file photo by Boyd Loving
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, If you couldn’t tell that many schools in Jersey are back in session by the sudden emergence of yellow buses, crossing guards, and backpack-strapped kiddos making the trek to school on foot, then surely your social media has been flooded with a deluge of back-to-school/first-day-of-school posts.
So, you remembered the trillion things that your kids need for school like backpacks, pens, pencils, folders, lunch boxes, binders, boxes, tissues, glue, water bottles, clothes, popsicle sticks, glitter, etc. But did you remember to talk to your kids about back-to-school safety?
Many kids walk to school. If you have a walker, talk to your child about talking to strangers. Tell them to never get in a stranger’s car for any reason. If someone stops their car and asks for directions or has a question, tell them to keep a safe distance and keep moving.
Tell your kids to fight should a stranger grab them. Tell them to kick, scream and fight back. They should try to get any and everyone’s attention by any means necessary. There is strength in numbers, so you should encourage your kids to walk to school groups.
Now, even the kids who take the bus still have some trekking of their own to do. Some kids have to walk a distance to the bus stop, and chances are, they’ll have to stand there for several minutes until the bus arrives. So, the same tips above apply for the bus crew.
But one of the most important tips we can give you, which applies to kids everywhere and anywhere, is to have an emergency pick-up plan in place. What do we mean? Let your kids know who they can expect to get them in the event that you can’t. For instance, you may tell them that only their grandparents, aunt, uncle, or neighbor Bob are the only people who will get them in case of an emergency. Tell them that you will never send a stranger to come and get them. Not ever!
And what about the cops? What do they know about us? What should your kids do when they encounter the fuzz? Well, first of all, we would encourage you all to take your children to the local State Police station or police department that patrols your community. It’s not only a great way to meet your community law enforcement, but it lets the kids see what their cars and uniforms look like. And be sure to let your kids know that we are there to help and that we are NOT going to put them in jail if they are bad.
Oh, but what about the plain clothes cops? We always get asked by parents what to tell kids about undercover or plain clothes cops. Well, we suggest you tell your kids to trust uniformed officers. Tell your child that if they are approached by someone who is only showing a badge or ID, they are to keep moving. Tell them to tell the plain-clothes officer that they want to see a uniformed officer. If they have a phone, tell them to call 911 and let the person know that they are doing it. It’s better to be safe than sorry. If the person’s a real cop, he or she will understand.
Remember, don’t be afraid to bring your kids to our stations. We love having visitors!