It’s one thing to be concerned about safety in school, it’s quite another to get involved and do something about it. Here is what you can do to get involved and make your school a safe space for everyone.

Bullying
Bullying is often considered a "kids will be kids" problem. According to the National School Safety Center, however, bullying has become a pervasive and serious form of harassment in many schools. Dr. Dan Olweus, a professor of psychology and leading expert on bully-victim problems, reports that one child in 10 is regularly attacked either verbally or physically by bullies.

Here are a few basic safety tips to follow:

• Document each incident of bullying, or harassment that your child is subjected to.
• Contact your child's teacher, and the school's administrative office immediately in writing, documenting those instances, and requesting a meeting or conference.  
• During your conference review your documented accountings of bullying.  If bullying occurred in settings where there should be supervision, (i.e. playgrounds, cafeterias or classrooms) ask how such behavior could take place unnoticed.  Take notes of responses given by all participants.

•  Document what action was promised to be taken to correct the situation.
•  Ask for a time frame regarding when you can expect intervention to take place.
•  Ask for written confirmation of your conversation with school administrators and the steps the school is planning to take to protect your child that you can pick up from the office within a reasonable time frame.  
• Follow up!  Call your administrators to find out if the actions they told you would be taken have in fact taken place.  If not....ask why?
•  Don't be afraid to escalate your intervention.  If you don't get action from the teacher, go to your guidance counselor.  If that doesn't work, go to the principal.  If the situation remains unresolved go to your local Board of Education offices.
• Make it known that you hold the administrative office of that school responsible for your child's safety while at school.
• Research your state and local Boards of Education to know what the school's level of accountability is by law, and let it be known that you have done your homework.
• Never give up your fight to protect your child.

Riding the Bus
School bus transportation is safe. In fact, buses are safer than cars! Even so, last year, approximately 26 students were killed and another 9,000 were injured in incidents involving school buses. More often than not, these deaths and injuries didn't occur in a crash, but as the pupils were entering and exiting the bus.

Remember these safety tips:

• Have a safe place to wait for your bus, away from traffic and the street.
• Stay away from the bus until it comes to a complete stop and the driver signals you to enter.
• When being dropped off, exit the bus and walk ten giant steps away from the bus. Keep a safe distance between you and the bus. Also, remember that the bus driver can see you best when you are back away from the bus.
• Use the handrail to enter and exit the bus.
• Stay away from the bus until the driver gives his/her signal that it's okay to approach.
• Be aware of the street traffic around you. Drivers are required to follow certain rules of the road concerning school buses, however, not all do. Protect yourself and watch out!

Walking and Biking to School
Even if you don't ride in a motor vehicle, you still have to protect yourself. Because of minimal supervision, young pedestrians face a wide variety of decisions making situations and dangers while walking to and from school.

Here are a few basic safety tips to follow:

• Mind all traffic signals and/or the crossing guard -- never cross the street against a light, even if you don't see any traffic coming.
• Walk your bike through intersections.
• Walk with a buddy.
• Wear reflective material...it makes you more visible to street traffic.
• The Partnership for a Walkable America has some more information on this topic.