Keep kids safe at school

By SHARON CHAYRA

VIEW ON HEALTH

Autumn is a time of great anticipation, eagerness, anxiety and perhaps a touch of angst. But what it shouldn't be is dangerous, say child safety advocates.

"The end of summer is fast approaching and parents, caregivers, educators and children need to be aware of the risks involved with going back to school," says Jeanne Cosgrove, RN and Executive Director of SAFE KIDS Clark County, a non-profit injury prevention agency. Cosgrove adds that whether children ride bicycles to school, take the bus, walk or ride motor vehicles the possibility of unintentional injury is always present.

Unintentional injury is a something the Clark County SAFE KIDS works year round to avoid especially since it's the number one killer of kids 14 years and younger. Given that more than 53 million children in the US spend almost one-fourth of their waking hours at school, importance must be placed on school safety.

As Safe Routes Coordinator for the Clark County School District's partnership program, Cheryl Wagner is responsible for ensuring children's safety to and from school.

"Safe Routes to School programs are sustained efforts by parents, schools, community leaders and local, state and federal governments to improve the health and well-being of children by encouraging them to walk and bicycle to school safely," Wagner said.

The Safe Routes program is funded through Nevada Department of Transportation grants and is supported by community partners including SAFE KIDS as well as UNLV's Safe Community Partnership, McGruff and area police departments. Together, the school district and community agencies host bike rodeos, stripe bike paths, hold safety assemblies and media events to bring awareness to safety.

Bike riding is a very popular way to get to school, but carries risk. According to SAFE KIDS Worldwide, there are more than 27 million bike riders between the ages of 5 and 14 years old. Approximately 127 children die in bike-related accidents each year and 370,000 more are injured. Protecting kids from injuries includes making sure children wear the proper protective equipment. Every child should wear a bike helmet that meets the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission safety standards. It is also very important to follow the road rules and take a safe route to school. Always make sure the school provides a safe area for bike riders, which features few motorists and pedestrians.

Taking the bus to school is one of the safest ways to travel to school, but injuries do happen. Each year, SAFE KIDS estimated there are more than 6,000 injuries to schoolchildren in bus related incidents. To protect themselves from injury when taking the bus, children should arrive early to the bus stop and avoid any horseplay. It is also important to stay out of the street during this time and always walk in a single file line when entering or exiting the bus. Children should also use handrails to avoid falls and always ask the bus driver for help to recover a dropped item. When the bus is moving, children should remain sitting and keep arms and hands inside the bus at all times. It is also important to keep the aisle of the bus clear for safety and avoid distracting the bus driver unnecessarily.

Making sure children are safe when the new school year rolls around is very important, especially when the children walk to school. More than 700 children die from pedestrian-related incidents each year, which is the second leading cause of unintentional death for children under 14, reports SAFE KIDS. It is very important children recognize and obey all traffic laws. It is also very important children are extra alert in bad weather, as visibility may be poor for motorists. Children should also choose safe paths to walk home, avoid taking short cuts and walk with a buddy.

But dangers lurk beyond the passage to and from school.

Michael Rodriguez, Public Information and Media Manager for the Clark County School District emphasizes that with 308,000 students expected in the coming school year, safety is always a priority for teachers and administration. "We routinely have drills to refine safety procedures to ensure a safe learning environment," says Rodriguez.

Rodriguez notes that every high school has at minimum of one if not more trained first responder staff. First responders render first aid including CPR and all first responders are trained in automated external defibrillators or AEDs.

Thankfully, says Rodriguez, serious injuries are rare and he attributes part of that to safeguards put in place at schools. This safety often starts at home like getting shots before the school year starts.

"We do have required immunizations as established by the health district although we allow for exceptions," says Rodriguez. Communicable diseases like measles, mumps and rubella used to cause untold misery and even death before immunizations became commonplace. Today, these and other diseases are greatly reduced due to preventative measures like immunizations.

During the recent H1N1 flu scare, the school district monitored absenteeism more carefully to determine if there were any clusters that could indicate flu clusters. "We can't demand medical information so there was no way for us to separate how many kids were out because of the flu or some other reason," says Rodriguez. "but we look into patterns that emerge."

While flu shots are not a requirement for entry into school, it is usually prudent for kids who have underlying health conditions like asthma.

