Safety Bulletin

"School should be a safe place for all students to learn and play and it is the job or each teacher, administrator and parent to ensure that safety."

• Do not prop open any interior or exterior door
• Do not open any exterior door for anyone! Let your teacher or administrator open the door.
• Be vigilant at all times and report all suspicious activity!
• Be Kind to Everyone!

• Badges must be worn at all times on Life School campuses
• Do not prop open any exterior door!!
• Remove objects near exterior doors that could be used to prop it open
• Intruder Audits are still taking place by Region 10 & TEA

• All visitors must enter through the front entrance and be checked in
• Communicate with School Administrators- Open, transparent dialogue between School Administrators, Parents, Guardians, and Students is essential to develop a community approach to safety concerns, response procedures, and best practices.

• Encourage Open Communication- Establish and encourage an environment where students can feel comfortable bringing their fears or concerns about school safety to school administrators.

• Get Involved- Talk with the principal about what you can do to increase school safety, such as organizing parents to form a neighborhood watch before and after school. Sometimes parent groups are highly successful in making improvements in traffic safety during drop off and pick up times.

We practice a variety of drills every year in accordance with state laws in all of our schools to ensure our staff and students are ready to respond. Some of these drills include:

• Evacuation - initiated automatically when smoke or fire is detected in a building
• Lockdown - initiated to isolate students and staff from certin immediate threats
• Secure - initiated to isolate students and staff from possible exterior threats
• Shelter - initiated whenever isolation of the interior environment is likley to be effective against an external enviormental hazard
• Hold - initiated to isolate students and staff from possible threats or medical emergencies on the campus

Click this link to take you to Safe Kid Games!

• ATV safety
• Driving all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) can be a fun way to spend time with family and friends, but the fun can turn into a tragedy very quickly. Never operate an ATV with more than one person on board and wear proper safety gear: helmets, goggles, long pants and shirts, gloves, and boots. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under age 16 should not operate ATVs.
• Spring cleaning safety
• Spring means it’s time for spring cleaning. Leave toxic chemicals in their original containers and keep them out of reach or locked away from children. Also, choose nontoxic products for your spring cleaning. For example, vinegar and water is an inexpensive and effective window-cleaning solution.
• Car seat safety
• More than 70 percent of car seats are incorrectly used. Read the label instruction manual to make sure the seat is installed securely and to verify your child is in the correct seat. Clean car seats of sticky snacks, crumbs, and drinks that can interfere with the crotch buckle and chest clip.
• Lawn safety
• If your child wants to help with yard cleanup, provide them with tools designated for children like small plastic rakes or a child’s shovel or broom. While using lawn mowers, children must not be allowed to ride as passengers or be towed in carts or trailers. Do not permit children to play on or around the mower in use or storage. Check the outside area for sharp objects, poisonous plants, tripping hazards, and any standing water—a young child can drown in only one inch of water.
• Bike safety
• Now that the snow has melted, it’s time to pull the bikes out of the garage. There should be one to three inches of space between you when you stand on your foot pedals and the top bar of your bike. Check and oil the chain and the brakes of your bike regularly. Always wear a helmet, and replace it every three to five years or after a major impact. Wrist guards, elbow pads, and knee pads will help prevent sprains and scrapes due to falling.
• Playground safety
• Now that it’s warmer outside, your child may wish to play on the backyard or your local park’s playground equipment. Teach your child playground safety rules like waiting their turn, going down the slide feet first, holding onto railings, and sitting down on swings or slides to prevent injuries. Before your child uses the playground, touch the play structures to check for hot surfaces that may cause burn injuries. Remove helmets, scarves, drawstrings, and other loose items that may be choking hazards.
• Allergy awareness
• Spring is in the air, and so are allergies, which can cause your child to have a clear runny or stuffy nose, itchy and watery eyes, and a cough, especially when he or she has spent a lot of time outside. Keeping your windows closed and running the air conditioner can help reduce pollen counts indoors and make breathing a little easier.
• Insect repellents safety
• Spring means bugs like mosquitoes, gnats, chiggers, and flies that can bite, making your child uncomfortable. To prevent bug bites, apply child-safe insect repellent, but avoid the child’s hands, eyes, and cut or irritated skin. After returning indoors, wash your child’s treated skin. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, insect repellent containing DEET should not be used on children under 2 months, and oil of lemon eucalyptus projects should not be used on children under age 3.

Talking to your child about school safety can be a hard topic to discuss. It's important, however, to have a plan and be prepared to act. Here are some ideas to consider:

• Invite your child to share their plans and how they practice for emergencies at school.
• Talk to your child about staying safe online
• Review your contact information with your child, and contact information for adults that you trust. Make sure they know who to call in case of emergency.
• Talk about all of the ways to keep your child safe, including at home. The Safe Kids Worldwide website is a great resource for you and your family.

Updates will be posted on lifeschoolnet/weather

Dear Parent or Guardian:

Texas law now requires school districts to distribute information to parents and guardians about the safe storage of firearms. The attached information will help you learn about options for, as well as how to talk to your child and others about, the safe storage of firearms.

In 2021, 4,613 Texans experienced gun-related deaths. The Texas Department of State Health Services (SHS) reports that 55% of Texas firearms deaths in 2020 were suicides and that 59% of all suicides in Texas were by firearms. Suicide attempts involving firearms have a 90% fatality rate. Restricting access to guns is critical in reducing acts of violence, whether as self-harm or towards others. Acts of mass violence and interpersonal violence often end in suicide.

It is unlawful to store, transport, or abandon an unsecured firearm in a place where children are likely to be and can obtain access to the firearm. Under Texas Penal Code 46.13, a person commits the offense of making a firearm accessible to a child if the child gains access to a readily dischargeable firearm, and the person with criminal negligence:

• Failed to secure the firearm; or
• Left the firearm in a place to which the person knew or should have known the child would gain access

The penalty for allowing a child access to a firearm can range from a Class C misdemeanor (punishable by a $500 fine) to a Class A misdemeanor (punishable by a $4000 fine, a year in jail, or a combination of the two). Texas exempts the purchase of firearm safety equipment from Texas Sales and Use Tax.

Remember, a gun should be stored unloaded in a safe or locked container, with ammunition stored elsewhere. You can learn more and find additional resources from the Texas Department of Public Safety at https://safegunstoragetexas.com.

Safe gun storage is critical to preventing suicide, unintentional shootings, and other tragedies.

Sincerely,

Life School’s Safety Team

https://txssc.txstate.edu/tools/courses/before-you-text/

https://txssc.txstate.edu/tools/parent-safety/3-bhss/3-5-sexting.html

Click the title above to take you to the NIH page for great mental health resources for students and our community!

Go and Tell!