How to keep kids safe at school
It doesn’t take long to see why parents are asking themselves the question of how to keep kids safe at school. Just look at social media and major news outlets and you will understand why. School shootings are up and its a scary time for everyone with kids and school.
Who would have thought that as a parent sending your child to school could be this dangerous? Not many parents, that i am sure of. It’s fighting to think that our children have to fear for there lives while learning in school. But, these are the times we live in and the below are tips that could keep your child safe at school if the unthinkable happens.
Explain to your child to listen for chatter around school or on social media
Cry for help is what it is called. A shooter will often tell others around them whether that be someone they feel is a friend or on social media in messages. A lot of time these school shooters feel like they have been bullied or humiliated by targets. Sill, there are usually warning signs that come before a shooting.
No time for secrets
Explain to your child that it is important to let you know if they see or hear anything in regards to a threat made to a school. Explain to them the importance of reporting this to an adult.
Kids are active on social media they will most likely hear of threats online or even in school and your child should know the importance of reporting these kinds of things to an adult. They could stop a potentially devastating situation.
Dangerous noises and sounds
Explain to your child what noises to listen for when explaining how to keep kids safe at school. Typically a violent event will start with what sounds like pops or firecrackers. Which could be gun fire.
Children typically are not aware of what gunfire sounds like and frequently mistaken this sound to fire crackers or a car backfiring. This is not a typical noise you would hear from inside a school.
Does this get followed up with screaming, yelling, or crying by adults and or students? If so this could be a sign of something violent happening like an active shooter in the building.
Explain to your child that if they are not locked in a classroom but are in a large area like a cafeteria, library or another area they should try and leave away from the direction the noises are coming from. If they are already in a classroom their teacher should already have a plan in place to lockdown and hide.
Shield yourself with book bags and lay flat on the ground
If an active shooter situation becomes reality and a child is locked into a classroom they should try and hide out of sight if possible from any windows and doors and view of the shooter.
This could be a bathroom or a closet within the classroom. The child should if possible get as low to the ground and try and cover their head with their backpack or anything else that could provide some protection.
As hard as it seems to explain to your child they need to be as quiet as possible in the event they find themselves locked in a classfroom.
In the events that unfolded in the Parkland school shootings, the second-floor teachers and students went into code red on their own after hearing the terrifying sounds from the first floor.
Teachers turned off lights, locked doors, and hid in silence as the shooter made his way up to the third floor. Not a single person was lost on the second floor because of this. However, the third-floor students and teachers who could not hear what was happening on the first floor were not so lucky.
Explain to your child to be kind
It is a fact that many shooter within a school were bullied. Explain to your child to be kind. While not the only reason someone decides to mass shoot in our opinion it doesn’t help the fact. Bullying gives more of a reason to retaliate in schools and classrooms.
With that said your child should know the difference of someone that is just shy or a sinister loner that could be plotting. Talk to your child or children about making good choices to help keep them safe at school.
Staying clear of other kids who are bullies, gang members, drug users, and the like that could cause harm to your child. While these tips can help keep your child safe we need to do more as a country to protect our children and keep our kids safe at school from mass violence and shootings.
