JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND –
Along with organizing busy school and extracurricular schedules, back-to-school safety should be the priority for children and parents this fall.
Parents should do everything they can to provide children with a safe way to school, said Gilbert Resendez, 502nd Air Base Wing safety office occupational safety specialist.
“Whether dropping off your kids or allowing them to walk, bike or bus to school, it’s very important to inform them on how to be safe,” said Resendez.
Children walking to school should not use distracting electronics and should stop, look and listen when crossing the street. Resendez also suggests children stay on the sidewalk, utilize crosswalks and have an emergency plan when walking to school.
“It’s pretty much the same when they bike to school as well,” said Resendez. “Just make sure they know the safest route and have an emergency plan in place if something goes wrong.”
Resendez added children biking should stop to dismount at crosswalks and walk the bike across.
“Make sure they have their helmet on and watch carefully for traffic as well,” said Resendez.
Resendez also imparted some tips for children taking the bus to school.
“Make sure they listen to the driver’s instructions and wait until the door’s actually open,” said Resendez. “Sometimes children are so excited to get off the bus they run into the door or turn their ankle because they run off too fast.”
Edward Mesa, a 502nd Air Base Wing safety office occupational safety specialist, provided equally important tips for parents driving children to school.
“The most important thing for parents is to have patience,” said Mesa. “It’s the lack of patience that causes accidents. Every year we have a bunch of near-misses.”
Along with having patience, parents need to have awareness of the drop-off points, entrances and exits set by the school, said Mesa.
Mesa added it’s important for parents to listen to administrators when dropping off kids.
For more information on occupational safety during the summer season, contact a local safety office at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston at 221-4543; JBSA-Lackland at 671-5028; and JBSA-Randolph at 652-1843.