School Safety: Tips for Students, Parents and Educators

School is where young people spend the majority of their waking hours. It’s important that this environment is safe in order to give them the best chance to learn. There are several things that everyone in the school setting can do to protect students.

Communication

One of the most important things that everyone can do for school safety is to have clear lines of communication. When the school is communicating with parents and students, and parents are communicating with their children, there is a much higher chance of spotting safety and wellbeing concerns. Regular newsletters, social media updates and meetings are all common ways for the school to reach out to parents, and parents should make sure to keep up-to-date with every notice.

Travel safely

At pick-up and drop-off times, the roads around the school are their busiest. Teaching children to stay on pavements and safely cross roads helps them to get to school and back independently. Reflectors can also be useful to help drivers see your child on overcast days or at night. Even if you are confident that your child understands road safety, drive with extra care when around the school.

Online safety

Technology is an important part of education. Parents, students and educators should all understand the basics of online safety, such as viruses and misinformation. With assignments often being handed in digitally, viruses and poorly secured accounts can lead to loss of important files. Teach students to be careful that any files they download are from a trustworthy source. They should also know how to set secure passwords – including not using the same password for multiple platforms.

Stranger danger

Being cautious of strangers is a vital skill to teach children. The basic principles of not approaching strangers, going anywhere with strangers or eating something given by a stranger have been taught for generations. However, modern-day children also need to be taught that this applies to the virtual world, too. Teach students that not everyone is who they say they are online, and to never give out personal information online. Make sure that students know where to turn to if they see something online that makes them uncomfortable. Many devices and services have parental controls that can be placed on children’s accounts, allowing parents to monitor or limit certain actions like messages from unknown accounts.

Kindness

Behaviour in schools has been a worsening issue in recent years. Many educators report receiving abuse and even violence from students, which contributes to a poor environment for all. Teaching the importance of kindness, along with the consequences of abuse, can help everyone be more safe at school.

Report crime anonymously

Whether you are a student, educator or parent, if you know of any threats to school safety, you can report them anonymously to Crime Stoppers Bermuda. We do not collect any tracking information on our online form or phone line, ensuring that you can report crime securely. Any identifying information that you inadvertently give us is removed before the report is given to the police.

Use our online form or call 800-8477.