Tips for Helping Your Kids Stay Safe at School

School can not only be stressful for students, but it can also be stressful for parents. Kids are learning how to navigate classes, making friends, and going through major developmental changes. Meanwhile, parents worry about their kids getting bullied in class or during recess, and what kinds of emergencies or other scary incidents could happen while school is in session. Luckily, there are ways you can help your kid stay safe at school and soothe your own worries while they're there. Here are five simple steps to start with.

Review the Policy Handbook

Knowing how a school handles emergencies and what rules are to be followed is important. At the start of each school year, review the handbook of the school your child is attending. The guide should answer most of your questions, such as what the dress code is and policies for visitors and give pertinent information about emergency drills and routes and how the school handles bullying. If any of your questions aren't answered in the school's handbook, contact their administration office for help.

Meet with Teachers and Administrators

A great way to keep updated on the school's safety policies and find out about new safety issues is to meet with teachers and administrators regularly. These meetings can reveal problems your child is struggling with. Most schools offer parent-teacher conferences. If your child's school doesn't, request a meeting with a teacher towards the middle of the school year or at the end of a semester. You can also request a conference with an administrator any time during the academic year.

Communicate Openly with Your Child

When you maintain good communication with your child, they will gain self-esteem and learn to respect others equally. Continue to create a safe environment at home by having honest conversations. Complimenting your child's accomplishments and encouraging them to talk about their feelings will help them open up to you about their dreams, struggles, fears, and concerns.

Use Technology as an Aid

While you may be hesitant to let your child use technology more often, many smart devices offer programs that can help you monitor you son or daughter's social media and internet use, physical location, and so on. You can receive warnings about cyberbullying, use filters to block inappropriate websites, add parental control apps to track online conversations, and purchase wearable tech devices that let you continuously track your kid's location.

Keep Your Child's Records Updated

When you enrolled your child in school, you completed an endless pile of paperwork. However, over the years you might forget to update his or her school files with updated information. This can cause problems if, say, your kid develops allergies or there is an emergency at school. Your personal or contact information can change as well over time. Make sure you update and confirm that the information in your child's school record is up to date by reviewing the paperwork once a year.

Having a child go off to school can have you worrying about their safety. Luckily, by doing these five things, you can help ensure they're safe.