Meet Your School Resource Officers

Driving Your Student to School

The dreaded drop-off and pick-up lines. It may be worse than our parents ‘uphill both ways’ stories of yesteryear. Here are some rules of etiquette and laws to help you get through these times with ease.

PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY. And make-up, hair-brush, or anything else that takes your eyes off the road.

TRY TO BE EARLY and make sure everyone has what they need to succeed at school that day BEFORE getting in the drop-off line.

It may seem rude, but this is NOT THE TIME FOR PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES. Most people need to drop off/pick up their kids efficiently and get to work or sporting events.

Don’t cut or try and go around other vehicles and RESPECT THE SCOOL ZONE.

BE PATIENT. Everyone is in a hurry to get to where they need to be….and maybe don’t yell out to your middle schoolers/high schoolers that you love them.

Back-to-School Photos

We all love seeing everyone’s first day of school pictures. It’s great to see how our little ones (and big ones) are growing each year.

But you should also be aware that everyone on social media doesn’t have the best intentions.

Never share personal details like their full name, age, height, and other details on social media. Scammers or predators can use this information to commit identity theft or earn your child’s trust.

Leave off the information about their teachers and what school they go to. It could make your child a target. Plus these are often details used as security questions for banking or credit card accounts.

And finally, double-check your privacy settings. Be mindful of whom can view your posts, whether it’s just your ‘friends’ or the public.

School Zones

School zones have a maximum speed of 20 miles per hour. That means whether the light is flashing or not, School Zone laws are enforced during school recess and while children are arriving to or leaving school.

It is also important to stop and yield to pedestrians crossing the crosswalk or intersection or when a crossing guard indicates you need to stop.

Danger Zone

The ‘highway to the danger zone’ is great for Maverick and Goose (Great Balls of Fire!), but when it comes to school buses, it’s no place to joke around.

Millions of children ride the school bus every day, and from 2013 to 2022, there were a total of 976 fatal school-transportation-related crashes.

The danger zone extends as much as 30 feet from the front bumper, 10 feet from the left and right sides of the bus, and 2 feet behind the rear bumper of the school bus. That means children could be in these areas and are at risk of getting hit.

Remember, flashing yellow lights means that the bus is getting ready to stop. On roads with fewer than four lanes, all traffic approaching a stopped school bus from EITHER direction must stop at least 10 feet from the bus. If the bus is stopped on a street with four or more lanes, only traffic proceeding in the same direction as the bus must stop.

Videos

Walking To School

Walking to school for the first time is exciting but your child needs to be prepared. Every child is different, but developmentally, most kids are unable to judge the speed and distance of oncoming cars until the age of 10. So kids under 10 should cross the street with an adult.

Teach kids to look left, right, and left again before crossing the street and remind them to put phones and other devices down when crossing the street.

Biking to School 

Deputy Doug has some tips for keeping you safe while biking!