A new school year is an exciting but frantic time for parents and kids – there’s a lot to remember before and after classes begin to ensure children have a healthy, happy and safe educational experience. But there’s no need to stress just yet. These 21 tips will help parents tackle issues from breakfast to bullying this year...
The back-to-school season is especially important for your child’s health. You’re updating vaccines, adapting to a new schedule and sending your precious one back into a space crowded with other children and their germs.
“Suddenly, kids are enclosed with 20-30 children – with cold-weather viruses brewing at the same time,” explains Ruby Roy, M.D., a pediatrician at La Rabida Children’s Hospital in Chicago.
But colds and flu aren’t the only potential health issue your child may face this new school year. Watch out for head lice, pink eye, playground mishaps and other common classroom hazards.
Here are 21 tips to keep your kids healthy and safe before school starts and all year ’round.
Safe School Rules: Before the New School Year Begins
Student safety tip #1: Visit the pediatrician.
Make an appointment for a pre-school check-up. That way, you’ll make sure your children are healthy before they even set foot inside school, Roy suggests.
Student safety tip #2: Get any needed shots.
Have the doctor check records to make sure they're up-to-date on important vaccines.
“Standard vaccinations include diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (or whooping cough), also known as DTaP; polio; hepatitis B; and measles, mumps and rubella (German measles), also known as MMR,” says Susan Zacharski, R.N., a school nurse for the Pontiac School District in Michigan.
Your child can also get a flu shot, so ask your pediatrician if this year’s vaccine is available.
Student safety tip #3: Visit the eye doctor.
If you have any concerns about your child’s vision, get their eyes checked before school starts.
Student safety tip #4: Head to the dentist.
“A lot of children miss school because of pain from cavities,” Zacharski says. “They should get regular check-ups twice a year.”
Student safety tip #5: Teach good hand-washing habits.
Cold and flu viruses enter bodies through the eyes, nose and mouth. That means if a virus is on a child’s hands, an innocent eye rub can lead to illness, says Sandy Chung, M.D., a pediatrician in Fairfax, Va., and author of Dr. Sandy’s Top to Bottom Guide to Your Newborn (Sentient Publications, 2011).
“The absolute best way to avoid getting sick is to get your child to wash hands often and correctly,” she says. “Teach them to use soap, wash under running water for at least 20 seconds – about as long it takes to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ – and then dry their hands on a clean paper towel.”
Make sure they always wash before eating and after going to the bathroom, Roy adds.
Student safety tip #6: Have a travel plan.
If children walk to school, make sure they go in pairs or groups, Zacharski says.
Better yet, “talk to neighbors and friends in the area about forming a ‘walking school bus,’” rotating groups of parents who accompany kids to and from school, she suggests.
Well before the first day of classes, “choose the most direct way to school with the fewest intersections, and practice the route with your child several times,” Zacharski adds.
Student safety tip #7: Take school bus precautions.
If your kids take the bus and it arrives before daylight, dress them in bright clothing that any driver can see, says Zacharski.
And make sure they know these bus-safety rules:
Always wait for a signal from the bus driver before crossing the street.
Walk at least 10 steps in front of the bus so the driver can see you.
When you’re on the bus, stay seated.
If you drop anything under the bus, ask the driver or another adult to retrieve it.
Student safety tip #8: Prep for the playground.
“Kids get [hurt] when they use playground equipment in ways it wasn’t intended,” Roy says. So make sure they know what is and isn’t allowable.
Playing tag on slides and monkey bars, jumping off swings, climbing up chains that attach to swings, or going head-first down slides can be dangerous, she notes.
Student safety tip #9: Inspect the school.
Check out the facilities, especially if your child takes medication or has special needs.
“If your child has a condition like asthma or diabetes, find out if there’s a school nurse on site,” Roy says. Learn who supervises the kids’ medications, where they’re held and who can access them.
“If the response isn’t adequate, look for another school or ask for a 504 plan,” Roy adds. Based on section 504 of the Rehabilitation and Americans with Disabilities Acts, this plan will spell out – with your doctor’s input – the exact arrangements your child requires to be safe and participate at the school.
“A school can’t say, ‘I can’t manage your kid,’” Roy says.
Student safety tip #10: Check the school’s health guidelines.
Find out what the policy is for notifying you when there’s an illness outbreak – such as chicken pox, strep, or methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a bacterial infection highly resistant to antibiotics.
“Most schools will inform parents so they can be alert and know what to look for,” Roy says.
Student safety tip #11: Take care of the basics.
