ANALYSIS
Trough the Eyes of a Child
STUDENTSWEIGH IN ON WHAT SECURITY MEANS TO THEM AT SCHOOL AND ON THE BUS
WRITTEN BY CHERI CLYMER A
s the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. But a comment, or even one word spoken, can literally change a life forever.
Our children’s lives center on home, family, school
and, yes, even the school bus. Do we, as adults, pro- vide the security they desperately need? Do we train them or even consider talking to them about what security means? During their years in school, they have been trained to leave the building during a fire drill or to
“duck and cover” during an earthquake drill, but do they understand that these drills are for their safety not necessarily for security? Do we talk to them about intruders on school grounds and the necessity of locking doors? When we practice “shelter-in-place” or evacuations, do we tell them why these things are done the way they are? Or do we simply expect correct execution of the drill? Recently, I had an opportunity to approach a
fourth-grade class and ask what security meant to them. Following are some of the answers I received:
• “Security means family and home to me. Tey make me feel safe.”
• “Security means safety in my home because others protect me.”
• “I have a choice where I can live and do what I want. I am protected.”
• “Security means freedom to me because we don’t have to be tortured and enslaved like some people. It means great love to me because we don’t have to be told what to spend our money on.”
• “Security is to be free and safe.” • “Security means safety to me because I’m safe in school, on the bus and at home.”
• “Security is important because without it, I would get pushed around.”
• “I feel safe at school with all of the plans we have for emergencies.”
• “I’m protected.” As you can see, our kids expect that we, as adults,
will keep them safe. Emergencies can and will happen. How can we prepare our children to not only respond but to be able to help during a crisis? An emergency plan should be in place that speci- fies how to prepare for emergencies, how to respond
if an emergency occurs, how to mitigate the potential effects of emergencies, and how to recover. Practice is a critical aspect of the preparation process. Exercising is a cost effective way to ensure that students will be able to act quickly and safely. It is an excellent time to discuss with them what the objective of the exercise/ practice is and why it is important. Each student, the easy to manage and the not so
easy, will all learn something. A student on the bus, who had an extremely difficult year with suspen- sions, took charge when the driver had a seizure. He unloaded the kids out of the back door of the bus and called for help. Don’t ever give up on “that kid!” Just when you think there is no hope, they jump in and save a life. It’s important to ask them what they consider
critical and how they would respond. All kinds of drills — fire, earthquake, winter storms, tornadoes, and hurricanes — are crucial. What about security aboard the bus? Have students been trained to stop the bus in an emergency? Do they know what to do if an intruder enters the bus? Are they aware of their surroundings at the bus stop and are willing to report a suspicious person? Can they spot something suspicious on or near the bus? Ask them questions such as: Should that person be at the bus stop or on your bus or in the school building? Should that brown bag be under the seat in the bus? If not, should the child just grab it or report it to an adult? What does this all have to do with security? By
training our kids, we not only keep them safe but we are preparing them for the future. Don’t let exercise/ practice become ho-hum. Take each opportunity to teach and to listen. Let children lead during prac- tice sessions. Help them to become aware of their surroundings. Perhaps we should remember the saying, “Out of the mouths of babes.” Happy trails! l
Clymer is a retired school transportation safety trainer from Loveland, Colo., and is the co-author of NAPT’s Emergency Preparedness Guide. She can be contacted at
clymerc@skybeam.com.
www.stnonline.com 49
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