September 2008 - The Parklander Magazine

SCHOOL SAFETY
Back to
Basics
By Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti
Last month, more than a quarter million students returned to school in
Broward County. Your child’s safety is our number one priority. I
encourage you to take a few moments to think about and review backto-school
safety with your child.
If your child walks to school, make sure there are sidewalks and
crossing guards along the way. If you are not able to walk with
your child, remember there is safety in numbers so have your child
walk with siblings or other neighborhood children. Being hit by a car
is by far the greatest threat to any child walking to school. Make sure
your kids stay on the sidewalk and only cross at crosswalks. Remember
to remind your children to never, ever, stop to talk to strangers on
the way to and from school and, most importantly, never to get
into any vehicle with a stranger. These could potentially be life
threatening situations.
Children peddling to school on bicycles must wear bike helmets – it’s
the law. Helmets are the single most effective safety devices for cyclists,
greatly reducing the risk of death or critical injury. Your children should
ride their bicycles on the right side of the road and obey stop signs and
traffic signals.
Children who ride the bus should never misbehave. And remember, no
bullying. It’s important for children to remain seated at all times, keep
hands and feet inside the vehicle and never throw anything inside or
outside of the bus. When exiting the bus, children should always cross
the street in front of the bus – never from behind.
Drivers need to remember that Florida law prohibits passing, in either
direction, a school bus that is stopped with its flashing lights activated.
Drivers must also remember to slow down in school zones. Driving
slowly and carefully through school zones sharply reduces the risk of a
tragic accident. Anyone caught passing a stopped school bus or speeding
in a school zone can expect to get a costly fine – the Broward Sheriff ’s
Office simply will not tolerate violations that could harm a child.
Most schools in Broward County have a school resource officer or
deputy. If your child is experiencing trouble with others or feels they are
being bullied, please contact the school’s administrative office and ask to
speak to the officer or deputy.
By keeping safety in mind, we can work together to make the 2008-
2009 school year safe and successful.
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