Posted on: March 31, 2008

Get Schooled

Safety is on every parent's mind, but those who know what to do can help prepare their kids for an at-school emergency

By Jake Laub
CTW Features

Don't talk to strangers. Memorize cell phone numbers. Never walk alone. Parents expect kids to know a lot when they send them to school, but parents need to know just as much. Here the five most important things a parent should know - for themselves:

1. Understand school policies...and follow them

During the first week of classes, schools send home a packet of rules for parents to sign. This may seem like a formality, but schools have rules for a reason and even though you're a parent they still apply to you.

"In our parent/student handbook is a visitor's pass protocol," says Vincent Flores, director of school safety for Milwaukee public schools. "It describes how to get into the school so intruders are prevented from coming in. Knowing the proper procedure for that is one of the most important things a parent needs to know."

If parents just walk onto campus, they undermine the very safety system they want to protect their child.

2. Know the crisis response plan

Every parent's worst nightmare is for something to happen at their child's school; the feeling of not being there and not knowing is almost unbearable. But rushing to help is almost always the least helpful.

"We know the day a crisis hits and the parent hears about it, they're on their way [to the school]," says Hilda Clarice Graham, program developer for the National School Safety Center, Westlake Village, Calif. "But parents don't think about the parent reunification program. They end up blocking access to emergency procedures and can even put themselves in danger."

In addition to an organized system for retrieving your child from an emergency, schools also often have a phone tree for spreading information among parents. Know if you are part of a phone tree and what your responsibilities are.

3. Be aware of the warning signs for risk behaviors

From bullying to on-campus drug use, although the acts occur at school, there are almost always warning signs at home. By keeping an eye out for certain behaviors and informing the school, you can help not only your child but also other students.

"Maybe you raise issues we need pay attention to," Graham says. "Most schools can't do their work without parent involvement."

4. Find out the ways your school is trying to educate you

Don't know what those warning signs are? Your child's school is probably trying to teach you. Many districts have started "parent academies" - regular meetings that focus on a different topic each time, from school rules to teenage development. At the very least, visit your school district's Web site, where you will often find useful links and downloadable information.

5. Know what extra services your school offers

Find out what your school offers in addition to the usual guidance counselor. Sometimes schools will bring in external counseling in special circumstances, but you have to know about such services to use them. And while a school has to inform you, you have to listen.

"Yes, as a parent you have rights," Graham says. "But there are responsibilities on both sides of the table."