Back-to-school season is chaotic, but it’s also the ideal moment to lock in a quick safety routine with your kids. Preparing for the unexpected doesn't have to be overwhelming—you can build a solid safety net in less than 20 minutes over dinner.
Sit down together this week and map out four basic details:
- Key Contacts: Emergency services, trusted family members, and reliable neighbors.
- Medical Details: Crucial allergies, current prescriptions, and doctor contact info.
- Meeting Places: Specific meetup spots right outside your home and within your neighborhood.
- Pickup Rules: Clear instructions on who is authorized to collect your child from school.
Print a copy to stick on the fridge, ensure everyone knows where it is, and save a digital version on your phone for easy access anywhere.
Find free templates and additional tips at FEMA's Back-to-School Safety Guide.
General Safety Tips
Transportation: Whether children walk, ride their bicycle or take the bus to school, it is extremely important that they take proper safety precautions. Help make sure your child gets to school safely with these tips.
Head Up, Phone Down! Cell phones are a deadly distraction, whether driving or walking. Have kids and teens keep their cell phone in their backpacks while moving. Review the following tips with them:
Walkers
- Be aware of your surroundings
- Do not walk with headphones in your ears
- Never walk while texting or talking on the phone
- If texting, move out of the way of others and stop on the sidewalk
- Never cross the street while using an electronic device
- Walk on the sidewalk. If there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic.
- Make eye contact with drivers before crossing.
- Look left, right, then left again before crossing the street. ONLY cross at intersections or crosswalks.
Bike Riders Teach your child the rules of the road. Practice riding the bike route to school with your child.
- Stay alert and avoid distracted riding
- Ride on the right side of the road, with traffic, and in a single file
- Come to a complete stop before crossing the street; walk bikes across the street
- Make sure your child always wears a properly fitted helmet and bright clothing
Bus Riders Teach your children school bus safety rules and practice with them.
- Go to the bus stop with your child to teach them the proper way to get on and off the bus
- Teach your children to stand 6 feet (or three giant steps) away from the curb
- If your child must cross the street in front of the bus, teach him or her to walk on the side of the road until they are 10 feet ahead of the bus; your child and the bus driver should always be able to see each other
- Stay alert and avoid distracted driving.
- Obey school zone speed limits and follow your school's drop-off procedure
- Make eye contact with children who are crossing the street
- NEVER pass a bus loading or unloading children
- The area 10 feet around a school bus is the most dangerous for children; stop far enough back to allow them to safely enter and exit the bus
- Learn about Teen Driver Safety
General School Safety Tips – Many school-related injuries are completely preventable. Follow these steps to ensure your child's safety at school.
- Choose a backpack that is designed to fit the size of your child with comfort and safety in mind.
- Have children use both straps to evenly distribute the weight on their shoulders
- Don't overstuff a backpack; it should weigh no more than 5% to 10% of your child's body weight. Rolling backpacks should be used cautiously since they can create a trip hazard in crowded school hallways
- To reduce strangulation hazards on playgrounds, have your child leave necklaces and jackets with drawstrings at home.
- A few bumps and bruises can be expected when your child plays sports, but head injuries should never be ignored
See more tips at Safety Council.org or download their Back to School Checklist
See more Back to School Safety Tips from the Red Cross.