Before the first day of school, make sure young children can recite their full names, addresses and phone numbers, and know how to call 911 in an emergency.
Safe School Rules: During the New School Year
Student safety tip #12: Keep sick kids home.
“If you send your child to school sick, chances are [high that] you’ll get a call to come get them – and now you’ve exposed everyone to the illness,” Roy says.
Children should stay home if they experience any of the following symptoms, Zacharski advises:
Higher than 100° temperature
Nausea or vomiting
Stomachache
Diarrhea
Pale or flushed face
Headache or earache
Cough
Yellow nose discharge
Sore throat
Rash
Red or pink eyes with discharge
No energy
“If your child has a fever, she shouldn’t return to school until she’s been fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication,” Zacharski adds.
Student safety tip #13: Head off head lice.
These parasites spread easily and can turn up in the cleanest of schools.
“To avoid getting lice, teach your child not to share hats, headbands, scarves, helmets or anything else near hair,” Chung says.
If a child gets lice, you’ll need to get a “nit comb” and remove every egg from each strand of hair – otherwise they’ll hatch and restart the cycle.
“Unless you remove all the eggs, no treatment is effective,” Roy says.
Afterward, shampoo with an over-the-counter remedy such as RID, whose active ingredient is a pesticide called piperonyl butoxide. You can also smother lice with petroleum jelly or mayonnaise left on overnight, Roy says.
Student safety tip #14: Don’t let them skip the morning meal.
“I often see kids 9 and older with headaches [because] they don’t eat breakfast – or anything until lunch – and they get dehydrated,” Roy says.
So make sure your children eat good breakfasts and send them to school with a water bottle.
Student safety tip #15: Pack heat-safe lunches.
Perishable foods may be unsafe in bag lunches, according to a 2011 University of Texas study.
Researchers found that 90% of foods preschoolers toted to school – even those in lunchboxes with ice packs or were stored in a refrigerator at some point – were too warm to prevent germs from growing by the time kids chowed down.
Safer brown-bag foods include non-perishables such as crackers, rice cakes, nuts and whole fruit – or hot soup in an insulated Thermos.
Student safety tip #16: Prep for pink eye.
Also known as conjunctivitis, “pink eye is a viral condition spread by contact. Proper hand-washing is the best way to prevent spread,” Chung says.
If a child gets pink eye, “treat it with antibiotic eye drops or ointment if the drainage is pus-like,” Roy says. Or ask the doctor about antihistamine eye drops so eyes won’t itch and your child won’t be tempted to rub them.
Student safety tip #17: Lighten the load.
Filling a backpack with heavy books and other items can lead to back and neck pain.
“A backpack should contain no more than 15% of your child’s weight,” Roy says. “If your child has a particularly heavy book, ask his teacher for a copy to keep at home.”
Pick a well-fitting pack that has padded straps, and insist that your child carry it on both shoulders. Or invest in a rolling backpack, which removes most of the strain.
Student safety tip #18: Be ready for mishaps.
If a seemingly minor accident occurs on the playground or elsewhere, check to see if your child is limping or not using his arm. If so, head to the doctor.
“Kids are more likely to fracture a bone than sprain one,” Roy says.
For mild abrasions, wash the wound thoroughly and apply antibiotic ointment.
Student safety tip #19: Tuck them in early.
A child aged 5-9 should get 10 hours of sleep a night, Zacharski says. But most kids get less than the amount recommended, according to a 2004 poll by the National Sleep Foundation.
“A child has to be awake to learn,” Zacharski says.
Sleepiness also leads to more than just drowsiness in school. Children who don’t sleep enough are more likely to be overweight, a 2011 study published in the British Medical Journal found.
Student safety tip #20: Fend off the sun.
Even though young skin heals quickly, kids who get sunburned have a higher risk of skin cancer as adults, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
“Kids should wear at least 30 SPF sunscreen all the time, reapplied every 3-4 hours,” Roy says. “Send a sunscreen stick to school with your child to run over his face and neck.”
This is important even on cloudy days. Kids think they can’t get sunburned – but in fact they can get severely burned when it’s overcast, Roy says.
Student safety tip #21: Push back against bullying.
Encourage your child to tell you if she’s being bullied. And since kids often keep mum about these problems, watch for signs such as changes in mood, resistance to going to school, headaches or stomachaches, Roy says.
“Bullying is bad for the victim, bully and bystander,” she says. “If your child is bullied, go to the principal and school board.”
Don’t let anyone minimize it as a “mean girls” or “boys-will-be-boys” situation, Roy adds.
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