Safety encompasses many forms at school and is stressed in the science labs in particular. "All students are instructed in the proper safety procedures in advance of any sort of science activity," says Rodriguez. In addition to instructors who lay out the rules and oversee the students, each lab is equipped with special safety features including rinse or shower stations.

Health screenings are an important part of the educational process because they bridge the gap between health and learning. The school district provides vision, hearing and scoliosis or curvature of the spine screenings.

Poor oral health causes plenty of absenteeism in school. In fact, the CDC reports untreated tooth decay causes pain and infections that lead to problems with speech, eating, playing and learning. A study by the United Way and Nevada Community Foundation reported that Nevada ranks first in the nation for the prevalence of tooth decay and nearly 42 percent of third graders have not visited a dentist in the past year and 11.2 percent had never seen a dentist at all.

The introduction of fluoride into the municipal water system was pushed in large part by the dental and educational communities recognizing the importance of proactive measures to ensure the public's oral health needs. Programs like Smiles Across America, initiatives by the Cities in Schools Nevada, as well as services through the non-profit Huntridge Teen Center have helped to address the oral--and medical--health needs of underserved students but the demand continues.

Safety at school can come in many forms from the proper ergonomic use of wearing backpacks to regular fire drills and even shelter in place drills. The latter means kids remain in their classroom and are not released until the "all clear" is given. On occasion this exercise includes the sealing of doors and windows with tape and/or plastic sheeting. Something similar to the shelter in place drill is the lock down. Lock downs are not as menacing as they sound and actually occur with frequency due to the cooperative nature between school district police, administration and the local municipal police department.

"Sometimes we have a lock down for five minutes when there is police activity in the area or police have pulled over someone they're concerned about," says Rodriguez. Upon the non-eventful conclusion of that police encounter, the all clear is given to administration who releases the kids who haven't an idea what transpired. A lock down means the students cannot leave the campus and are ushered or kept in secure locations until all danger has passed.

Rodriguez emphasizes that the school district's focus on safety as evidenced by a district police department that has attended the same law enforcement academy as municipal officers cannot supplant the parent's or caregiver's role. "We'd really like parents to know that if there is a lock down, the safest place for their child to be is in the school, where their safety is the priority of administration and police officials. Please do not come to the school because we cannot release their children anyway." He goes on to remind parents that updating the contact information is vital to a kid's wellbeing as phone numbers and emails frequently change.

And what happens when an emotional trauma occurs? While physical safety is the priority the truth is emotional support is also a part of complete educational environment. In the wake of a tragedy involving a student or teacher, the use of specially trained counselors and crisis response teams are utilized.

Of all the safety, perhaps no area is more important than sports. Sports safety is a big concern and one that local schools, public and private, consider with great forethought. Equipment managers for various games including football, baseball, softball and soccer evaluate safety equipment. Coaches guide students on safety whether training for a particular sport or instructing students on how to play the sport.

"We tend to default to a conservative approach in sports safety," says Rodriguez citing cases where a student had to sit out a season if injured. Sports screenings are required for all student athletics but several years ago this screening could come from healthcare providers other than a medical doctor.

Sixteen year-old Andy Blaine remembers sitting out his freshman football season year when he broke his collarbone just before the season started. His mother, Sarah, was secretly glad her son wasn't allowed to participate in contact sports but she didn't tell him that. In the end, Andy opted for cross country track and found he excelled at that sport so much he chose to participate in that versus football for his sophomore year. As Sarah chimes in, "The injury turned out to be a blessing in disguise."

As crosswalks fill with kids and caution lights glow with reminders of low speed requirements, school bustles in a new year of learning opportunities. So too will it bustle with teens and their freshly minted licenses.

"It's no secret that teen drivers are especially vulnerable to getting into crashes," says Cosgrove.

Though the SAFE KIDS doesn't address teen-driving safety per se, they do push safety initiatives like the Buck for a Buckle campaign. The campaign has been able to demonstrate a increased compliance with seatbelt usage. In addition, graphic crash reenactments also serve to get the message of driving safety across to a group that sometimes needs the shock value to get the message.

And if that doesn't work, there are always other approaches.

"We team with schools and police to stop kids and see if they're wearing their seatbelts before they pull into school," Cosgrove said. "We've found that teens are more likely to change their behaviors when immediate gratification is given. If they're buckled, they get a dollar."