit to regular dialogue with school teachers and administrators.
Some schools are very proactive with regards to parent-teacher interactions. If that’s not the case at your child’s school it would be a good idea to have a catch-up meeting at regular intervals.
Asking how your child is doing on an emotional and social level helps you to spot any potential issues that you may not be aware of at home.
Talk openly with your child
Encourage your child to discuss any concerns or fears that they have with the school or any aspect of their social life that they are struggling with.
If your child learns to be comfortable with talking to you about their worries it will help identify any problems at an early stage.
Embrace technology in the right way
As much as you might fear the consequences of your child going on the internet it is a fact of life that they will be using technology on an everyday basis.
Talk to your child about the dangers of the internet and set some ground rules. You might even have to apply some content filters if they are going to be taking a phone with them to school.
Make them aware of the threats they face
You don’t want to scare your child unnecessarily but it is wise to make them aware that certain interactions or approaches, which might happen out of your sight during school time, are not okay and need to be flagged.
Setting rules such as only allowing them to go with approved people when leaving the school premises will help to ensure their safety.
If you follow these sensible and effective tips it should help to make your child aware of potential dangers and give you a greater level of control over the threats to their safety that they might face at some point.
Excellent article with valuable information. I don’t know how mother’s handle the risks today.
These are great tips. I think many parents need to be more involved and make themselves approachable.
This is a very helpful post. So much school violence lately!
These are some amazing ideas to give especially to talk openly with them.
These are very important tips! Making sure kids can learn safely is essential. I’ll have to share these tips with my family.