Naperville Provides Back-to-School Safety Tips

Submitted by the City of Naperville

As Naperville school children begin the 2015-2016 school year, the Naperville Police Department asks that families make back-to-school safety a priority.

Before the first day of school, parents should talk to their students about the following topics.

• Students should know their home address and phone number as well as a parent’s cell phone number. Help your child practice it so they have it memorized before school begins.
• Use the buddy system. Always walk to and from school with a friend or stay with a group at the bus stop.
• There is safety in numbers. If riding the bus, visit the bus stop with your children and be sure they know their bus numbers.
• Walk/ride in well lit areas and never take shortcuts. Instruct children to avoid places they cannot be seen or heard and to stay on the School Walk Routes. More information is available at www.naperville.il.us/walkroutes.aspx.
• Before the first day of school, walk to and from school with your child. Be sure to point out “Helping Hand” houses along the way. “Helping Hand” households are safe places for kids to go when they need emergency adult assistance. More information is at www.naperville.il.us/helpinghand.aspx.
• Stay within the crosswalks and obey all traffic signals and signs. Obey the crossing guard, if one is available. If children ride their bikes to school, make sure they wear a helmet.
• Teach children the safety rule, “Say NO, GO and TELL”. If anyone approaches your child, offers them a ride, asks for directions or makes them feel uncomfortable, instruct them to say “NO”, get away from the situation (GO), and TELL a trusted adult. Be sure to discuss with your child who trusted adults may be: teachers, parents, a friend’s parents, neighbors, police officers, firefighters, relatives, etc.
• Make sure children understand never to leave school with anyone they haven’t been instructed to leave with by you. If someone comes up to them and tells them that there is an emergency and they want your child to go with them, be sure they know to check first with you or another trusted adult (school personnel) before doing so.
• If your students will be taking care of themselves after school, please provide them with additional safety rules at www.naperville.il.us/onyourown.aspx.

For more information, visit www.naperville.il.us/backtoschool.aspx. For more information on the City of Naperville’s projects and initiatives via email at www.naperville.il.us/enews.aspx. To sign up for the City’s new notification system Naper Notify and receive important emergency and community information via a phone call, text message, email or smart phone app, visit www.napernotify.com.