Back-to-school safety tips all parents should know  

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This year will see the academic year for public schools in inland and coastal provinces start and end on the same day. This arrangement began this year, and the new academic year will see learners return to school benches on January 15.

“We wish all learners the best for the new year, especially those going to school for the first time. We hope you enjoy every moment of it,” says Charnel Hattingh, the group head of communications and marketing at the Fidelity Services Group.

“Parents and caregivers are certainly worried about their kids safely making it to school and back. There are, thankfully, personal security tips we believe parents can follow to make a difference in the safety of their children and give everyone peace of mind.

“It boils down to ensuring your children know exactly how to avoid possible danger and what they must do in case something bad happens to them,” said Hattingh.

Here are her suggestions:
• Remember, your parents would never send someone you don’t know to fetch you. Never get into a stranger’s car even if they claim someone you love is hurt, and they are supposed to pick you up. It is a good idea to consider using a password system to ensure the person collecting you is, in fact, a friend of your parents or someone you can trust.

• Children must always walk to or from school with a friend or friends. If your child walks alone, it’s a good idea to ask a teacher or other parents if they know of other children from the area who do the same. Some towns have started ‘walking buses’, where local parents volunteer to walk to and from school with a group of schoolchildren to assure their safety.

• Stick to the streets you know and never take shortcuts through unfamiliar or quiet areas.

• If you get picked up at school, always wait within the grounds for your lift to arrive. Do not leave the premises to go and look for them in the street.

• If a stranger approaches you, do not talk to them, no matter how friendly they are. If someone tries to grab you, fight and kick and scream that they are not your mom or dad.

Some children will have to see themselves to and from school and stay occupied until Mom or Dad return home in the evening.

“It is important that children know not to let anyone into the house without your permission. If you will be late, let your children know as soon as possible and give them an idea of when they can expect you to be home,” said Hattingh.

She suggested drawing up a list of vital telephone numbers.

“This list must include emergency services and Mom’s and Dad’s work and cellphone numbers. Save it on your child’s phone and stick it on or near the landline. It’s also crucial to explain to them when to use them,” she said.

Hattingh added everyone in the household should know how to use the home security system, including children, and when and how to use the panic buttons.