Anchorage schools in session with safety

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Tammie Ramsouer
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  School starts soon for students in the Anchorage school district, and resources are available to parents to prepare children for the new school year.

The Anchorage school district provided school guidelines from the Anchorage School Board, which informed parents and their children of responsibilities and proper safety precautions.

The school guidelines include academic policies, alternative school programs, attendance policies and harassment policy to name a few. For example, according to the Elementary School Handbook, Anchorage school districts standards are part of a statewide assessment system, the Alaska Standards Based Assessments, which is intended to improve education for children.

The Anchorage school district also provides the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities for parents and students. The statement explains that students have 14 rights and responsibilities, including the no profanity use and consequences for breaking rules. It also explains students have a right to fair and reasonable, equal treatment and due process.

There are many things to look out for when preparing to be safe during the 2013 school year.

Some tips for children who walk or bike to school include:
· Choose one route to walk or bike to school.
· Keep reflector belts on backpacks and clothing where they can be seen.
· Stay safe by walking or biking in big groups.
· Know how to read and understand traffic signals and pavement lines for crosswalks.
· Crossing guards are at crosswalks before and after school hours for any assistance.

Parents can use these safety tips:
· Drop off children as close to the school as possible. This keeps children from having to walk across the road.
· Obey signs and signals from crossing guards and observe proper speed limits.
· Use appropriate stopping distance for weather conditions.
· Be aware of surroundings.

In Alaska the limited amount of light during the winter makes it difficult to see pedestrians. Keeping children safe and parents aware of their surroundings is important.

To increase visiblity during the hours of darkness, children must wear reflective gear such as reflective belts or flashing lights as they walk to school or wait at bus stops. Not only is it the parents' responsibility to have their children wear reflective gear, drivers must always have their lights on between the hours of dusk and dawn. Drivers must always be on the lookout for children and school buses.

Parents and bus drivers share the road and also share responsibility for safety. They both carry precious cargo but bus drivers must be extra vigilant since they carry more than a few children to school. All school bus drivers are required to have their signs well lit and open while at bus stops to show drivers it is not safe to drive until the bus proceeds. This is necessary because children cross the street to board the buses.

At bus stops, children must abide by bus stop rules:
· Children are not allowed too close to the bus as it arrives, to avoid getting hit.
· The waiting passengers must be in a single file line without pushing or shoving.
· Boarding the bus one at a time and using hand rails prevents falls and slips.

Not only do they need to know the safeties at the bus stop, they need to be aware of wildlife that may approach them.

The staff from the Anchorage School District on base do as much as they can to increase safety among children, specifically as a response to the Alaska wildlife.

"We have staff that will drive around the school and keep an eye out for any wildlife," said Helen Mullings, Mount Spurr Elementary School principal. "If we do see wildlife we call parents and notify them."

School staff advises students to walk away slowly if approached by a wild animal. If they are close to home or the school they should immediately go inside and tell an adult.

Wildlife on base can be very dangerous, but the cold winter weather in Alaska can be just as deadly. It's something the Anchorage School District takes seriously. Children must be bundled up properly to prevent hypothermia, frost bite and many other health issues that can harm them.

Some things to remember when your children go outside in frigid weather:
· Dressing children in layers helps keep them warm if they are outside for extended periods of time.
· Using hand and feet warmers can increase comfort.
· Identify a place for children to go every 30 minutes to warm up.

The Anchorage school district works very closely with JBER to ensure military children are well taken care of during the school year.

"We developed a relationship with the base through school meetings," said Don Cole, 673d Force Support Squadron school liaison officer. "We created a first-name basis relationship with leadership throughout the years of providing our services both on and off base for military and their children."

For more information about school policies and any back-to-school information, contact the Anchorage School District at 907-742-4000 or by visiting their webpage at http://www.asdk12.org/

For information about wildlife safety, contact the Wildlife Education Center at 907-552-8609 or Security Forces at 907-552-4444.

For additional safety questions, contact the JBER Safety Office at 907-552-6850, or 907-753-2896.

School safety and parental responsibilities information was provided by the Anchorage School District. The Wildlife Education Center provided information on wildlife safety tips.