Back-to-school season usually brings excitement, new backpacks, sharpened pencils, first-day pictures, and the return of familiar routines. It is also an important time for families to talk about safety.

Unfortunately, school safety today includes conversations many of us wish were unnecessary. We must teach our children how to cross the street safely, recognize unsafe situations, respond during emergencies, and understand what to do if violence occurs at school.

These conversations should not frighten children. They should empower them.

Safety Starts With Kindness

Before we talk about emergency plans, we need to talk about how our children treat one another.

Teach your child to include the student sitting alone. Encourage them to speak up when someone is being bullied, threatened, or humiliated. Remind them that words, both in person and online, can leave lasting wounds.

Kindness is not weakness. It is part of prevention.

We should also teach children that reporting concerning behavior is not “snitching.” If they hear someone threaten to hurt themselves or others, see a weapon, receive a disturbing message, or notice something that does not feel right, they should immediately tell a trusted adult.

They do not need to investigate. They do not need to confront anyone. They need to get help.

Know the School’s Emergency Plan

Parents and caregivers should know:

• How the school communicates during an emergency
• Where students may be relocated
• How reunification will occur
• Who is authorized to pick up your child
• Whether your contact information is current
• What the school expects families to do during a lockdown or evacuation

During an emergency, rushing to the school may interfere with responding police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel. Follow official instructions and go only to the designated reunification location.

Have a family plan in case phone lines are overwhelmed. Choose an out-of-area contact who can receive updates from everyone. Make sure older children know important phone numbers, not only the numbers stored in their phones.

Have Age-Appropriate Conversations

Children do not need graphic details. They need simple, clear instructions they can remember under stress.

You might say:

“If something dangerous happens at school, listen to your teacher. Stay quiet when asked. Leave your belongings behind. If you are separated from your class, find a safe adult and follow their directions.”

Make sure your child understands the difference between a drill and an actual emergency. After a drill, ask how it made them feel. Some children may appear fine but experience anxiety, nightmares, headaches, stomachaches, or fear about returning to school.

Listen without dismissing their concerns. Reassure them that adults are working to keep them safe.

Secure Firearms and Other Hazards

If there is a firearm in your home, it should be unloaded, locked, and inaccessible to children, with ammunition secured separately. Ask about safe firearm storage in homes your child visits.

Medications, alcohol, chemicals, and other potentially dangerous items should also be secured. Back-to-school safety does not stop at the school entrance.

Prepare Without Creating Fear

Preparedness is not about expecting the worst every day. It is about knowing what to do if something unexpected occurs.

Review plans calmly. Keep instructions simple. Practice important phone numbers. Update emergency contacts and medical information. Make sure your child knows which adults they can trust.

Then allow them to enjoy being children.

Send them to school knowing how to be aware, but not afraid. Teach them to recognize danger, report concerns, follow instructions, and care for the people around them.

A safe school is not created by one policy, one drill, or one security measure. It takes educators, families, healthcare professionals, first responders, community leaders, and students working together.

As we prepare backpacks and lunches for another school year, let us also prepare our children with something just as important: kindness, awareness, confidence, and a plan.

Because preparedness does not mean living in fear.

It means knowing what to do, looking out for one another, and helping every child return home safely.

Another adventure, and another important conversation, with Nurse Jamla.