TOLEDO, Ohio — As school children across northwest Ohio are making their way back to class for a new school year officials are urging parents to remind their children about safety when going to and from school.
Toledo Police Department is reminding families the safety protocols we should keep in mind when sending our child back to school. No matter how your child gets to and from school, you want to make sure they know these safety basics,
Let them know to never approach a stopped car if somebody asks them for directions or tries to talk to them. They need to keep their distance from the vehicle. If a person makes them feel uncomfortable for any reason or gets out of the car, children should run as fast as they can to the nearest trusted adult.
Use the buddy system when walking to or from school, walking in groups is much safer.
If your child is responsible for getting themselves to and from school, it’s important that they have a way of communicating with you if something happens. Cell phones are the most common way to keep tabs on your child.
“Unless amount of apps for location-based services for cell phones, all those are good just making sure that you have open lines of communications with your kid on where they are and where they’re going to be," Toledo Police Officer Prince Flores said. "You have a lot of after school events especially now in the beginning so just make sure that you guys are aware and you're talking to your kids so you know what’s going on.”
If your child can’t use a cell phone, putting a GPS tracker on their backpack can help you know where they are on their route to and from school.
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