Things every child, parent should know

Our Voice

By: Hickory Daily Record Editorial | Hickory Daily Record
Published: August 26, 2009

School days are here again. It's an exciting time, but there are some sobering considerations for parents.

School is fun, challenging and safe. Still, there are some things parents should discuss with their kids and safety measures that youngsters and adults should know.

Here's a synopsis of N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper's child safety tips for parents:

• Check out the safety plan at your child's school. Ask if there is a Critical Incident Response Kit, that should contain everything a school needs to respond to a crisis. The attorney general's office helped distribute kits to every North Carolina school. Ask what you should do as a parent if a crisis occurs at school. For more on school safety kits, go to www.ncdjjdp.org/cpsv/cirk.html.

• Visit and get to know the people who spend time with your children.

• Update your list of emergency contacts and give a current copy to your child's school and any after school programs. That list informs the school who you trust with your children in case of emergency.

• Ask the school to notify you if your child doesn't arrive at school, and let the school know who is authorized to pick up your child. Make sure your children know who would pick them up in an emergency or if you can't.

• Make sure young children know their full name, parents' names, address and phone number. Consider getting them an ID card from the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles.

• Be careful to protect your child's identifying information, like Social Security numbers, from strangers. Identity thieves will use an unsuspecting child's information to open credit lines, take out mortgages or acquire credit cards without parents' knowledge. Give identifying information when necessary, and ask how it will be used and how the organization plans to protect the information.

• Talk to your kids about how to stay safe from strangers, even on the Internet. Set ground rules. Easy-to-use tools that can help you protect your children online are available free at www.ncdoj.gov.

• Encourage your children to talk to you about anything that makes them feel scared or uncomfortable. Teach your kids which trusted adults (such as grandparents, teachers, school resource officers, a neighbor you know and trust) they can also turn to when they need help.

The last tip is something many people don't want to think about, but it's necessary.

• Sign up to get email alerts when a registered sex offender moves near your home or your child's school, daycare, or after-school activities. Sign up and get more information at www.ncdoj.gov.

Make this school year a safe one for your children.