Child safety education should be mandatory in the Scottsdale Unified School District for every grade

When visiting Lake Hodges in Escondido, CA where 17-year-old Chelsea King was murdered in February 2010, the heart in one’s chest just aches while the body shows physical manifestation of horror as a person contemplates just how something so tragic occurred at such a beautiful, serene place.  Shock then turns to rage when realizing that nobody’s safe, nobody’s privileged and everyone’s vulnerable regardless of age, where they reside or their economic classification.  After a quick perusal of Scottsdale Unified School District’s website, there is no evidence of child safety anywhere, which prompts one to ask, “Why is there not education for our children in school on how to stay safe and alive?”

In an effort to prevent something similar from happening to the youth in the Scottsdale community, the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) should make child safety education mandatory for every grade level.  In an unofficial survey of some parents in Scottsdale, safety education is nearly non-existent in schools other than the dreadful, flawed “Stranger Danger” instruction.  Parents are not experts in safety education and most don’t know or practice good safety behavior themselves further clouding the issue; they rely on the schools to educate their children on all pertinent subject matter, including safety.

On the home page of the SUSD’s website, there are quick links for “Students Helping Haiti” and the “Census” but where is the link to child self defense classes in Scottsdale or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s educational resources for child safety?  The time is NOW for schools to adopt child safety education and to teach the youth of Scottsdale on how to be safe!

Here are 5 key safety tips for parents to reinforce with children (provided by the NCMEC):

1. Always TAKE A FRIEND with you when running, walking, biking, or standing at the bus stop. Make sure you know your bus number and which bus to ride.
2. Say NO if anyone you don’t know or a person who makes you feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused offers a ride unless I have told you it is OKAY to do so in each instance.
3. Quickly get away and yell, “THIS PERSON IS NOT MY MOTHER/FATHER/GUARDIAN” if anyone tries to take you somewhere or is following you. If anyone tries to grab you, make a scene and every effort to get away by kicking, screaming, and resisting.
4. NEVER LEAVE SCHOOL GROUNDS before the regular school day ends. Always check with the office and me before leaving school early.
5. NEVER take shortcuts or walk through alleys to get to or from school. Remember to call me once you have arrived home.

Click here for more safety information from the NCMEC or contact Shieldher.  Be safe!